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
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
Field 100-1
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To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Football Sports Lines: Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.
For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.