SPARTA, Ky. -- Kentucky Speedway will apply another layer of asphalt to its racing surface this month for use by next NASCAR season.The 1.5-mile oval was resurfaced this summer, with a reconfigured layout, increased banking and improved drainage. But speedway general manager Mark Simendinger said in a statement Monday that portions of the paving did not meet specifications. He said the deficiencies did not influence this years racing and would affect only the long-term viability of the surface if left uncorrected.Kentucky will host a tripleheader weekend July 6-8 featuring all three NASCAR national series and headlined by the 400-mile Cup race. The ARCA and Xfinity series return with 150- and 300-mile events on Sept. 22-23. Dallas Cowboys Gear .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Kevin Porter and defenceman Chad Ruhwedel from the minors as part of a five-player roster shuffle made by the NHLs worst team. Cowboys Jerseys 2020 . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. Fake Cowboys Jerseys . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Dallas Cowboys Shirts . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. It has been a frustrating 2016 season for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fan base. With recently nonexistent expectations raised by a couple brief postseason appearances, the Pirates unexpectedly find themselves below .500 after being swept by the Cubs and Brewers. How did the Pirates get here, and what might their short-term future hold?The Pirates have been one of the games feel-good stories in recent seasons. It wasnt long ago that they finally broke their seemingly interminable streak of sub-.500 seasons and turned things around to the point that their current losing streak is more than a bit off-putting, though they remain in the race for the second wild-card spot that seemingly no team wants to win.One of the factors that held the Bucs back during their generation of futility was a relatively low team payroll, and their standing in that regard has changed only modestly. Their Opening Day payroll checked in at just below $100 million ($99.945 million, to be exact), 19th in the majors. Their year-end ranking likely will fall a couple notches, thanks to the money-saving trades of Francisco Liriano and Mark Melancon.In 2012-15, the Pirates ranked 29th, 25th, 27th and 24th in team payroll, respectively. Over that span, the Rays and Astros weree the only other teams to rank 24th or lower each season, and only two other clubs, the Indians and As, ranked below 20th in each of those four seasons.ddddddddddddThe Pirates have a superb and still relatively new ballpark, and their attendance has trended up in recent seasons, but the fact is they will never be near the top of the games salary rankings. They have flexibility to make a big strategic add if the competitive situation dictates it, but there will never be much margin for error.Its pretty simple. If the Pittsburgh Pirates wish to be perennial contenders, they have two primary tasks.1) They must grow their own superstars. This is because they simply are not able to compete for players at the top, or even upper-middle region, of the free-agent market.2) They must outsmart other clubs in an environment in which everyone is getting smarter. They must be creative, anticipate trends and zig when others are zagging.Before we look at how the Pirates currently grade out in those two areas, lets take a step back and assess how the Pirates have arrived at the intersection of Contention Street and Mediocrity Avenue. ' ' '