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TALLADEGA, Ala. -- About the only change to NASCAR Sprint Cup cars since their last trip to Talladega Superspeedway is the addition of 20 pounds.The addition of the weight, theoretically, could have a small -- very small -- impact on whether a 3,300-pound stock car gets airborne, one of the concerns of drivers as they left the track in May. The changes arent made to keep the cars on the ground but to protect the drivers who hit the wall.The weight is part of a new construction of the footbox area, which includes a new design plus foam and is meant to protect a drivers lower extremities. Kyle Busch missed 11 races when he broke his right leg and left foot in an Xfinity Series accident at Daytona in 2015.The new floorboard chassis requirements go into effect in 2017 for restrictor-plate tracks and 2018 for all tracks. Teams have the option to use it at Talladega this weekend. The four Joe Gibbs Racing cars, the Furniture Row Racing car and the Roush Fenway Racing car of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are among the cars with the changes.It would make sense that drivers are very aware of whether they have the added protection in their cars for the race Sunday. But at least some drivers mired in Chase cutoff drama didnt know.Carl Edwards appeared puzzled when asked about it after practice Friday.We focused 100 percent on Kansas and then [on the test this week at] Homestead and now Talladega and so, yeah, Im not up to speed on it, Edwards said. I should be.There was one superspeedway race -- I believe it was here -- where I actually ran into a car that was pulling off of pit road and I hit that car so hard and went up in the air that looking at it afterwards, seeing what could have possibly happened with that foot box, Im really excited to have more shielding there.Joey Logano didnt know whether his car had the new components. He does not.I focus on things that I can affect and things that involve me, Logano said. Yes, you can make an argument that involves me quite a bit, but it doesnt have an effect on the way Im going to approach this race ... so I didnt really get in the middle of that.Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin were aware their cars had the changes. They couldnt tell the difference when driving. Hamlin conceded he only knew because there was some talk about it at the drivers council meeting last week at Kansas.Were focused on doing everything inside the car to go faster, Hamlin said. I didnt notice any difference. ... Hopefully I wont see the difference because I wont be hitting anything on Sunday.That is typical driver talk. They try not to think about the dangers until it, literally, hits them.You cant tell any difference unless you get under there and really look at it, Truex said. Everything is fine from what I can see and obviously the weight is not a big deal here either.Hopefully we wont have to test the safety features of that new panel, but glad to know its in there for sure.The weight is the main concern of teams, who wouldnt even think about using the new construction -- it has to be certified by NASCAR because it is so different from the 2016 chassis -- until NASCAR mandated that all cars at Talladega must have the extra 20 pounds for the cars that are running the 2016 package. Where the weight is located in the footbox area, though, is different from where teams would put the weight in the 2016 chassis. At other tracks where weight distribution is more important, teams cant afford to make the change and be at a competitive disadvantage.Among other safety improvements NASCAR will implement next year: All drivers will have roof hatches in their cars for 2017 restrictor-plate races. And the size of the holes in the restrictor plate will change by 1/64th of an inch. There will also be a change to the steering column so that it wont come back into the drivers lap as forcefully as in recent crashes such as Danica Patricks at Talladega in May.It makes us feel a lot better in the cars to know they go in that direction, said Tony Stewart, whose car does not have the changes. Its a lot of weight theyre adding to the car, but Id rather have safety than weight [savings].Will the weight help cars from getting airborne?Its not going to hurt it, keeping it down for sure, but ... Im fairly certain that they can already pick them up [in the air] with 3,300 pounds; 20 probably isnt going to be a big deal, Stewart said. Clearance Air Max 95 NZ . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Air Max 95 NZ . 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MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Kansas State knew there would be some growing pains last season, especially after coach Bruce Weber essentially cleaned house and brought in eight newcomers.There is no such excuse this season.The Wildcats bring back the bulk of their scoring and rebounding from a team that still managed to go 17-16 and beat then-No. 1 Oklahoma, including all those freshmen and transfers who had no choice but to learn on the job. They also added a talented recruiting class to fill some critical holes.The result is a team that, at least on paper, could be the best that Weber has had since going 27-8 and earning a share of the Big 12 championship in his debut five years ago.We were probably three or four possessions away from being in the NCAA tournament (last year), Weber said, but we didnt get there. Now after a year of experience, a trip to Europe, adding a couple guys, you hope all that adds up to having success.There have been a couple of departures, of course. Big man Stephen Hurt and veteran scorer Justin Edwards graduated, Brandon Bolden retired due to an injury and Ron Freeman transferred.Meanwhile, the recruiting class that Weber lured to Manhattan may be one of his best, headlined by four-star prospect Xavier Sneed from St. Louis. The 6-foot-5 scoring machine should carve a place in the regular rotation by the season opener against Western Illinois. Fellow freshmen Cartier Diarra and James Love could also earn early playing time.D.J. (Johnson) and I need to lead the young guys and be that big help for them, said senior forward Wesley Iwundu, the top returning scorer. Were just ready to go out there and show everybody what we can do, and just kind of get to it this year.As the Wildcats get ready for the season, here are the major story lines to watch:DEANS PROGRESSDean Wade was the top prep player in Kansas before arriving at Kansas State, but it was a big jump from his tiny high school to the Big 12. The 6-10 Wade, listed at 225 pounds, spentt the offseason putting on muscle, but his biggest leap may come in his confidence.ddddddddddddIve been working on getting my mindset right, Wade said. This year I feel like its all coming a lot easier for me.STOKES IS BACKKamau Stokes had his promising freshman season shortchanged by a knee injury that required surgery. He was averaging more than nine points through the first 21 games. We have to be careful with him, Weber said. Mentally he has to go through the fear factor. We obviously need him and we just got to be patient with him but he also has to work at it to get that knee back.EXPERIENCEStokes and Wade arent the only ones who got their first taste of Division I hoops last year. Barry Brown played nearly 26 minutes a game, while Carlbe Ervin II provided some valuable minutes in the backcourt after transferring from an Oklahoma junior college. There has been so much roster turnover at Kansas State that Iwundu could best be described as a survivor. The versatile forward has played important minutes since his freshman season, and has already appeared in 97 games for the Wildcats.POST PRESENCEWade and Johnson area somewhat undersized post players, so finding big bodies to take the place of Hurt will be important. The 6-10 Love and 6-11 redshirt freshman Isiah Maurice could need to step up despite their inexperience.SCHEDULE SITUATIONMost of the Wildcats non-conference games are winnable, including games against Washington State, Colorado State and Boston College. Their toughest test could be if they meet Maryland at the Barclays Center Classic in late November.Im very confident, Ervin said. We have more depth and right now an eight-player rotation. We got a lot of people that know what they are doing now. And experience, D.J. is really, really healthy and Wes is shooting the ball well. Everything is going well right now. ' ' '