HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Four drivers will compete for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the intensity for the trophy unchanged but for a champions bonus less than half of last seasons, sources tell ESPN.The overall point fund last year was $21.765 million, with the champion slated to earn about $4.7 million (Kyle Buschs take was less because he missed 11 races), and this year it will be less than half that amount.Second place last year paid $2.1 million, third $1.58 million, with seventh place on back earning less than a million.As part of the new charter system and in an effort to make their revenue stream more predictable, NASCAR and the team owners Race Team Alliance agreed to pay the champion less but spread the point fund more equitably throughout the top 25 drivers and teams.Drivers typically get paid a percentage of purse and point-fund money in addition to a base salary.The champion should get his level of money and then [Nos.] 2 through 4 should get his level of money and then each Chase [elimination] bracket should get their level of money, said Busch, who indicated he did not favor the new formula. What they tried to do is they tried to even it out from first all the way back to last in order to make the sport more sustainable for everybody.When youre the driver and not the owner and youre taking home a percentage of that, that hurts you really bad. It was done through the RTA. It wasnt done through the driver council. So we had absolutely no say in it so thats why its the way that it is.The overall point fund increased in 2016, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Brett Dewar said, but he wouldnt elaborate, citing confidentiality clauses in the charters, about the distribution.The teams obviously had to share with the drivers what they were getting from NASCAR as they reworked agreements based on the new system unveiled in February.I think it is a million-and-a-half to win a Cup, six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson said. The last time I stood on stage, it was 7-and-a-half [million]. Its a huge change.Sources familiar with the charter agreements indicated the 2016 bonus to the championship team is much closer to $2 million than $1.5 million. The last time Johnson was on stage, in 2013, the champion bonus was $5.2 million, with Johnson and his team having total earnings of $14.66 million. Johnson and his team did get a $7.225 million champion bonus in 2008.It doesnt matter, Busch said. To me, how Ive always looked about it ... Ive always raced to achieve what I want to achieve based on success and results.It hasnt been for the money. You do want to get paid for what you do. You want to get paid well if youre better at what you do. It all comes down to taking home trophies.NASCAR stopped publishing how much money a driver earns for the team each week in the purse and does not plan to publicize the bonus structure as it has in the past, citing the new charter system structure.The first race I won was $125, championship finalist Carl Edwards?said. We dont race for money, but Im sure it pays fine. ... Im not too worried about that part of it.The 36 charter teams get dollars from two pools of money based on participation -- a fixed amount each team gets, and then an amount based on the teams finishes the previous three years, most heavily weighted to the previous season, which means that the champion will earn more for his team over the next three years than if he had finished lower in the standings.Charter and non-charter teams vie for the same amount of purse money for each race through the field (obviously less than in past years because much of the money is part of the fixed amount) and year-end bonus money that goes to the top 25 owners and drivers.Early in the year, there was shuffling around, drivers getting their agreements situated, Johnson said. The money is still coming to the teams but where it goes and how the agreements read, from a purse standpoint, traditional purse standpoint, it is what it is.There are a handful of agents and lawyers who handle most contracts for drivers, who at the start of the year said the teams for the most part worked with them to try to adjust their pay scales to the new formula as it is no longer as simple as a percentage of the purse.Theres a whole formula involved, Busch said. Its quite confusing. So Im not exactly sure if Ill make 100 percent of what I made last year [if I win the title] or 80 percent or something within there. I dont know exactly.The drivers will find out how much money they make when the check comes.I dont even know what it pays to win this thing, finalist Joey Logano said. I will care, yes, but really my goal is to beat everyone. That is the biggest reward that you can feel from inside, that moment of victory, not the moment of the check.That is still really cool and you can do a lot of really great things with [the money] ... but that [winning moment] is the coolest thing. Cheap Wholesale Curry Shoes . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Cheap Curry Shoes Wholesale .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. http://www.wholesalecurryshoes.com/ . