HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Kyle Busch is hardly the peoples choice.His championship run last year was overshadowed by Jeff Gordons farewell. His quest to repeat probably ranks behind Tony Stewarts retirement and Jimmie Johnsons shot at making history.Hes overlked but far from overmatched. Busch might even be the man to beat in the NASCAR finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday.I think winning the championship last year definitely impacted us, Busch said. It just gave us a greater sense of belief in ourselves and our team and confidence in being able to go out there and do it again. You know, theres no reason to think that what we accomplished last year is a one-time thing.We feel were just as gd last year if not better and performed better throughout this Chase in order to get ourselves in the position were in. There are plenty of reasons as to why we can be beat and plenty of reasons as to why we can beat the rest of them.Buschs championship run last year was something befitting a Hollywd script. He missed the first 11 races of the season after breaking his leg and ft in a hard crash at Daytona International Speedway.He transitioned from comeback kid to championship contender after winning four of five races during a summer hot streak. With a new son, a supportive wife and a newfound maturity, Busch lked like a changed man.He won the finale at Homestead and gave Toyota its first Sprint Cup championship.Now, hes lking to make it two in a row. Standing in his way are Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Johnson, who can tie the NASCAR record held by Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt.I certainly think that its different from last year for sure, Busch said. Last year, I was just a part-time champion, so this year I hope to become a full-time champion.He wont get any help from Edwards.Team owner Joe Gibbs said Friday that Busch and Edwards will be on their own during practice and once the green flag drops.To be quite truthful, both of them want this in the worst way and theyre going to compete, Gibbs said. Theyre not sharing a lot of stuff. Its going to be up to them individually. ... We kind of felt like obviously theyre going to be kind of individually going for it. Theyll both kind of be on their own here.That was news to Busch and Edwards after qualifying Friday. The two were lse and light and said Gibbs, who earlier in the day said hes so nervous this weekend he accidentally walked into the womens bathrm, was mistaken on the sharing.Joe is not in our meetings. Dont listen to Joe. Were not sharing with him, Busch said. Everything right now is all the same, open notebk. Ive been lking at Carls stuff all day.Working with teammates has been a crucial piece of the success at JGR, and played into Buschs discouragement after last weeks race at Phoenix. Buschs teammate, Matt Kenseth, had the win in hand until a late caution sent the race to extra laps. Although Kenseth cleared traffic on the restart, Busch made contact with Alex Bowman that altered Bowmans racing line. Kenseths spotter told the driver he was clear, but he actually moved down on Bowman and crashed.Busch tk much of the blame after the race. But after studying replays, Busch felt he had less to do with the wreck than he initially thought.I was definitely hard on myself, Busch said. If you lk at what percentage of blame should be given to everybody, I think we all have a piece, but what exact percentage that is, Im not sure.As for Busch and Kenseth, theyve havent exactly made up.Weve exchanged texts back and forth, Busch said. Its as gd as its going to be gd right now with him still probably being rightfully upset with how it all went down last week. I mean, man, he was, what, 30, 35 seconds away from taking the white? Thats a pretty bummer situation.Busch surely would be bummed with anything short of another championship.But winning that first one was a career-defining moment.I feel like maybe on the racetrack you get an extra four inches instead of one inch from particular people, but it also depends on what lap its on, Busch said. When it comes down to the end of the race, its pretty much every man for himself all the time. But just having that accolade and being a part of the sport, having recognition from other champions come up to you with the likes of Darrell Waltrip or Dale Jarrett or Rusty Wallace, those guys that come put their arm around you and tell you, `Welcome to the club.He has a chance Sunday to join even more exclusive company.---More AP auto racing: www.racing.ap.orgCheap Air Jordan 3 Shoes . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Clearance Jordans China . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. http://www.discountairjordan3.com/ . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. 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Hargreaves began his career in 2008 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has played with the Edmonton Eskimos and last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Defending champion Brke Henderson shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday to take a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the LPGA Cambia Portland Classic on Thursday.Picking up where she left off from a year ago, when she shot a 21-under 267 to win her first LPGA tournament, Henderson, 18, hit 16 greens and made nine birdies on a warm, cloudless day at the 6,476-yard Columbia Edgewater course.Henderson said a combination of factors allows her to feel at home at Columbia Edgewater.I love tree-lined courses, and thats very much what this course is, Henderson said. With the bent grass, which is kind of what I grew up on, I really like it. It suits my eye. Then winning here, that gives me those extra vibes and adrenaline, which I think will help as the week goes on. This golf course, being out here in the Northwest, in the beautiful temperature, I like wearing long sleeves and pants.Angela Stanford, Demi Runas and Mariajo Uribe each shot 67 to trail Henderson.Runas, whose best career finish is a tie for 25th, and Uribe are lking for their first LPGA victories. Stanford lost in a playoff in the 2003 U.S. Womens Open at Pumpkin Ridge, which has previously played host to the Portland Classic. Uribe and Stanford shot bogey-free rounds.Stanford, who tied for fourth last week in Arkansas, is somewhat of a surprise among the leaders. She hasnt had much success at the Portland Classic, her best finish a tie for eighth in 12 tries.Poana greens are usually not very friendly to me. Its nice to watch the ball go in the hole here. I havent always played well here, so I tried to just put that on the back burner and see if I could carry it over from last week, and it did, Stanford said.Carlota Ciganda, Jaye Marie Green, Ayako Uehara and Daniela Iacobelli shot 68. Four strokes back at 69 are No. 18 Suzann Pettersen, Sarah Jane Smith, Lee-Anne Pace, Briana Mao and Jiayi Zhou.Pettersen is a two-time Portland winner, claimiing the 2011 and 2013 tournaments.ddddddddddddNo. 15 Anna Nordqvist is among 12 players at 70. No. 9 Stacy Lewis shot even-par 72, as did Austin Ernst, the 2014 Portland champion.Henderson, starting early in the morning on the back nine, was only 1-under through seven holes. But she birdied three of the next four holes, then finished on fire while playing the front nine, making consecutive birdies on holes 5 through 8. Henderson just missed a fifth consecutive birdie, sliding a 15-ft putt past the left side of the hole at the par-4 ninth.It was a bogey at the par-4, 391-yard fourth that helped ignite Hendersons string of four consecutive birdies.That was a dumb hole ... a hole with my length I could have taken advantage of, Henderson said. The bogey bothered me a little. I knew I had two par-5s coming up, so I tried to focus on them.In her last six rounds at Columbia-Edgewater, counting last years Monday qualifier, Henderson is 32-under par, all six rounds in the 60s.Last year, Henderson won the Portland Classic by eight strokes, becoming the third-youngest champion in LPGA Tour history. Since winning her maiden event, Henderson has soared to become No. 2 ranked, and two weeks ago won the Womens PGA Championship.Henderson is attempting to become Portlands first back-to-back champion since Annika Sorenstam won the 2002 and 2003 tournaments.The Portland Classic is normally played in late August, but moved up because the LPGA is taking three weeks off for the Olympics. The Portland stop is typically popular among the tours best players, but with the U.S. Open scheduled for next week in California, only 13 of the worlds top 50 entered this year.The Portland Classic is the LPGA Tours longest-running non-major, now in its 45th year. The purse is $1.3 million, with $195,000 going to the winner. ' ' '