KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The first sign that Kansas Speedway was going to be a heartbreaker for Hendrick Motorsports should have come during qualifying when Jimmie Johnson inexplicably spun and earned one of his worst starting spots since 2005.Even that couldnt prepare the organization for the trouble it encountered during Sundays race.Johnson was involved in an early accident and finished 40th, which dropped the six-time and defending NASCAR champion to last in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship standings. It was Johnsons worst Chase finish since the 2005 season finale.It only got worse from there for the Hendrick cars. Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a tire problem while leading and hit the wall, causing him to finish 39th. Then Kasey Kahne also hit the wall — he too believed it was caused by a tire problem — and finished 22nd.Even Jeff Gordon, who finished a team-best 14th, had a problem. A tire got away from his pit crew during a stop, earning a penalty for the four-time series champion.A lot of people had trouble, so today was a real survival day, Gordon said.But Kahne, Earnhardt and Johnson are now at the bottom of the 12-driver field, and four will be eliminated in two weeks after Talladega. It means theyve got to be above average Saturday night at Charlotte to avoid having their championship hopes depend on Talladega.A win earns a driver an automatic berth into the next round, and on Sunday it went to Joey Logano, who picked up his fifth victory of the season.Johnson wants to also earn that automatic berth.It just means weve got to be on our game at Charlotte and Talladega, Johnson said. Certainly need Ws, I would assume, going forward.Here are some other major developments from the fourth race in the 10-race Chase:LOGANO SURGES: With his win on Sunday at Kansas, Logano once again proved hes going to be tough to beat in this race for the Sprint Cup.Hes won in both rounds of the Chase to stay alive in the elimination format, and his career-best five wins this season is tied with teammate Brad Keselowski for most in the series.Getting us to the next round, thats awesome, Logano said. Im having a blast this year, and weve got a real shot to win this championship. I feel like were one of the teams to beat.MIXED BAG: Although Keselowski visited his teammate in Victory Lane, the Team Penske group had mixed emotions at the end of the race.He was also felled by a tire problem and finished 36th, lamenting after that the Goodyear issues turned the race into a game of Russian Roulette and it was our turn at the gun.Team owner Roger Penske said the focus must now turn to Charlotte and not what happened to Keselowski at Kansas.These races, when theyre over, theyre over, Penske said. Obviously well do whatever we can to help him. The whole team will. But the thing we cant do is make a big right or left turn here. Weve got to take on the same track were on.HARVICK NOT HAPPY: Kevin Harvick once again had one of the fastest cars on the track and nothing to show for it at the end of the race.He led 61 laps and was third when he headed to pit road with what he believed was a flat tire. His Stewart-Haas Racing crew found nothing wrong with the tires, but the damage was done: Harvick had dropped to 23rd, was out of contention for the victory and had to charge his way back to a 12th-place finish. He apologized to his crew over his radio.I thought I had a flat tire and pitted because you see all the trouble that is going on, he said after the race, explaining his car simply didnt turn.LARSON, AGAIN: Kyle Larson continued to creep closer and closer to his first career Sprint Cup Series victory with his second-place finish.Larson, a rookie who did not qualify for the Chase, has finished second in two of the last three races and was in a late battle for the win at Chicago before finishing third. Hes not finished lower than sixth since the Chase began.I definitely feel like Ive been running a lot better than what I thought I would to start the season, but I thought I would make the Chase, too, Larson said. I think midpoint through the season, I noticed I was running better than what our goals were and raised those goals into top 10s, and now the way weve been running, we want to be top-5 every week.BIG DAY FOR BUSCH: Kyle Busch has seen his championship hopes come to a crashing halt many times at Kansas, a track that he simply couldnt get a grasp of in the Cup Series.He finally ended his unlucky streak Sunday, a day after he won the Nationwide Series race, with a career-best third-place finish. It gave Busch a top-five finish at every active track on the Cup schedule, and moved him to second in the Chase standings.I won today, I just didnt get champagne and a trophy, he said. To get through Kansas feels nice. Christian Villanueva Jersey . Every once in awhile, it seems like life lets dreams become real - and that is a gift. Craig Stammen Jersey . 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Cardiff Blues forward Robin Copeland is among the new additions, alongside New Zealand-born prop Rodney Ah You, Robbie Diack, Rob Herring, Martin Moore and Jordi Murphy. Kieran Marmion is the sole uncapped player in the backline. "As always, a number of the selections were very tight," Schmidt said. "There is an experienced core of players in the squad who will offer continuity, as well as some new additions who have been selected with an eye to the future." Ireland opens its campaign at home to Scotland on Feb. 2 before hosting defending champion Wales. Schmidt says Richardt Strauss, Donnacha Ryan, Roger Wilson, Tommy Bowe, Simon Zebo, Declan Fitzpatrick and Craig Gilroy -- who was injured in Ulsters victory over Montpellier in the Heineken Cup last week -- have been left out but may return if they recover in time. "A number of players currently injured or returning from injury will remain with their provinces to gain further recovery time or game-time," Schmidt said.dddddddddddd "Some of these players may yet return for 6 Nations matches." Sean OBrien, Stephen Ferris, Mike Sherry and Stuart Olding, though, "will be unavailable in the longer term" and are unlikely to make the tournament. ------ Extended Ireland squad: Forwards: Rodney Ah You, Stephen Archer, Rory Best, Robin Copeland, Sean Cronin, Robbie Diack, Cian Healy, Jamie Heaslip, Iain Henderson, Chris Henry, Rob Herring, David Kilcoyne, Mike McCarthy, Jack McGrath, Martin Moore, Jordi Murphy, Paul OConnell, Tommy ODonnell, Peter OMahony, Mike Ross, Rhys Ruddock, Devin Toner, Dan Tuohy, Damien Varley. Backs: Isaac Boss, Darren Cave, Gordon DArcy, Keith Earls, Luke Fitzgerald, Robbie Henshaw, Paddy Jackson, Felix Jones, David Kearney, Rob Kearney, Ian Keatley, Ian Madigan, Kieran Marmion, Luke Marshall, Fergus McFadden, Conor Murray, Brian ODriscoll, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton, Andrew Trimble. ' ' '