DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. As far as hes concerned, those are the only major changes since he broke two bones in his leg in an August sprint-car crash. So when the green flag drops Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway for his first race since the accident, Stewart believes it will be the same old "Smoke" behind the wheel. "Were not going to need a backup driver," boasted Stewart, who is scheduled to be in the race car for the first time Friday for 105 minutes of practice for the exhibition Sprint Unlimited. "I feel good enough that Im confident were not going to have to worry about anything," he added. "Weve planned for anything that we think might or could go wrong, and when I say go wrong, its not anything thats going to take us out of the race car. Its just a matter of making everything as comfortable as possible." Stewart has not raced in more than six months, an unheard of amount of time off for a driver who makes his money racing in NASCAR yet crisscrossed the country cramming 50 or more weeknight events into his year-round schedule. Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson isnt dismissing Stewarts chances of making a successful return. "Tonys a guy that when hes motivated, he can do anything," Johnson said. "And his motivation and desire to get in the car is probably higher than its been since he was a little kid, so it could be really dangerous for all of us, you know what I mean?" Last August, Stewart was leading with five laps remaining at Southern Iowa Speedway when a lapped car spun in front of him, causing Stewart to hit that car and flip several times. Stewarts time sidelined was certainly difficult, enhanced by the pain from his broken leg. He had two surgeries for the breaks, then a third to treat an infection. He was flat on his back, confined to the first-floor bedroom of his longtime business manager, where he was forced to lay with his leg elevated above his heart. When there was Stewart-Haas Racing business to address, team personnel did it at his bedside. Stewart required an ambulance to get to his doctor appointments, and when he finally was able to get out of bed, he needed a wheelchair to get around. And when Stewart -- a driver SHR vice-president of competition Greg Zipadelli referred to as "Superman" in the days after his accident -- finally made an appearance at the race track, it was on a motorized scooter. Nobody was comfortable seeing the three-time NASCAR champion so restricted. Many wondered if hed ever be the same. Not Stewart. "Right off the bat, the surgeon, the therapists, theyve all said, Youre going to have 100-per cent recovery," Stewart said. "With that, from Day 1, it took the doubt out." Any questions about getting back into a race car were erased, and Stewart turned his attention to his recovery. He wondered when hed be 100 per cent -- doctors have told him it will take a year, and he said this week his leg is only 65-per cent healed -- and when the pain would subside. He asked doctors if hed always have some sort of lingering pain, and he threw himself into a tough rehabilitation program. As he progressed and moved closer to Fridays practice sessions, his SHR team built a module that includes a seat, steering wheel, steering column and pedals so Stewart could sit and hold the pedal down for 20 minutes to simulate the pressure of having his foot on the throttle. New teammate Kevin Harvick ordered Stewart a special pad that hangs off the steering wheel that will prevent his knees from banging into the steering column. Now his peers wait to see how Stewart will drive. Harvick said they attended a sponsor appearance together this week and when they left, Stewart "was like a crazed lunatic. You could see that look in his eye. He looked at me and said, Im ready to ... race!" A driver who has excelled in races because of his ability to feel the car, some have wondered if the injury has taken that talent from Stewart. He doesnt believe the broken leg has robbed him of anything. "When you hear the quote, Its a seat-of-the-pants feel, you feel it in your core," he said. "Everything that is processed through your brain is between your core as far as feeling whats going on. Your hands and arm are feeling pressure in the steering wheel. But as far as from your legs down, youre not really feeling that sensation. Its more of what your brain is telling your legs to do. "If we had to have an area to have an injury, my right leg was probably the one." Denny Hamlin struggled all last season after missing five races with a fractured vertebra in his lower back. 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The Mariners comeback started against Jackson (4-10), who pitched into the seventh inning, allowing three runs and seven hits and striking out six. But it really got going once the game was turned over to the Cubs bullpen, which has blown 16 save chances this season and gave up three runs in the eighth against Seattle. "It looked real easy for a while, but we all know thats why we play nine innings," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. It was jokingly suggested to Sveum the Cubs might prefer only playing seven innings to cut out the late-inning issues with the bullpen. "No kidding," Sveum said, laughing. "If we go back to Little League days, wed be OK." The Cubs tied a season high by hitting six doubles, including two each by Alfonso Soriano and Darwin Barney. Anthony Rizzo drove in two runs for Chicago, which took two out of three in the series against Seattle. Kevin Gregg pitched a hitless ninth for his 13th save, a day after