RICHMOND, Va. -- The Federated Auto Parts 400 certainly didnt provide a brilliant showcase for the upcoming NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.The 407-lapper Saturday evening at Richmond International Raceway was supposed to be a dramatic build-up for NASCARs elimination-style playoffs but instead served as a tedious, four-hour demonstration of Toyota dominance.Martin Truex Jr. tried to make things exciting, driving the fastest car through the field from 27th place to contend for the win following a pit-lane speeding penalty. But the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Camry fell short, finishing third behind winner Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.A race-record 16 cautions slowed the average speed to 85.778 mph, the kind of pace Im hoping to achieve for the drive back home to Indianapolis on Sunday.The highlight of the long evening was a no-holds-barred interview from Ryan Newman after he was eliminated from Chase contention when his fellow Hoosier,?Tony Stewart, triggered the most damaging of the nights many wrecks.Hamlin, who won for the third time this year for Joe Gibbs Racing and entered the Chase as the No. 3 seed, was far less colorful in his postrace remarks.The native of Chesterfield, Virginia, was clearly delighted to have triumphed for the third time at what he considers his home track.Its awesome, Hamlin said. Ive won at home before and every one is better than the next, especially going into the Chase. Any time you can win going into the Chase, it really gives you a huge momentum boost. We were already on a roll, it seems, over the last two months and this just caps it off.This is as peaky as you can get going into the Chase.With none of the 10 tracks in the Chase resembling Richmonds fast 3/4-mile bullring, Saturdays result by itself cant be used as a predictor moving forward.But headed by defending Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, Toyota drivers hold five of the top seven seeds for the Chase.Between the four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers and Truex, who drives for the affiliated Furniture Row Racing team, Toyotas won 13 of the 26 regular-season races and led more than half of all laps.Still, JGRs Hamlin refuses to call himself or any of his fellow Toyota drivers a favorite for the 10-race Chase.I think any one of these guys can get going, Hamlin said. You dont know what they have at the shop waiting to come racing. So I think its really hard to figure out whats going to happen.Chevrolet driver Larson has really stepped up his game over the past month or so, and obviously the No. 4 (2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick)?has great speed week in and week out in his Chevy.Until you get to Chicago and see how the first race goes, to me, thats the barometer of where were really at, Hamlin added. But I like our chances at this point.Truex has led more laps than any other driver in 2016 and posted a pair of race wins. But once again Saturday, he watched a race slip out of his hands.Despite his disappointment in finishing third, Truex said hes feeling good about the upcoming playoffs.Our chances are as good as anybodys, Truex said. I dont think anybody has got a leg up on us, for sure. Weve got fast cars and smart people. The cars have been fast all year long, weve shown that. Weve got to do our job and be consistent like weve done for the past couple weeks, and hopefully we can keep that up.Weve got a lot of confidence, and I think thats really important. We feel like weve got a really good shot at it.With the Toyotas dominating at the front and the many cautions limiting excitement to a minimum, it was up to Newman and Stewart to spice up things.They got together with 37 laps remaining, sweeping in six other cars and bringing out a 21-minute red flag. Newman said that Stewart intentionally drove into him before later launching into an extraordinary verbal attack.I guess he thought he was in a Sprint Car again -- didnt know how to control his anger, Newman said. He should be retired the way he drives. Its just ridiculous.I dont think there was any reason other than him just being bipolar and having anger issues. Google Tony Stewart; youll see all kinds of things hes done. Look it up. YouTube and everything else. Quite the guy.Said Stewart: Hes right. That was the third time he had driven into me tonight. How many times does a guy get a free pass before youve had enough of it? Three times? Thats two more times than I normally let somebody run into me.If Richmond was generally a boring race, does that mean NASCAR fans are in for a boring Chase? Not necessarily. Team Penske features a strong two-car attack for Ford, while Chevrolet hopes that Hendrick Motorsports can regain its championship-winning form.I think there are so many well-prepared cars, and this is going to be a battle, said winning team owner Joe Gibbs. Theres no way you can pick a favorite right now because its a series of three-race playoffs. In the past, Denny has been knocked out and Kyle has been knocked out. You cant afford a bad race. Youve got to be consistent, but you also have got to be on your game and race extremely hard.Its the greatest reality show going. Charles Barkley Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Leandro Barbosa Suns Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. http://www.officialsunsfanstore.com/deandre-ayton-suns-jersey/ . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Kevin Johnson Jersey . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Jamal Crawford Suns Jersey . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. NEW YORK -- Bartolo Colon and Max Scherzer are headed to the All-Star Game, picked as replacements for other pitchers originally selected to the National League team.Major League Baseball also announced Friday that Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Michael Saunders and San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt won the final two All-Star roster spots, elected by fans in online balloting.This is a proud moment for me and my family, Saunders said. Everyone knows that Canada takes care of their own. Im Canadian through and through. Just to feel that support, the best way I can describe, everyones been asking me, is I feel loved by this country. To see the support they gave me is very humbling.Saunders joins the American League team, while Belt gets a slot on the NL squad.Extremely excited, obviously. Its hard to put into words, Belt said. I just cant believe that Im an All-Star this year. Its pretty cool, especially when you step back and think about how many fans voted and how many times they voted, how many messages that I got of how their thumbs were numb. Its pretty overwhelming to think about.The 43-year-old Colon was chosen to replace Madison Bumgarner in Tuesdays showcase in San Diego because the Giants ace is scheduled to pitch Sunday against Arizona.A fan favorite with the New York Mets, Colon is 7-4 with a 3.28 ERA. He was picked by his own manager -- Terry Collins of the Mets will lead the NL team.It means a lot, especially for someone my age, Colon said through a translator. It surprised me a lot.In one of the most stunning and charming moments of the season, Colon homered in San Diego in early May, becoming the oldest player to hit his first major league home run.The hefty right-hander said his fourth All-Star nod (first in the NL) was very meaningful to him because hes in the final stages of his career. He said hed like to pitch one more season in the majors if healthy.When I asked him if he wanted to go the All-Star Game, he said yes. He didnt say, hey, I need to rest, Im 43 years old, Im shot.dddddddddddd He said, `Thank you, Id like to go. So hes going to go, Collins said, drawing laughs.Scherzer (9-6, 3.21 ERA, major league-leading 155 strikeouts) was selected to his fourth straight All-Star Game. He will substitute for Washington Nationals teammate Stephen Strasburg, who came off the disabled list this week and wont pitch in the showcase as a precaution. Strasburg, who is from San Diego, plans to attend the game, the Nationals said.Max was excited. Never seen a veteran guy as elated as he, to be a part of the All-Star Game, Washington manager Dusty Baker said. I think hes a good representative to show people what a privilege and an honor it is to go.Strasburg (12-0) started Friday night and beat the New York Mets 3-1 in his second outing since coming off the DL. He returned from an upper back strain Sunday against Cincinnati.Because of Stephens injury that he just came off of, being on three days rest, it would have cost him time again with us, Baker said. So Im just glad that hes going, especially in his hometown. But theres a lot of risk for Stephen since he just came off the DL and you dont know how hes going to come through this game tonight. So everybody decided itd be better that he doesnt start or pitch.Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte finished second just behind Belt, who received 10.4 million votes. He also beat out Colorado rookie shortstop Trevor Story, Arizona third baseman Jake Lamb and Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun.Houston outfielder George Springer was runner-up to Saunders, who garnered 17.7 million votes. Behind them were Boston second baseman Dustin Pedroia, Detroit second baseman Ian Kinsler and Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria.---AP freelance writers Ian Harrison in Toronto and Mike Wagaman in San Francisco contributed to this report. ' ' '