Our experts weigh in on four of the biggest questions in NASCAR. This week, we hit Joe Gibbs Racing, solutions for Indy and the mystery surrounding the 88 car:Turn 1: How could Joe Gibbs Racing get this far ahead in what is supposed to be the most competitive era of NASCAR?Ricky Craven, ESPN NASCAR analyst: They have the strongest rotation in NASCAR. You have two former champs in Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, while Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards have come within a whisker of a title. Combine that with a concentrated effort that Toyota created to push quality over quantity, and Joe Gibbs has the potential to lead this sport for the next five years.Ryan McGee, ESPN.com: Well, having a crazy-talented group of drivers helps, especially the one in the 18 car [Busch]. But what were seeing is also the payoff for a decade of work by Toyota. All along theyve told us they were working on a long-term vision and process, and here they are. All this being said, these things run in cycles; the edge can be lost in a hurry, especially these days. It was only a little over a year ago when we asking what was wrong at JGR.John Oreovicz, ESPN.com: The credit goes to Toyota for creating a five-car super team and the most powerful engine in NASCAR. At Indianapolis, a leading Chevrolet driver said he believes the Toyotas have a 15-horsepower advantage right now, and when coupled with a driver lineup that doesnt really have any weaknesses and more young talent in the pipeline, the Gibbs team is in a dominant position.Bob Pockrass, ESPN.com: Toyota. The car manufacturer appears to put more money into NASCAR per team, especially considering its engine development program. Money buys speed, and while it appears Toyota didnt get its moneys worth in 2014 and for the early portion of 2015, it has gotten its moneys worth since then.Turn 2: Is it time to rethink the annual Sprint Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway? If so, what would you suggest?McGee: You cant drop it. Its still a marquee event for teams when it comes to sponsor activation, and its still a crown jewel in the eyes of the competitors. I say shorten it. Move it back to Saturday, run a pair of full-field shorter races and call it an homage to the Indiana short-track tradition. Make it feel way different than the Indy 500.Oreovicz: Id move it to the fall and make it a Chase race -- ideally a cutoff race between rounds. That would at least inject some urgency into the event and make it more worth watching or attending. To make it a more entertaining car race, Id run the event on the IMS road course.Pockrass: Anyone who isnt worried about the Brickyard attendance needs a shovel to get their head out of the sand. That being said, if Tony George can come back as the chairman of the race track, then anything is possible. Continuing to explore tire/aero combinations should remain a priority for Indy. Also making it a Chase race might work -- as long as the Colts arent home that day.Craven: This race is important to the competitors, the owners and even the identity of NASCAR. While I will agree that the racing at IMS for these cars is poor, its still identified as a member of the big four, along with a Coke 600, Southern 500 and, of course, the Daytona 500. With the TV package that exists, I feel certain the track still makes money for the event. While the seats will never be as full as they are in May (not even close), I cant imagine the race disappears from the schedule.Turn 3: Is there any good reason why the Xfinity and Truck series shouldnt run Lucas Oil Raceway (fondly known as IRP) at Indy?Oreovicz: Im among those who would like to see the Trucks and Xfinity cars back at IRP, whether in replacement or in addition to the Xfinity race at IMS. The locals loved the Xfinity/Truck event at Indys other track, making it one of the summers toughest tickets. Competitors loved it too and one great way NASCAR could reconnect with fans it has lost would be to allow itself to go down market to grassroots venues like LOR.Craven: Perhaps the Xfinity race (with its TV revenue) helps justify the entire NASCAR weekend. Would IRP produce a more entertaining race? Hell yes! And for all three divisions. I can think of another half-dozen short tracks I would like to see us compete at. It still amazes me that we have only one short-track race in the 10-race Chase.McGee: Good reason? No. They let the sponsors force their hand and it sucked a lot of the fun out of the week. They need to restore the entire USAC/Trucks/Xfinity tripleheader at IRP. Return some of that citywide festival-of-speed feel from the original Brickyard weekends and run Eldora the week before or after. Own the summer! But they wont do any of that. Big swings at the schedule dont seem to be their thing. Unless you count later start times as a big swing -- but thats a whole other discussion, isnt it?Pockrass: Nope. Its understandable that IMS wanted an Xfinity race to try to boost the weekend ticket. The Kid Rock concert that followed Saturday appeared to have more fans, so maybe Xfinity can work just as a support event for the concert. But NASCAR should take trucks and Xfinity to IRP on the Indy 500 pole weekend in May. The racing was too good at IRP for NASCAR not to go there, and NASCAR needs to find a way to make it work.Turn 4: If Dale Earnhardt Jr. cant go at Watkins Glen, who should get in the No. 88 car?Craven: Jeff Gordon should be the driver of the 88 until Junior is prepared to return. Jeffs knowledge of the race car is priceless, and he can contribute to the organization perhaps more than any driver available. Jeff is also the right driver in terms of not putting too much pressure on Dale Jr. to return too quickly. Its the equivalent of having Joe Montana or Tom Brady as your sub.McGee:?Yep. The guy they already have in there is pretty good.Oreovicz: Getting back into the rhythm of road racing would be a tougher task for Gordon, but hes still the logical choice if hes willing to do it. It would be interesting to see one of the Chevrolet-affiliated IndyCar drivers get a chance, but their contracts with Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing would probably prevent the cream of the crop from running for a competing NASCAR team like Hendrick. Sam Hornish Jr. is a capable road racer and he obviously did a great job filling in for the JGR Xfinity team earlier this year, winning at Iowa.Pockrass:?Gordon would be fine if he wants to risk his back for the sake of making his 800th start. If not, former Cup rookie of the year Andy Lally knows how to wheel it on a road course. But with IndyCar coming there four weeks later, it would be cool to see an IndyCar driver in that ride. James Hinchcliffe, being from Canada, would be a neat choice for a race that attracts many from Canada. But since hes a Honda guy, it might not be able to happen. Any of the Penske stable of Chevy IndyCar drivers -- Juan Pablo Montoya, Will Power, Simon Pagenaud, Helio Castroneves?or Josef Newgarden -- would be exciting to watch. Ahkello Witherspoon Super Bowl Jersey . To the surprise of many, it isnt the Wolverines but their in-state rivals the Michigan State Spartans. Deion Sanders Super Bowl Jersey . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Colin-Kaepernick-49ers-Jersey/ . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Custom 49ers Super Bowl Jerseys . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Richie James Super Bowl Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. TORONTO -- Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner did his best to push aside distracting trade talk and turn in a solid start.Cashner came through, but the San Diego bullpen didnt.Devon Travis scored the winning run on a wild pitch, and the Toronto Blue Jays rallied for three runs in the 12th inning to beat the Padres 7-6 on Tuesday night.Matt Kemp put the Padres in front with a two-run homer off Jesse Chavez (1-2) in the top of the 12th, but San Diego blew the lead.Alex Dickerson hit a three-run shot, his third homer in three games, as San Diego extended its club-record streak of games with at least one home run to 24. Its the longest run since the 2002 Texas Rangers set a major league record by going deep in 27 straight.Cashner, a candidate to be dealt before Mondays non-waiver trade deadline, allowed three runs and four hits in six innings.The longest-tenured Padres player, the right-hander said its sad to see constant turnover among his teammatesYoud definitely like to see more guys stay here longer in their careers, he said. Thats just kind of how its been since Ive been here. Ive made some great relationships with a lot of guys and therell be lasting friendships for a lifetime.Manager Andy Green said Cashner showed a ton of fight against the Blue Jays, especially after giving up a two-run homer to Josh Donaldson, the second batter of the game.Im sure there was a lot swirling in his head with all the talk thats going on, Green said. He put it all aside, stepped up and pitched a big game. Thats what hes going to be doing the rest of the season.In the 12th, Travis drew a 14-pitch walk to load the bases, bringing Paul Clemens on in relief of Carlos Villanueva (1-2). Travis fouled off eight straight pitches, including one drive that sailed just wide of the left-field foul screen.Thats as good as it gets, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.Clemens walked Jose Bautista to make it 6-5 before Donaldson tied it with a fielders choice grounder.With Edwin Encarnacion bbatting, a pitch bounced away from catcher Derek Norris, and Travis slid in headfirst just ahead of the tag as his teammates stormed out of the dugout to celebrate.ddddddddddddI know (Clemens) has a really good curveball, a really sharp one, Travis said. I was praying for in the dirt. It took a bad bounce, but a good bounce for us.It was the second key run to score on a wild pitch: Toronto catcher Russell Martin made it 4-all when he scored on Brad Hands wild pitch in the seventh.It is a frustrating loss, especially how hard the guys battled back on a couple of occasions, Green said.Outfielder Melvin Upton Jr., traded from San Diego to Toronto before the game, made his Blue Jays debut as a pinch hitter in the seventh. He grounded into a fielders choice.WHEELING AND DEALINGToronto announced another trade minutes after the game ended: The busy Blue Jays acquired reliever Joaquin Benoit from Seattle for right-hander Drew Storen. Benoit, who turned 39 on Tuesday, is 1-1 with a 5.18 ERA in 26 games this season.WORKING OVERTIMEThe Blue Jays and Padres have played extra innings three times in their past five meetings. The first of those games lasted 17 innings.TRAINERS ROOMPadres: Class-A RHP Chris Paddack, acquired from Miami in last months trade for Fernando Rodney, has been sidelined indefinitely with a strained forearm.Blue Jays: Gibbons said Jose Bautista will be the DH on Wednesday, allowing Upton to make his first start for Toronto.UP NEXTPadres: RHP Luis Perdomo (4-4, 6.93 ERA) will make his first career appearance against Toronto. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in six of his past seven starts.Blue Jays: RHP R.A. Dickey (7-11, 4.44) will start on three days rest, with RHP Marco Estrada getting pushed back to Friday. Estrada (back) was on the disabled list from July 3 to July 21. Dickey has lost his past two starts. ' ' '