CHARLOTTE, N. Marquese Chriss Jersey .C. -- Tony Stewart does not consider the Daytona 500 a disaster, despite the engine problems that spoiled his return to racing from a broken right leg. The three-time NASCAR champion wound up 35th in the season-opening race, but he logged enough laps during Speedweeks that he feels good going into the upcoming stretch of seven consecutive races. Stewart missed the final 15 races last year after breaking his leg in two places during a sprint car crash in Iowa. His first time back in a race car was Feb. 14, the day before he competed -- and was crashed out of -- the exhibition Sprint Unlimited. He also raced in the Budweiser Duel before the 500, giving him 672 miles of racing in three events. Stewart goes to Sundays race at Phoenix International Raceway "a lot more confident than I was before we got to Daytona." "I think having all the races that we ran, and actually getting in a crash, while not a great thing, allowed me to sort of test my leg and it felt good," Stewart said in a Stewart-Haas Racing team release. "There have been some little things that have felt a little different, but for the most part, its felt like an old pair of tennis shoes that youre just comfortable with. I think the whole time in Daytona exceeded my expectations of what I hoped it would be like." But the 500 itself was a letdown for SHR. Stewart had the engine issue and Danica Patrick was involved in a crash and finished 40th. It left only Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, the two newcomers to the organization, in contention for a solid finish and both had difficulties at the end. Busch wound up 21st and Harvick was involved in the final accident of the race and finished a team-best 13th. Stewart said Sundays race at Phoenix will be a better indicator of where the team is than Daytona, one of only four restrictor-plate races on the schedule. "Daytona and Talladega have always just been two different forms of racing," Stewart said, referring to the necessary teamwork and drafting. "What happens at Phoenix and the races after that has to be done on your own. You cant help each other at Phoenix. You just have to go race." He likes his chances at Phoenix, where he has one win, eight top-fives and 12 top-10s in 23 career starts. Hes completed all but 14 of 7,257 laps on the 1-mile oval. But PIR is also the place that pushed Stewart into becoming a full-time race car driver in 1993. Still working eight-hour days at $5-an-hour at a machine shop in Columbus, Ind., Stewart headed West to run USAC Silver Crown season-opening Copper World Classic. He qualified second to Davey Hamilton, then led 31 of 50 laps before finishing second to Mike Bliss. Stewart earned $3,500 that day -- a payout that convinced him running the Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget races across the nation that year sounded a lot better than returning to the machine shop. He never looked back, learning how to adapt in every kind of car he drove out of "fear that Im going to have to get a real job if Im not successful. "To think that it all kind of started at Phoenix, I guess you could say its the place where my career came full-circle," he said. DeAnthony Melton Rockets Jersey . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. Hakeem Olajuwon Rockets Jersey . Playing in his fourth major league game, Polanco broke a tie in the 13th inning with his first homer, helping Pittsburgh to an 8-6 victory over the Miami Marlins after the Pirates had a ninth-inning meltdown. https://www.rocketsrookiesshop.com/Danuel-House-City-Edition-Jersey/ .com) - James van Riemsdyk had two goals with one assist to help the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night. TORONTO -- Injured Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow doesnt have a timeline in place for his return to the lineup. Hes just happy to have his uniform on and be back with teammates after a long stint away from the club while rehabilitating a finger injury. Morrow returned to Rogers Centre on Tuesday and made 25 throws from 60 feet before the team took batting practice. It was the latest step in his recovery after suffering a torn tendon sheath in his throwing hand on May 2. "Its not 100 per cent but its not painful," Morrow said. "Its just kind of stiff from not really using it for six weeks. It actually feels better after I throw. It loosens it up and the range of motion gets better. "So its been great. Throwing has been good for the last week." Morrow had been rehabilitating in Arizona, spending up to two hours a day doing grip exercises to slowly strengthen his index finger. "Theres a lot of pinching and a lot of Play-Doh squeezing," he said. "Thats it really." Over the weekend, he took another step and started throwing from 45 feet. While the sessions would barely get his shoulder warm, Morrow understands its all part of the slow, long process of regaining strength and mobility. "It can heal back and thats what were hoping for," he said. "If there was no chance of it doing that, then I would have just had surgery that first week. But theres obviously a good chance of rehabbing it naturally I guess, and avoiding surgery and being healthy and getting it back to where I need it to be." Morrow, whos 1-2 with a 5. Vincent Edwards Jersey. 3 earned-run average this season, had his finger completely immobilized for two weeks after the injury. He couldnt lift upper-body weights for about four weeks until he felt comfortable gripping things again. Morrow wore a custom brace on his finger while throwing Tuesday. "Theres no doubt that if (his recovery) continues the way it has been that Ill pitch again this year," he said. "I cant put a date on it. They just put together a calendar for me, which I havent even seen. This is my fifth day throwing so its too early to say." The 29-year-old native of Santa Rosa, Calif., was tabbed to be a key part of the Toronto rotation this season. His potential return could give the first-place Blue Jays a nice boost for the stretch drive. "Thats what Im looking to do is to come in at a really crucial point in the season and be able to pitch the way that I have in the past and contribute and add something to the team," Morrow said. There were hugs and handshakes all around Tuesday afternoon as he caught up with teammates in the clubhouse and dugout before Tuesday nights game against the New York Yankees. "I think it was for my own sanity to come back," Morrow joked. "But yeah, Im to the point where I dont need the hand therapy three times a week anymore, where the rehab is more now throwing and getting back into a regular baseball throwing program routine. "It makes sense to make that transition from doing the small stuff to more of the baseball stuff. So it makes sense to come back." ' ' '