CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Chase Elliott will replace Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Chevrolet when the four-time NASCAR champion gives up his seat at the end of this season.The announcement Thursday was expected because Elliott is the reigning Xfinity Series champion and one of NASCARs most promising young talents. Hendrick Motorsports had to find a seat for him at NASCARs top level or risk losing the 19-year-old to another organization in 2016.Gordon, who announced his plan last week to retire from full-time driving, told The Associated Press he believes Elliott is the perfect choice to replace him.Chase is extraordinary, Gordon told AP of Elliott, who is the youngest champion in the history of NASCARs second-tier series.Elliott will defend his Xfinity title his season with JR Motorsports. But Rick Hendrick will also prep him for his move into Gordons car by entering him in five Cup races, beginning at Martinsville in March. Hell also run at Richmond, in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Labor Day weekend event at Darlington.Elliott will drive the No. 25 Chevrolet with sponsorship from NAPA in this years limited Cup schedule.No sponsor was announced Thursday for his eventual Cup ride, but Elliott will be paired with Gordons current crew chief, Alan Gustafson, in 2016.Chase brings the kind of intangibles that make him the total package as a driver, Rick Hendrick said. Not only is he a special talent inside the race car, but theres a natural combination of competitiveness, work ethic and smarts that you rarely see.Confirmation that Elliott will replace one of NASCARs greatest drivers came the day before Elliotts father, Bill, is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, the Georgia native won the 1988 championship. He had 44 career Cup wins, including the 1985 Daytona 500.Now, the father and son duo will celebrate their accomplishments together in one week. Elliott will be feted by the industry Friday night during his induction, and his son cemented his future on Thursday.My parents especially have believed in me every step of the way, and I know this wouldnt be possible without all the sacrifices theyve made to focus on my racing career. This is such a big week for our family, Elliott said. I know how rare this opportunity is and will work as hard as I can to make everyone proud.Chase Elliott will take over one of the most coveted rides in NASCAR, a seat that has been occupied by the driver with the third-most Cup wins in history since 1992. He will also join one of the most vaunted lineups in the sport: Along with Gordon, six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne put all four of Hendricks cars in the 16-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup championship last season.Gordon made the strongest run at the title, falling just one point short of advancing to the championship round. He was eliminated roughly 24 hours after Elliott wrapped up the then-Nationwide Series championship.Gordon told AP there had been pressure on him from Hendrick to set a timeline on his future, not because Hendrick wanted him out of the car, but because the organization had to make long-term plans for Elliott. Between his aching back, and a desire to spend more time with his two young children, Gordon said Elliotts rapid progression was also part of his decision.That definitely has played a factor in the timing being right, because theres no doubt Rick has put pressure on me and had discussions with me, Gordon told AP. Rick noted, We dont have a driver that can fill the shoes and sponsors. He and I would go back and forth in these conversations, and we all kind of saw the timeline of Chase. As last season progressed and he was doing so well, it was obvious he was going to be ready for 2016.It didnt make my decision, but it helped me make my decision.Elliott had three wins last season in the Xfinity Series, and 26 top-10 finishes in 33 starts. He juggled the final semester of his senior year of high school with the first part of the season. He grabbed his first career victory at Texas in April — becoming the youngest winner in series history — then was back in school two days later.He followed it with a win at tricky Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, and both victories were celebrated back in Georgia with the ringing of the police siren atop the Dawsonville Pool Room. The siren is only used in cases of celebration and had not been sounded since 2003, when Bill Elliott won his final race at Rockingham Speedway. D.J. Augustin Jersey . Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start. Kevin Durant Jersey . Pierre last November, only to watch St. Pierre leave the UFC octagon with his welterweight title belt and a split-decision victory. https://www.thunderrookiesshop.com/Andre...Edition-Jersey/. - Ryan Spooner scored twice to lead the Boston Bruins to a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders in a preseason game Friday night. Detlef Schrempf Thunder Jersey . Spencer Abbott and Trevor Smith scored third-period goals erasing a 2-1 deficit giving Toronto a late 3-2 lead. Mike Muscala Thunder Jersey .com) - Charlie Davies netted a pair of goals, including the series-winner on Saturday, as the New England Revolution battled the New York Red Bulls to a 2-2 draw in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship at Gillette Stadium and advanced to MLS Cup final via a thrilling 4-3 aggregate victory.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Los Angeles Kings will try to shake off their road woes when they visit the streaking Toronto Maple Leafs for Sundays clash at Air Canada Centre. The defending Stanley Cup champions have struggled to a 4-6-4 away record this season, while going 11-4-1 in Los Angeles. The Kings are 1-2-0 so far on a five-game swing and lost for the third time in four games overall in Fridays lopsided loss against the Montreal Canadiens. Despite firing 46 shots on net compared to only 20 registered for the Canadiens, the Kings fell 6-2 in Montreal. Martin Jones surrendered all six goals for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quicks backup only had allowed a total of nine goals in his previous seven appearances this season. Carey Price, meanwhile, made 44 saves to anchor the Habs victory. Drew Doughty scored for the Kings and collected an assist on a goal by Jake Muzzin. Mike Richards collected his 300th career assist on Doughtys goal. The Kings had a 14-4 shot advantage in the first period, but trailed by a goal after 20 minutes. Montreal pushed the lead to 3-0 before Muzzin got L.A. on the board early in the third period. We came out with a push early, but we didnt capitalize on our chances, Doughty said. Quick expects to start tonight for the Kings. He is 2-2-0 with a 2.73 goals against average in four career games against Toronto. L.A. will complete its current swing Tuesday when it visits St. Louis for the opener of a home-and-home series. The Maple Leafs hope to continue their longest winning streak of the season tonight when they aim for a fifth consecutive victory. Toronto picked up its fourth win in a row, and second straight against the Detroit Red Wings, Saturday night at AAir Canada Centre.dddddddddddd After posting a 2-1 shootout win in Detroit on Wednesday, the Maple Leafs scored four unanswered goals to beat the visiting Red Wings 4-1 on Saturday. The goals from James van Riemsdyk, Richard Panik, Morgan Rielly and an empty- netter from Nazem Kadri gave Toronto its first four-game winning streak of the season. The Maple Leafs havent won five in a row since recording six straight wins from Jan. 12-21 of last season. Jonathan Bernier made 27 saves to pick up the win for Toronto. We were much more energetic, said Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle. We were fortunate, obviously, that they played last night. Theyre a dangerous hockey club. We were able to stick with it even though they scored the first goal. Saturdays tilt kicked off a three-game homestand for Toronto and pushed its record this season at ACC to 12-7-0. The Leafs will cap the residency Tuesday against Anaheim. The Kings and Maple Leafs split two meetings in 2013-14, with each club earning a road victory. L.A. has won five of the past eight meetings overall and has claimed four in a row in Toronto. The Kings own a 6-0-1 mark at Air Canada Centre since last suffering a regulation loss there on Jan. 29, 2000. Its uncertain if James Reimer will start in net for Toronto tonight or if Bernier will get the call against his former club for the third time since L.A. dealt him to the Maple Leafs in the summer of 2013. Bernier surrendered three goals in a home loss to the Kings on Dec. 11 of last season and was pulled after just one period in L.A. on March 13. Reimer, who made 41 saves in Wednesdays win at Detroit, is 2-0-1 with a 1.45 GAA in three career games against the Kings. ' ' '