blowing his first save chance of the season. "I want to pitch every day," Gregg said. "Coming off a blown save yesterday, I want to get right back out there. I dont want to sit on it at all." Seattle starter Jeremy Bonderman (1-2) was chased after giving up six runs -- four earned -- and six hits in 3 1-3 innings. It was his shortest start since going 2 1-3 innings on July 29, 2007 with Detroit. The loss was the first for Bonderman since being called up June 2 and making his first major league appearance since 2010. That time out, he gave up seven runs in 4 2-3 innings, but since hhe had been on a roll, giving up a total of four runs in the four starts before Sunday.dddddddddddd Bondermans trouble against the Cubs started in the second inning when the Cubs doubled four times, leading to three runs. Soriano and Rizzo led off the inning with doubles, and with one out Brian Bogusevic and Barney hit consecutive RBI doubles. "Doubles are good. Runs are better," Barney said. "Once something good happens, good things start going through your mind, and thats the whole battle in this game." In the fourth, Barney led off with another double and scored when Wellington Castillos grounder to third went through Kyle Seagers legs for a two-base error. Starlin Castros run-scoring single marked the end for Bonderman. Reliever Blake Beavan gave up an RBI double to Soriano and another run on Rizzos single as the Cubs took their 7-1 lead. That was the end of the offence for Chicago, which managed only one hit over the final five innings. "At this level you cant ever assume," Barney said. "Once you start assuming, you start laying down a little bit. Thats just not a luxury we have -- or anyone has." The Mariners comeback got going in the fifth when Nick Franklins single drove in a run. Bays leadoff homer in the seventh cut the lead to 7-3. Raul Ibanez led off the eighth with his 19th homer of the season against reliever Shawn Camp. Kendrys Morales singled and Seager broke an 0-for-19 slump with a deep home run down the right-field line to bring the Mariners within a run before reliever Hector Rondon and Gregg shut down the rally. "We had our opportunities, fought back and got close," Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. "But thats not good enough." NOTES: Cubs OF Ryan Sweeney will be placed on the disabled list after breaking a rib on his left side crashing into an outfield wall. Sweeney will be held out of baseball activities for four to six weeks. ... Seattle CF Dustin Ackley should be able to return "in a couple days" after spraining his right thumb Saturday, manager Eric Wedge said. "All things considered, could be a lot worse," Wedge said. ' ' 'tter dominance of the match that has fans believing that Arsene Wengers men can make a late charge for a Champions League spot. Sundays meeting with City should provide them with a stern test of their credentials as the Gunners have not fared well away from the Emirates, dropping four of their 11 road contests this term. City, meanwhile, enters the weekend unbeaten in its last 12 league matches, bringing the club to second place in the table with 47 points. But while the Citizens have managed to collect points regularly over the last couple months, their Achilles heel has been their penchant for conceding untimely goals. Manuel Pellegrinis side enjoyed a two-goal lead at the Etihad against lowly Burnley on Dec. 28 before second-half strikes from George Boyd and Ashley Barnes saw the hosts drop two points. They squandered another two-goal cushion on Jan. 1 when Jack Rodwell and Adam Johnson scored in quick succession to level the score for Sunderland, but Frank Lampard managed to bail the Citizens out with a 73rd-minute winner. And last time out, Fernandinho thought he had given City a certain victory over Everton with a goal in the 74th minute at Goodison Park, but the visitors leeaked a goal to Steven Naismith four minutes later to see the two sides split the points.dddddddddddd With both clubs boasting a reputation for offensive firepower and defensive frailties, there may be plenty of goals on hand at the Etihad on Sunday. Also on Sunday, West Ham United will be out to snap a four-game winless run in league play when it welcomes Hull City to Upton Park, and Mondays lone contest will see Everton go for its first victory since Dec. 15 when it plays host to West Bromwich Albion. Manchester United will look to get back on track on Saturday when the club heads to Loftus Road to take on Queens Park Rangers. United stumbled in a 1-0 home loss to Southampton last time out, and while the Red Devils will have the opportunity to rebound against a struggling QPR side, they have not fared well on the road this season, taking just 12 points from a possible 30. First-place Chelsea will return to action with a trip to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday as the Blues will prepare to face a Swansea City side aiming to sneak into a European spot. Liverpool, meanwhile, has not tasted defeat since a 3-0 thrashing to Manchester United on Dec. 14. The Reds will be seeking a fourth Premier League win in five outings on Saturday when they travel to Aston Villa. Newcastle put up a good fight against Chelsea last time out but came away from Stamford Bridge empty-handed. The Magpies will hope to build off that strong showing on Saturday when they welcome surging Southampton to St. James Park. Also on Saturday, Sunderland will travel to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham, Leicester City will host Stoke City at the KP Stadium and Crystal Palace will take on Burnley at Turf Moor. ' ' '