This Week in Auto Racing July 3 - 5
Autoracing Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR returns to "The World Center of Racing," while the IndyCar Series visits the "Finger Lakes" region in upstate New York this Fourth of July weekend.
NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series
Coke Zero 400 - Daytona International Speedway - Daytona Beach, FL
The Sprint Cup Series reaches the halfway point of their 36-race season this Fourth of July with the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Formerly called the Pepsi 400 and the Firecracker 400, "the mid-summer classic" has its own share of fireworks on the 2.5-mile oval. As the third of four restrictor-plate events on the yearly schedule, you can expect plenty of wild racing that culminates with a last-lap battle for the victory.
This will be the first restrictor-plate race to feature double-file restarts throughout the event. NASCAR instituted the double-file format for the June 7 race at Pocono, and it has not presented any apparent problems so far.
How much of an impact double-file restarts will be in restrictor-plate racing should be an interesting factor at Daytona.
"I think restrictor-plate racing will be the biggest beneficiary of double- file restarts because we're already racing two-wide all the time, three-wide all the time already, why not start them two-wide," Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle said.
The 400-mile event at Daytona has run under the lights each year since 1998. The first nighttime race there was postponed from July to October due to wildfires in the Central Florida area. It's also the first event to run on the Fourth of July since 1992. The race was normally held on Independence Day each year from 1959 to 1987.
Drivers have enjoyed nighttime racing at Daytona in the middle of the summer, as cooler temperatures make for better track grip.
"The grip level is about the same as it is in February when you're racing at night," Biffle said. "It's a little slicker in July. It would just be a miserable race I think in the daytime because the grip would be so horrible and it would be so hot."
With nine races remaining before the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship begins, Juan Pablo Montoya holds the coveted 12th spot in the standings, but only one point separates Montoya from 13th-place Kasey Kahne, who won last week at Sonoma, CA.
The points battle is so tight right now that 95 points separate sixth-place Denny Hamlin from 14th-place David Reutimann.
Matt Kenseth holds the 10th spot as he returns to Daytona after winning the rain-shortened Daytona 500 in February. Kenseth happened to be in the right place at the right time when the skies opened up at Daytona with 48 laps remaining.
Kenseth followed up with the victory at California one week later, but has not won a Cup race since then.
Kyle Busch won at Daytona in thrilling fashion one year ago. Busch overcame tire and steering wheel issues to post his sixth Cup victory of the season. He grabbed the lead from Jeff Gordon just before a seven-car pileup occurred in the closing laps.
The accident set up a green-white-checkered finish. Busch and Carl Edwards battled for the lead on the first of the two-lap shootout. Busch pulled ahead of Edwards by a half-car length when a four-car crash took place in turn three, ending the race under caution.
In 2007, Jamie McMurray beat Busch to the finish line by 0.005 seconds to win the 400-mile race at Daytona.
Jeff Gordon leads all active drivers with six wins at Daytona, but Richard Petty holds the track record for most victories with 10.
Petty will celebrate the 25th anniversary of his 200th and final Cup victory on Saturday at Daytona. "The King" won the 1984 Firecracker 500, with President Ronald Reagan in attendance for the historic race.
"I think it was really a super deal for racing, because the President was there," Petty said. "He was the cake, and when I won the 200th, that was the icing."
Petty turns 72 years old on Thursday, the same day NASCAR will reveal the 25 nominees for the Hall of Fame's inaugural class. He is being considered as a shoo-in for the Hall.
Forty-five teams are on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Coke Zero 400.
Nationwide Series
Subway Jalapeno 250 - Daytona International Speedway - Daytona Beach, FL
Beginning with Friday's race at Daytona, the Nationwide Series will use the double-file restart throughout each event. While the Sprint Cup Series has already adopted the rule change, NASCAR officials chose to gauge the double- start format before instituting it in Nationwide competition.
Under the previous format, cars on the lead lap would restart in a single-file line, while lapped cars would start in a line next to them. With the rule change, the first and second-place cars will line up side-by-side as the green flag is displayed for each restart.
"A big track like Daytona with plenty of room to sort things out is definitely a good place to implement this new format and get some of the kinks out," long-time Nationwide competitor Jason Keller said.
Daytona also marks the midpoint for the series this season, with Kyle Busch currently holding a 162-point lead over Carl Edwards.
Last Saturday, Busch made a late-race pass on Joey Logano for the lead and then held off his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate in the closing laps to win at New Hampshire. He became the 23rd different winner in as many Nationwide races at the 1.058-mile New England track.
Logano led 108 of 200 laps, which snapped Busch's streak of leading the most laps in a Nationwide race at eight. But Busch moved around Logano with 35 laps remaining and went on to record his fifth victory of the season.
One day later, Logano scored his first Cup win at New Hampshire.
Busch has finished second or better in three of the last four Nationwide races at Daytona. He won there two years ago.
Edwards' only victory at Daytona came in the Truck Series in 2004.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. leads all active drivers with five Nationwide wins at Daytona. His late-father won there seven times, the most of any driver. Earnhardt Jr. will compete in this year's race.
Forty-eight drivers are on the preliminary entry list for the Subway Jalapeno 250.
INDYCAR SERIES
Camping World GP at The Glen - Watkins Glen International - Watkins Glen, NY
Watkins Glen kicks off three consecutive street/road course events for the IndyCar Series, with Toronto and Edmonton, Canada slated in the coming weeks.
With eight races completed in the 17-race schedule, Scott Dixon continues his quest towards a second straight series title. Dixon tied Sam Hornish Jr.'s record for most IndyCar victories with 19 by winning last Saturday at Richmond.
Dixon's 19th victory came in his 104th start - two less than Hornish, who made a total of 116 starts before moving over to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008.
"Achievements like that are something you can look back at someday and treasure," Dixon said. "There will be many years, hopefully, in my career that I can try to build on that."
Dixon could make it No.20 at Watkins Glen, where he has won three of the first four races.
"I definitely would like one more so we can have that record outright," Dixon added.
One year ago, Ryan Hunter-Reay not only snapped Dixon's three-race winning streak at Watkins Glen, but also recorded his first career IndyCar victory.
Hunter-Reay, a former Champ Car standout, capitalized on a bizarre incident during a mid-race caution when Ryan Briscoe and Dixon bumped into each other and crashed. Briscoe and Dixon held the top-two positions for most of the 60-lap event. On the restart, Hunter-Reay passed Darren Manning for the lead and then ran in front for the remaining nine laps to capture his first win in his 16th start.
Dixon ended up finishing 11th, while Briscoe came in 12th.
Dario Franchitti won the most recent IndyCar street/road course race held in April at Long Beach, CA.
After finishing second at Richmond, Franchitti captured the lead in the championship standings with only a one-point advantage over Dixon.
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers extended qualifying offers to guard Jarrett Jack and forward Josh McRoberts on Tuesday, making them both restricted free agents come July 1. After three productive seasons in P
<< Devils acquire Walter from Islanders
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils acquired center Ben
Walter, and future considerations, from the New York Islanders in exchange for
the rights to center Tony Romano on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old Walter, who was select
<< Habs get Gomez from Blueshirts
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just one day before the start of free agency,
the Montreal Canadiens acquired forward Scott Gomez and two other players from
the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Christopher Higgins and three
defense
<< New Motherwell boss ready to make changes
Motherwell, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Gannon hopes to bring up to six new
players to Fir Park after being confirmed as Mark McGhee's successor as manager
of Motherwell.
The 40-year-old takes on the post just two months after being axed
<< Grafite extends Wolves contract
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg's Brazilian striker Grafite has
signed a new one-year contract extension with the Bundesliga champions.
The 30-year-old struck up a deadly partnership with Edin Dzeko last term and
new coac
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Boozer announced on Tuesday he will exercise his player option and remain with the Utah Jazz for the 2009-10 campaign. Boozer missed a majority of the 2008-09 season after undergoing arthros
Blackhawks give Bolland five-year deal >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed center Dave
Bolland to a five-year deal on Tuesday.
Bolland, Chicago's 32nd overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, appeared in
81 of the Blackhawks' 82 games last season,
Lions acquire WR Northcutt from Jags >>
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions acquired wide receiver
Dennis Northcutt from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for safety Gerald
Alexander on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old Northcutt, who spent the last two seasons
Bruins buy out Schaefer >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins announced Tuesday that they
have bought out the final year of forward Peter Schaefer's contract.
Schaefer, 31, did not see the ice in Boston last season, spending the entire
campaign in Pr
Diamondbacks activate Tracy >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks activated first
baseman Chad Tracy from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday.
Tracy sustained an oblique strain in a game against the Braves on May 29. The
veteran went 3-for-4
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards