MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Matt Kenseth will be right behind Jimmie Johnson when the green flag drops at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Johnson, the only man in front of him in the Sprint Cup championship points race, is starting second and Kenseth fourth. Kenseth would love to be that close at the finish, too. Johnson has found success at the tricky 0.526-mile track shaped like a paper clip, while Kenseth has been frustrated here throughout his career. Johnson, whose lead is four points, has eight wins at Martinsville in 23 starts. Kenseth? No wins in 27 starts, and his best finish -- second -- came back in 2002. But if theres hope for the 2003 series champion, it came in the spring when Kenseth passed Johnson for the lead at one point and led for 96 laps, more than the rest of his career here combined. He wound up 14th while Johnson won, but the early burst gave Kenseth a reason for optimism. "This spring, at least the first half of the race, we were really good and really competitive and (it) really, really helped me be better because we had the car good," he said. "I dont know. Some tracks feel natural to you and comes real easy, fits your style and other ones are just a lot more work. "This one has just been, in general, a lot more work for me than other tracks." Johnson has no such problem, at Martinsville or seemingly anywhere, in Kenseths eyes. "People always say, Man, its a great track for Jimmie, he said. "Is there a bad one?" Johnson laughed when told Kenseth said "you can almost pencil the 48 in" at Martinsville. Johnson said he only needs to look at the starting lineup to realize hes got plenty of competition. "We have had a good run over the years," he said, slipping into a businesslike tone. "I understand where that comes from based on past history, but again it doesnt guarantee anything for this weekend. "At most its flattering, but weve got to go out there and get to work." Besides, Kenseth has a crafty way of his own, as Johnson experienced at Charlotte this year. "I think he ran around the top five -- fifth, sixth, seventh -- somewhere throughout the night," Johnson said of the race two weeks ago. "We were up there dominating the race and I started to think that we might pick up a couple of points on him. Then when the checkered fell he was one spot ahead of me. "He is a great driver, great team, and there is no quit in those guys." Kenseth also will have something of an advantage at the start, with three teammates surrounding Johnson. Denny Hamlin is on the pole to Johnsons inside, with Kyle Busch and Kenseth behind him. Its not Kenseths style to pay attention to where Johnson or anyone else is during the race because it doesnt change the way he races. Kenseth says he just races as hard as he can every race. With four races to go, he likes his chances in the final three at Texas, Phoenix and Homstead, Fla. Theyre all tracks where he feels his team can hit something that gives him a chance to win. But first, theres Sunday. "Good news is we are still in it as of right now," he said before Fridays qualifying runs. "Hopefully, we can have a great race on Sunday and still be in it when we leave here." Keenan Allen Youth Jersey .com) - The Grand Slam season will get underway Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where a new champion will be crowned this year. Joey Bosa Chargers Jersey .C. United to a 4-1 victory over short-handed FC Dallas on Saturday night. http://www.prochargersteamstore.com/Yout...e-Elite-Jersey/. And though his comeback night didnt quite go to script, Bryant couldnt help reflecting on the work necessary to get back on that court -- and all the months of steady labour ahead to reclaim his game. Bryant had nine points and eight rebounds in his season debut, but Amir Johnson scored a career-high 32 points in the trade-depleted Toronto Raptors 106-94 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday night. Lance Alworth Womens Jersey . Second-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States made lighter work of her day as she beat 2009 champion and Swiss wild card Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-3. Two seeds fell: No. 4 Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium lost to Katarzyna Piter of Poland 6-4, 6-2, and No. Easton Stick Youth Jersey . -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim.DUBLIN, Ohio -- Tiger Woods withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday as he recovers from back surgery that has kept him out of golf for nearly three months. It will be the second U.S. Open, and sixth major, he has missed because of injury over the last six years. The U.S. Open is June 12-15 at Pinehurst No. 2, where Woods tied for third in 1999 and was runner-up in 2005. The announcement on his website was not surprising. A week ago at a promotional event for the Quicken Loans National at Congressional, Woods said he still had not taken a full swing with a golf club and did not know when he could. He had microdiscetomy surgery to relieve a pinched nerve on March 31. "Unfortunately, I wont be there because Im not yet physically able to play competitive golf," Woods said. "Id like to convey my regrets to the USGA leadership, the volunteers and the fans that I wont be at Pinehurst. The U.S. Open is very important to me, and I know its going to be a great week." Woods last played on March 9 at Doral, where he closed with a 78 while suffering what he called back spasms. He withdrew in the middle of the final round at the Honda Classic with back pain a week earlier. Woods is a three-time U.S. Open champion, one short of the record shared by Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones and Willie Anderson. His most recent U.S. Open victory was in 2008 at Torrey Pines, where he won in a playoff over Rocco Mediate a week before he had season-ending knee surgery. That was his 14th victory in 46 majors, a winning ratee of 30 per cent as a pro.dddddddddddd He has not won a major since Torrey Pines, leaving him four short of Nicklaus record. Woods missed the British Open and PGA Championship after knee surgery in 2008. He missed the U.S. Open and British Open while allowing leg injuries to heal in 2011. He missed the Masters for the first time in April because of back surgery. Nicklaus said earlier Wednesday that Woods health would be the biggest obstacle in breaking his record in the majors. Woods called Nicklaus earlier Wednesday to express regrets about missing the Memorial, and Nicklaus said that Woods indicated he was making progress. "If hes healthy, I think Tiger has got 10-plus years to play top quality tournament golf," Nicklaus said. "And Ive said many times, hes got a little over 40 tournaments to play the major championships; hes only got to win five to pass my record. As good a player as he is, I dont think that should be a big deal. But then again, hes got to do it. Plus, hes also got to be healthy to be able to do it." Woods has not indicated when he might be able to return to competition, saying that would be up to his doctors and how he recovers from the surgery. "Despite missing the first two majors, and several other important tournaments, I remain very optimistic about this year and my future," he said. While Woods wont be at Pinehurst, niece Cheyenne Woods will be there the following week for the U.S. Womens Open. She earned a spot Wednesday in qualifying in Scottsdale, Arizona. ' ' '