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Wholesale Curry Shoes . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Wholesale Stephen Curry Shoes . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. A look at Fridays NFL preseason matchups:BACK IN CINCYVikings coach Mike Zimmer returns to Cincinnati, where he made his reputation as a defensive coordinator before being hired in Minnesota in 2014. Last season, Zimmer led the Vikings to the NFC North title.It brings back a lot of good memories, Zimmer says. We had a good run. Mike Brown was really good to me and, obviously, Marvin (Lewis) and a lot of the players that I coached. Itll be fun. Itll be fun to bring my team in here, trying to compete with them.Zimmer notes how working for the Bengals prepared him for head coaching.I think (in) a lot of different ways, he says. I got a chance to see how Marvin does things, how he treats people, the way he earns respect. When I left Atlanta -- I was there for three-quarters of a year or whatever -- but, coming (to Cincinnati) and being able to resurrect my career a little bit. I think that helped a lot, (plus) being able to get some good players in here.NO CANCELLATION THIS TIMEGreen Bay was supposed to have already looked at rookies, undrafted players, fringe free agents and other players in last Sundays Hall of Fame game. Then the game was called off because of poor field conditions.Lambeau Field shouldnt have any such issues when the Browns visit the Packers. Indeed, the Packers wont be painting anything in preparation for Clevelands visit, or until they get the iconic stadium ready for the regular season.The Browns will be without at least three of their top four receivers when starting quarterback Robert Griffin III makes his unofficial debut with Cleveland. First-round pick Corey Coleman and veteran Andrew Hawkins will miss the game with hamstring injuries, while recently reinstated receiver Josh Gordon will sit out with an injured quad.Terrelle Pryor may also sit out with a calf injury suffered during practice Wednesday evening.SHOW ME SOME OFFENSENew Dolphins coach Adam Gase, an offensive mastermind, was more than a little disturbed by the ineptitude of his offense in last Saturdays scrimmage. Hes a bit more optimistic about Friday nights visit to the New York Giants after a few days of working on the problems.Yes. I feel light years better, Gase says. We needed to go through that. We needed to see what happens when just about everything possible could have gone wrong. Somebody screwed up on every play. It was like second-and-20 and then we were third-and-17. That probably needed to happen. I think guys just kind of took a step back and realized its about just doing my job and then things will work out. The more guys we have doing that, the bettter chance we have.ddddddddddddCARSONS CARDINALSFresh with a contract extension that should carry him through the rest of his career, 36-year-old QB Carson Palmer will handle about a dozen plays when Arizona hosts Oakland.Ive been playing my whole career, Palmer says, to be in a situation like this and play for an owner (Michael Bidwill) like this and a GM (Steve Keim) like this.Palmer led the Cardinals to the NFC title game, where he struggled in a rout at the hands of the Carolina. Naturally, hes looking ahead.Its a dream situation, Palmer says, having the opportunity to play for a head coach like Bruce (Arians), but also a play caller like Bruce. Michaels given everybody in the locker room everything you could possibly need to go out and just focus on football and play good football.SIT OR PLAYRaiders coach Jack Del Rio said hed like to play all his healthy players in the preseason opener at Arizona. Whether rookie safety Karl Joseph qualifies as healthy remains to be seen.Joseph has been practicing with the starters since the start of training camp but has gotten occasional time off as the team wants to make sure his surgically repaired right knee is completely healthy; it forced him to miss the end of his final college season at West Virginia. The Raiders were confident enough in Josephs health to draft him in the first round and have been pleased with his play in camp, including an end zone interception against Derek Carr in practice this week. But they see no need to rush him into game action.The goal is to be ready for Sundays, Joseph said. I definitely would like to get some preseason action. But its going to be a day-to-day thing to see how the knees feeling.MISMATCHDuring the Steelers scrimmages against the Lions this week heading toward the preseason game in Pittsburgh, All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown often had his way against Detroit cornerback Darius Slay.So much so that Brown couldnt help bragging about it.At one point during 7-on-7 drills, Brown yelled to the Steelers sideline: Im killing him. The leagues leading pass catcher in 2015 also told Slay hed be going deep all day, and then made good on the promise with a long TD catch.That matchup isnt likely to be seen Friday night because Brown, Ben Roethlisberger and LeVeon Bell, the stalwarts of Pittsburghs offense, figure to sit it out. But even one play against Brown could be too much for Slay.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '