JOLIET, Ill. . -- Brad Keselowski began the season with a bit of goofiness, posting on Twitter during a red-flag stoppage at the Daytona 500. Hes ending the year with a far more serious pursuit -- for his first Sprint Cup championship. Keselowski is off to a fine start after an impressive victory over Jimmie Johnson on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. In the opening race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the 28-year-old Keselowski outlasted Johnson for the first Chase win of his career. Keselowski also took over the lead in the points standings for the first time. "Theres no better place to start than in the lead, right?" Keselowski said. "It feels like Round One of a heavyweight title bout. Its a 10-round bout, and Week Ones done. We might have won the round, but didnt by any means knock em out." Keselowski and his No. 2 Dodge got ahead of Johnson after a crucial pit cycle with about 35 laps remaining and led the final 26 laps in the 400-mile race. Johnson finished 3.171 seconds behind, and he said he thought Keselowski crossed a restraining line too early when exiting after that pit stop near the end. The incident was reviewed and there was no infraction called, and Johnson never made much of a run at catching Keselowski during the final laps. "He did cut up early. It did impede my progress," Johnson said. "But it didnt affect the outcome, I dont believe. The way he made quick work in traffic and stretched it out on me, Im not sure I would have held him off. At the time it messed me up, but I dont think it played an outcome in the race." All 12 of the Chase drivers finished in the top 18, with the exception of Jeff Gordon, who went into the wall with about 80 laps remaining. Gordon barely qualified for the Chase to begin with, and his championship hopes are already in serious jeopardy after his 35th-place showing Sunday. It was Keselowskis fourth victory of the season. The Michigan driver leads Johnson by three points -- and gave Penske Racing a reason to feel good after Will Powers failed bid for the IndyCar championship Saturday night in California. "Its a great day for us," owner Roger Penske said. "It cools me down a little bit after being hot last night." Kyle Busch finished fourth, the best performance of any driver not in the Chase. Among other Chase qualifiers, defending champion Tony Stewart was sixth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was eighth, Martin Truex Jr. was ninth and Clint Bowyer was 10th. Kevin Harvick finished 12th, one spot ahead of Greg Biffle. Denny Hamlin, the top seed coming in, fell all the way to 16th in the race while low on fuel at the end, and Matt Kenseth finished 18th. Stewart is third in the standings, followed by a three-way tie among Hamlin, Kahne and Bowyer. Earnhardt is seventh, followed by Biffle, Truex, Harvick, Kenseth and Gordon -- who is 47 points behind the leader. There were only four cautions for 23 laps, the last coming when Gordon needed to return to the garage with damage to the right side of his car. He said his throttle became stuck, causing the crash. "Disappointing," said Gordon, who started the race in 19th position. "We had to fight hard to come from 19th up there in the top five, and the car was feeling good." Keselowski has finished in the top 10 in 10 of the last 11 races. He began the year poorly with a late accident at Daytona. Earlier in that race, he caused a bit of a stir when he posted on Twitter during the red flag. Afterward, NASCAR said it was OK for Keselowski to keep his cellphone in his car during events, and that all drivers were encouraged to use social media. Lately, Keselowskis driving has been drawing the attention. Hes showing the consistency and maturity needed to make a run at the title. "I just think Brad does a nice job. I think he prepares for the races, he knows what he has. He works really well with his team," Kahne said. "As far as the championship, I dont think anyone knows that until you actually win it." Johnson had won five titles in a row until last year, and it looks as if his No. 48 Chevrolet is a threat again. He won the pole this weekend and finished in the top 10 for the ninth time in 11 Cup races at Chicagoland -- although hes never won. He led 172 of the 267 laps Sunday. "We all know how good his team is," Keselowski said. "We all know how good he is, and look at the resume over the last six years. Hey, look at the resume over the last 10 years. Its impeccable. "To be racing him, whether it was for the lead or for 10th, is an accomplishment." [url=http://www.lionsofficialteamstore.com/]Detroit Lions Jersey .ca NFL Editor Justin Boone runs down the top waiver wire pickups with a focus on the coming week and the rest of the season. . The Pittsburgh Penguins sent one with their fists. Message received on both sides. [url=http://www.lionsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-jeff-backus-jersey-zx-85.... . The 31-year-old Snyder, who gets a $500,000 buyout, played 76 games for Houston in 2012 and hit .176 with seven homers and 24 RBIs. [url=http://www.lionsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-dominic-raiola-jersey-se-... Raiola Jersey . Farmar played in Israel during the NBA lockout last summer and has indicated he may return to Europe. The Hawks also received guards Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson, and forwards Jordan Williams and Johan Petro, as well as first- and second-round picks, in the deal which became official on July 11. . The three-time world champion from Windsor, Ont., has to hope shes awarded the lone wild card berth for the Games after she missed out on one of the two Olympic spots up for grabs this week at the womens world championships. INDIANAPOLIS -- It took Chuck Pagano less than nine months to instil his fighters mentality and hopeful spirit in the Indianapolis Colts. He will need both to survive the biggest battle of his life -- leukemia. In a sombre news conference Monday, the Colts announced that their new coach had been hospitalized for cancer treatment and probably would not return to full coaching duties this season. He will be replaced on an interim basis by offensive co-ordinator Bruce Arians. "He will do fine," Arians said, his voice cracking as he recalled his own fight with prostate cancer in 2007. "I know him. Hes a fighter. Hes survived tough times already in his life. As a cancer survivor myself, I know that these first few days are really hard on you but as he and I talked yesterday, its just a matter of time." The news hit hard in all corners of the team complex. Team owner Jim Irsay, who began his career as a Colts ball boy in the early 1970s, said the only comparison he could come up with was Vince Lombardis cancer diagnosis during the summer of 1970. New general manager Ryan Grigson read stoically from his prepared notes, and Arians struggled to hold back tears. After practice, players signed a get-well card that read in part, "We are in your corner 100 per cent. Get rest, but we cant wait to get our leader back." The usually jovial comments were replaced by concerned looks and serious discussion about life -- not football. "When I first heard about it, my heart dropped," cornerback Jerraud Powers said. "You think about your family members or someone thats actually been affected by it. But Chuck will fight this thing and he will beat this thing, theres no doubt in my mind. It didnt take long for the Colts to figure out how to honour the first-time head coach who rekindled excitement in the locker room and around town after the Colts awful 2-14 season a year ago. "I asked Mr. Irsay if we would leave the light on in his office permanently till he comes back and we are going to do that," Arians said. The news trickled out publicly just as players and assistant coaches were returning to the team complex after the Colts bye week and one day before Paganos 52nd birthday. He was admitted to an Indianapolis hospital last Wednesday to begin treatments for acute promyelocytic leukemia, an illness in which the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells that interfere with healthy blood cells. Symptoms can include weakness, weight loss and easy bruising or bleeding. Paganos physician, Dr. Larry Cripe, said the coach will be treated with chemotherapy and drugs -- a process that usually requires patients to spend four to five weeks in the hospital. Irsay said he expected Pagano to stay a bit longer, six to eight weeks. Indy (1-2) hosts the Packers (2-2) on Sunday. Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 draft pick behind Andrew Luck, wrote on Twitter: "Football is football. But Life is more important. Sending Prayers up for Coach Chuck Pagano during this trying time." Chargers coach Norv Turner, who has known Pagano since 1984 when they were both on the Southern California staff, echoed Griffins sentiments and acknowledged that Paganos younger brother, John, the Chargers defensive co-ordinator, struggled with his emotions last week. "You get all caught up in losing a game to Atlanta and then on Wednesday morning you get a call that your brother has leukemia," Turner said. "It puts things in perspective. John did a great job this week, unbelievable job, handling what he had to handle and then getting ready." Indy officials asked fans to send cards through the team headquarters, but said Pagano could not receive flowers. He is being kept in a "protective" environment where the air is filtered and hand-washing is essential. And until Irsay and other front-office staffers walked into the team meeting Monday, players had no idea anything was wrong. "The goal of the treatment is to cuure the disease," Cripe said, declining to discuss the survival rates for patients with this form of leukemia. [url=http://www.lionsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-david-akers-jersey-uz-47.... Akers Jersey. "That means that hes returned to a fully functional life, the life that he worked so hard to earn and hes looking forward to leading the Colts to some Super Bowls." Cripe said Paganos wife, Tina, had been at his bedside each night. Irsay said she was the one who pushed him to see the doctor after noticing unusual bruising on his body. With most players and coaches out of town over the weekend, Pagano, a father of three girls, notified Arians in a heart-breaking call Sunday. "When Chuck called me yesterday, I was floored. I was down south at my home in Georgia and he was chatting like he always chats, and then he drops the news on me," Arians said, remembering how he struggled to drive home after the doctor told him he had cancer five years ago. "My first reaction was how is everything, hows Tina, hows the girls, is everything going to be all right?" It was yet another blow for a team that has faced more than its share of adversity over the past decade. Seven years ago, then coach Tony Dungys 18-year-old son, James, was found dead in an apartment in Tampa, Fla. The death was later ruled a suicide. Dungy missed Indys next game, then returned for the final week of the regular season. In 2006, the Colts were jolted again by the death of Reggie Waynes brother, Rashad, in a traffic accident. The few veterans still hanging around from back then hope to pass on the lessons they learned back then to one of the youngest teams in the NFL. "Because it blindsided us all, we havent really had a chance to talk about that," outside linebacker Robert Mathis said. "But we will relay that message because weve been through it." Irsay isnt sure when Pagano will be back and said only that he hopes Pagano will be able to coach from the press box later this season. Arians made it clear to the players that if Pagano cant make it back before the Dec. 30 regular season finale, there is another option they can control. "Why cant we extend the season so he can come back?" Arians said. Last year, after losing ironman Peyton Manning for the entire season because of multiple neck surgeries, one of the preseasons Super Bowl favourite was terrible and wound up with the No. 1 draft pick and the impetus to rebuild. Manning, the longtime face of the franchise, and a handful of other fan favourites were released in March as the Colts embarked on a major rebuilding project -- a project Pagano had been expected to oversee in the next big chapter of his familys coaching legacy. In addition to his brothers stint with the Chargers, Paganos father, Sam, won three Colorado state championships as a high school coach but never took a college or pro job. While the Colts attempted to take a business-as-usual approach at Mondays practice, nothing was the same. Even defensive players seemed surprised that Arians was cheering when they came up with turnovers. Grigson and Arians were still trying to figure out how the coaching duties will be handled during Paganos absence, and the focus was increasingly on things of far greater significance than just football. "I think short of death, this is the worst type of news you want to hearhttp://www.countrymusicperformers.com/images/forum/editor/fontl.gif," Luck said. "Well do everything we can in honour of what Coach Pagano is going through in honour of his fight, which is much more important than this kids game we play." Universally, the Colts insist Pagano will win this battle. They just hope they can give him a special gift next week. "I know in meeting with the team, in meeting with the coaches, theres nothing more than we want to get that Green Bay game ball and have a victory game ball and be able to walk that into the hospital and put that in his hands," Irsay said. "Thats our goal." ------ AP Sports Writers Howard Fendrich in Washington and Bernie Wilson in San Diego contributed to this report. ' ' '