Budweiser Shootout: Return of pack drafting at Daytona?
Autoracing Betting Lines
02/14/2012 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Saturday, February 18. Race: Budweiser Shootout. Site: Daytona International Speedway. Track: 2.5-mile tri-oval. Start time: 8:10 p.m. (et). Laps: 75. Miles: 187.5. 2011 Winner: Kurt Busch. Television: FOX. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Satellite.
The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season will rev up on Saturday night with the 34th running of the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. This year's scheduled 75-lap, 187.5-mile preseason race will feature a field of 25 cars.
The format for this race is unchanged from last year, but there is a tweak in the eligibility requirements. Drivers finishing among the top-25 in the Sprint Cup point standings this past season as well as active drivers who are not in the top-25 but previously won the Budweiser Shootout, the Daytona 500 or the 400-mile July race at Daytona are eligible.
Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, will not be among the 25 drivers competing in the Budweiser Shootout, since Wood Brothers Racing could not secure sponsorship for his No.21 team in this event. Bayne is entered to compete in the Daytona 500.
Geoffrey Bodine, Derrike Cope, Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader are also eligible for the Budweiser Shootout but not participating in the event.
The Budweiser Shootout will serve as a dress rehearsal for the Daytona 500 and Gatorade Duels (twin 150-mile qualifying races for the 500). NASCAR recently revised its rules for restrictor-plate racing in an effort to minimize and perhaps eliminate two-car tandems, which have become an unpopular style of racing at restrictor-plate tracks (Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway). NASCAR is hopeful the rule changes will return pack racing.
"When you pack race, in most instances, if not all, it's important to race the whole time," said Jimmie Johnson, who won the preseason race at Daytona in 2005. "You're going to have to race for the win from the first lap. Unlike what we have now, where you know you can make up so much time in a short period of laps, you'll be much more engaged throughout the race."
NASCAR has also banned communications between drivers on their car radios during a race at plate tracks in another attempt to break up the two-car breakaways.
Most Sprint Cup teams participated in a three-day test session at Daytona last month. During the test, NASCAR gathered data when as many as 20 cars ran in a draft. Further modifications to the restrictor plates and the size of the front grille opening on the cars could be forthcoming.
Teams competing in the Budweiser Shootout will also get a chance to familiarize themselves with the new electronic fuel injection systems during race conditions.
Several drivers will make their debuts with new teams in the Budweiser Shootout. They include: A.J. Allmendinger (Penske Racing), Clint Bowyer (Michael Waltrip Racing), Kurt Busch (Phoenix Racing), Kasey Kahne (Hendrick Motorsports) and David Ragan (Front Row Motorsports).
"It's definitely something to be excited about and look forward to, and I can't wait to get down there and practice a little bit, and then qualifying on Sunday is going to be exciting," Kahne said.
Busch, who drove the No.22 car for Penske last year, is the defending race winner.
Marcos Ambrose and Brad Keselowski are those drivers who are competing in this race for the first time.
The starting lineup for the Budweiser Shootout will be determined during a random drawing held Friday evening at Daytona.
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Saturday, February 18. Race: Budweiser Shootout. Site: Daytona International Speedway. Track: 2.5-mile tri-oval. Start time: 8:10 p.m. (et). Laps: 75. Miles: 187.5. 2011 Winn
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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP
With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.
There is no reason to think the Saints will come back to earth this season and playing in a weak NFC, they should have as good a shot as any to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At 15-1, Donovan McNabb could also be worth a look. Remember, many felt he was the MVP of the first half of the season before going down with a season ending injury. Reportedly, he is in great shape and well ahead of schedule to return to form. Also, he could have some added motivation to put up big numbers this season with the Eagles using their first pick in the draft on McNabb’s future successor Kevin Kolb.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to check out the complete odds for NFL MVP as well as all of the new football related futures. With the popularity of NFL futures, these betting lines will be sure to change as the money comes in; get the early sports lines now.
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To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football gambling needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.