ral manager Brett Veach did when he learned their game against Cincinnati had been moved to Sunday night was pick up his phone and dial Clint Bowyer.Veach had met the Stewart-Haas Racing driver when he joined other members of the Chiefs for a visit to Kansas Speedway in May. The two hit it off http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-laurent-duvernay-tardif-jersey , keeping in touch throughout the summer and into the fall, and built a friendship based on mutual passions: racing and football."I've always been a car guy and really enjoyed watching NASCAR races," Veach told The Associated Press. "We've texted here and there, kept up our relationship, and with him being a Kansas guy I have been trying to get him out here to a game this season."The time change to accommodate television provided the perfect opportunity.Now, Bowyer has a secondary reason to be fastest to the finish line in Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. The primary one? Winning would assure him a spot in the next round of NASCAR's playoffs, and even a strong run should be enough to make the cutoff for the top eight to advance.But kickoff is only a couple hours after the race is expected to end — assuming no weather issues or other delays — and Bowyer will be pushing it join Veach at the game in time."He's been telling me how good they are and I've been telling him how excited I am," Bowyer said, "and I'm like, 'Man, I'm getting to a game. Just be patient with me.' And he called and said the game was moved and my butt better be there. I've got a ticket, so my butt will be there."It's another demonstration of the everyman love affair Bowyer has with his home state.He was raised in Emporia, a couple hours south of Kansas City, and once raced dirt late models at nearby Lakeside Speedway. When he struck it big in NASCAR, Bowyer returned to Emporia to purchase the dealership where he once worked as a lot attendant, dent specialist and detailer.He's donated millions of dollars to build a community center. He's purchased computers for the public library. He's paid for scoreboards at the aquatic center, playgrounds in a nearby community hit by a tornado, shoes for Big Brothers-Big Sisters and backpacks for kids in need.Then there is Bowyer's fandom for all things Kansas City sports. He's close friends with Royals manager Ned Yost, himself a longtime NASCAR fan and friend of the late Dale Earnhardt, and has chilled out in the clubhouse and thrown out the first pitch at Kauffman Stadium."It's always fun to go home. It's always busy to go home," Bowyer said. "Going back to Kansas Speedway, you have so many people who have made a difference and got you where you are. You owe it to them, just like you did when they were helping you on that race car, to go see them http://www.chiefsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mitchell-schwartz-jersey , to see how they are doing, to see their kids now. Things have changed a lot since I've moved away."Things have changed a lot this season, too.Bowyer failed to qualify for the playoffs or was knocked out before the fall race at Kansas the past four years. But with the backing of the hottest team in NASCAR, he arrives this weekend seventh in the standings and firmly in the championship hunt for the first time since 2012.While he loves everything about Kansas, the track itself has hardly loved him back. Bowyer has made 20 career starts in the Cup Series and led laps just three times. He has one top-10 run in the past five years, and that was a ninth-place finish in the spring race last year.His career-best of second came more than a decade ago for Richard Childress Racing."I feel like we have a shot at competing for the championship when it comes down to Homestead," he said, "but we have to be solid this weekend on my home track. Typically the mile-and-a-halfs are not my favorite tracks. I hate to say that because Kansas is my home track. I need a solid weekend to take care of business and move on to the round of eight."It would also make palling around with Veach at Arrowhead Stadium a bit more fun."I was really amazed, as big of a deal as he is in the NFL and that sport, how big of a race fan he was," Bowyer said. "I mean, he knew everything — stats, drivers, literally everything. He was very, very in-tune with what's going on, and anyway he's a stat guy in the NFL, so it's no surprise that he was definitely on his game as far as our sport goes, so we've been staying in touch."Bowyer spent time last spring showing Veach his hauler, checking out his bus and giving him the Chiefs' GM a behind-the-scenes look at life in NASCAR. Now, Veach is eager to return the favor."Obviously he's got a big race on Sunday to think about first," he said. "I'll be rooting for him. And then after the race, I'll be excited to have him out at Arrowhead cheering us on."REPORT: Eric Berry has a Haglund’s deformity on his heel Eric Berry has not practiced or played for the Kansas City Chiefs since August 11 in St. Joseph, Missouri, because of what the team has described as a “sore heel.” The last we heard from the Chiefs athletic training staff was in early September Xavier Williams Jersey , when head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder described the injury as “literally day to day.”More information on Berry’s injury emerged Saturday morning, via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo:This provides a little more clarity than Berry’s injury simply being a “sore heel,” which is good, but what’s bad is there still seems to be no timetable. Remember, Berry missed nearly the entirety of the 2017 season due to a ruptured Achilles on the other leg.Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was mum on the injury when asked about it Saturday afternoon after the Chiefs’ final practice of the week.Berry is officially ruled doubtful heading into the Monday night game against the Denver Broncos.Here are the notes from our in-house medical expert, Aaron Borgmann:A lot of talk today regarding something known as a Haglund’s deformity. It was reported by a media source that the player in question suffers from this condition. This discussion is not to confirm or deny that possibility, as I can only explain the available information that we have been given. To be clear, the team has not confirmed this diagnosis and I have no advance knowledge of the player’s current condition.The simple explanation here that it is indeed a bone spur on the backside of someone’s heel. This is frequently known as a “pump bump” from the occurrence that it is often seen in women’s fashion from the shoes that they wear. However, incidence in football players is also common, sometimes referred to as “retrocalcaneal bursitis” as well. The bone spur irritates the bursa (fluid-filled sac) that sits between the bone and the tendon or even the tendon itself directly. This can cause a great deal of inflammation and discomfort with any sort of dynamic ankle/foot movement, worse with pressure on the spot itself.Having one in and of itself it not uncommon, but the degree to which it bothers someone is the issue. Depending upon demands of movement, these can range from debilitating to just a nuisance. Obviously, in football players, the degree of inflammation is what dictates the level of function.These are diagnosed both visually and radiographically and it is a situation where if you see it and player complains of certain symptoms (pain with movement in that exact spot, swelling, redness) then you can be pretty sure that is what it is.Treatment focuses on reduction of inflammation obviously directly over the spot. This can be done both topically and through systemic medication. Soft tissue lengthening in both the calf and bottom of the foot is also done to alleviate the issue from both sides – this is due to the fact that both the calf and plantar fascia connect to the calcaneus (heel bone) on either side.Not to be forgotten is footwear modification and adjustment. Very rigid shoes can cause this irritation, and in some athletes, I would even cut the shoe in the heel to allow room for the bump. Other options include specialized padding and friction reduction methods. Heel lifts have been shown to be helpful in some.For this condition, non-surgical intervention is preferred to reduce the inflammation as opposed to surgical due to the immobilization period.If the inflammation can be reduced and the function level high, many players learned to adapt their daily routines to accommodate. They may have to put in a bit more time in order to get ready due to the condition’s demands but can nonetheless get by and still perform at a high level.