Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR:Turn 1: Whose performance was the most surprising in the first Chase race?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: Jimmie Johnson, as crazy as it seems. Few if any would have predicted that much muscle from Johnson considering how poorly the last several months have gone, and few would have expected a mental mistake from the six-time champ on the final green-flag stop of the race. Its been a head scratching season for the 48 team.Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: Hendrick Motorsports. Chase Elliott and Johnson didnt end up where they wanted to be, in Victory Lane, but all four HMS cars were in the top 10 for a nice chunk of the day. Thats a far cry from where they were all summer. And its good to see Alex Bowman earn a top-10 in Earnhardts ride. Ive believed he should have been behind the wheel of that car all along. Im eager to see what he can do with some reps.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: Johnson. Yeah, hes a six-time champion and until the last year or two, many people automatically considered him the favorite heading into the Chase. That hasnt been the case recently, which is why it was surprising to see the No. 48 out front for so many laps in Joliet.?Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: Elliott. A 20-year-old dude didnt crack under the pressure of the Chase opening race while several veterans did.Turn 2: What are your thoughts on NASCARs revised postrace penalty system?Craven: Its the correct decision at the correct time! Its critical we capitalize on the momentum created during the regular season (quality competition) and parlay it into a strong Chase. We have all the ingredients with the 16 personalities involved, parity as well balance as good as we have ever seen. The moment to pivot from tolerances to talent was now! Bravo.McGee: Its the right call in that its correcting a wrong call and its a good sign that NASCAR is admitting a mistake and fixing it. I dont know if you know your NASCAR history, but such actions havent really been their forte. Complicating stuff is never a great idea, but doing it just as the postseason is getting started is a horrible idea. History -- and very recent history (Talladega, October 2015) says that changes like that will be sniffed out and exposed in an instant. More than any other time of the season, the Chase is when we should be talking about racing and race winners and stories like Martin Truex Jr.s comeback from extinction and his girlfriends comeback from cancer to becoming a victor and a legit Cup contender. Instead, I feel like were talking about Deflategate-ish stuff all the time. Wednesdays move should help us get away from that.Oreovicz: Given the number of violations that are turning up, teams are obviously attempting to manipulate the rules during the race and/or the cool down lap. These competitors are going to push every tolerance to the limit, and that means NASCAR needs to test cars both before and after each event. Any time there is coaching over the radio (Dont forget to swerve!), you can be fairly certain there is something fishy going on. Given NASCARs philosophy of not taking away a win from a cheating team, I am waiting with bated breath to see if the penalty for an encumbered win ever happens.Pockrass: NASCAR did the right thing. If you are cheating, you get a big penalty with none of these soft gray areas that are difficult for at least some fans to understand the impact of the infraction. The only thing that could have made this better would have been if NASCAR had put this policy in place during the season and Ryan Newman had entered Richmond with a much better shot of making the Chase.Turn 3: Should Hendrick Motorsports be encouraged by its Chicagoland performance?Craven: Absolutely. They needed a boost, and they got it from all four cars in Chicago. Its encouraging for the organization and it appears very timely.McGee: Yes! See my answer to Turn 1. However, the baffling self-inflicted issues with the 48 car are still troubling. They are good enough to stumble through stuff like pit miscues and speeding penalties and still make it out of the Chases first round. That wont work as the funnel gets smaller toward November.Oreovicz: Yes. HMS hasnt been close to consistently competitive over the summer, and seeing Johnson lead so many laps and Elliott in the mix at the front of the pack has to be an encouraging sign for NASCARs original superteam.Pockrass: Yes. It showed four solid cars capable of top-10 finishes until the Johnson speeding penalty.Turn 4: Who is your pick to win the Xfinity Series Chase? How about the Camping World Truck Series?Craven: Erik Jones will be a Chase driver in his rookie season next year after winning this years Xfinity Series title. Im going with the veteran Matt Crafton in Trucks.McGee: Its hard not to go with Jones in Xfinity, but Im not. Elliott Sadler has been a top-10 machine since May. Theres a consistency there that Jones is lacking and despite popular belief, consistency is still key in the Chase format. Over on the Trucks side give me William Byron. Saturdays wreck at Chicago was his first DNF since March and just his second of the year. The numbers say he wont have another between now and seasons end.Oreovicz: Im going with the youth movement: Jones in Xfinity and Byron in Trucks. With the likes of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart going away and a host of other top drivers in their 40s, NASCAR needs to create a new generation of stars and its going to happen quicker than anyone anticipates.Pockrass: Sadler and Crafton. Experience wins in this system.Air Max 90 Canada Sale . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Nike Air Max 95 Canada . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air-max-tailwind-canada-sale.html . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Air Max 90 Canada . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Air Max 97 Cheap Canada . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said.BEREA, Ohio -- Robert Griffin IIIs left arm is cradled in a black sling, restrained. Same as his career.And as RG3 walked around the practice field Wednesday, still wearing his orange No. 10 jersey, all he could do was offer advice and encouragement to Clevelands other quarterbacks, receivers and teammates who are going forward without him.Griffins season of revival is on hold.Sidelined for a minimum of eight games -- and perhaps longer -- after breaking the coracoid bone in his left shoulder in Sundays opener at Philadelphia, Griffin is nonetheless determined to overcome an unexpected obstacle.Its the people who dont quit in life who end up making it and achieve all of their goals, he said. Thats kind of the focus that I have right now, to stay in it with the team, stay in it mentally, and then when Im physically ready to get back out there, Ill be out there.Making his regular-season debut with the Browns, Griffin was injured in the final minutes of the 29-10 loss when he was drilled near the sideline by Eagles rookie defensive back Jalen Mills. Griffin was attempting to run out of bounds when Mills, being blocked by tight end Gary Barnidge and with one foot on the sideline, delivered a hard hit to the QBs chest area.Griffin did not accuse Mills of an illegal hit, and said he was not attempting to run him over -- a charge made by several national TV commentators, who felt the QB had time to slide safely.I dont think it was necessarily a dirty play, I just think it was something that was unfortunate that happened, said Griffin, who also got a slight push from cornerback Ron Brooks. If you watch my reaction, I was as surprised as anybody. I wasnt trying to run anybody over or make it a bravado moment. I was just trying to get out of bounds, and thats just the way it unfolded.Griffin will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. At that point, doctors will decide whether he needs surgery. An operation would certainly end his season, and its still possible the 26-year-old wont play again in 2016 if he hasnt healed enough.Whatever the case, Griffin wont push things. He wants to play again this season, but not at the risk of missing even more time.Its not aanything that Im going to rush back into, he said.dddddddddddd If the doctors say Im good, the trainers say Im good, and my body feels good, then that is the goal. Its not something where Im saying all bets are off. I just want to do the right thing and listen to what they have to say.Despite the injury, Griffin was in good spirits when he spoke to reporters for the first time since his diagnosis. During practice, Griffin smiled easily as he interacted with teammates and spent a few moments talking to rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman, also a Baylor product.Browns coach Hue Jackson believes the field can provide Griffin some comfort.Its great to have him out there, he said. He needs to be around his teammates, and Im sure they need to be around him. Its unfortunate it happened. But hell grow from it, learn from it, and we will, too.Griffin will rely on his faith to help him deal with yet another significant injury. He has endured two major knee injuries, a dislocated ankle, back problems and a concussion.It would be enough to make anyone uneasy, but Griffin doesnt believe hes snake-bitten.You cant think that way, he said. I have only missed eight games in my career due to injury. You just have to make sure you stay focused, keep your mindset right and dont let that affect you as far as what you think, or go out there and play the game. It is a beautiful game. I am very blessed to have an opportunity to play it. I look forward to getting back out there.Game notesJackson knows many Browns fans have lost patience in a team that has made the playoffs once since 1999. He called his opener horrible, vowed improvement. The fans might not like me for a while, but theyre going to love me here pretty soon, he said. Eventually they will love me because were going to win. Were going to win a championship here for the Cleveland Browns. ... Jackson said rookie DE Carl Nassib earned his promotion to the starting lineup after getting a sack and knocking down a pass last week.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '