This Week in Auto Racing July 20 - July 22
Autoracing Betting Lines
07/17/2007 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Nextel Cup racing getting a rare
weekend off, it gives open-wheel racing a chance to shine. The best race of
the weekend should be at the Nurburgring where Ferrari and McLaren will fight
it out for F1 supremacy.
NASCAR
Busch
Gateway 250 - Gateway International Raceway - Madison, IL
Though Carl Edwards lost 82 points off his Busch Series lead, it is hardly
time to panic. The No.60 Roush Racing Ford driver still holds an absurd 716-
point lead over Kevin Harvick in the standings and is threatening to break
Harvick's all-time winning margin (824 points) which he set just last year.
Edwards had a rare stumble on his way to the 2007 Busch Series title last week
in Chicagoland. He was fighting among the leaders for most of the race until a
late race penalty left him outside the top-20.
But the 2006 Busch Series runner-up will likely rebound at the Gateway
International Raceway where he will be the defending race champion.
In that race Denny Hamlin had the dominant car for most of the evening,
leading a race-high 169 laps, but Edwards led the final nine en route to a
5.658-second victory.
On lap 154 Clint Bowyer joined Hamlin and Edwards to create a three-way race
for first. The top-three drivers opened up a seven-second lead over the rest
of the field. Then Hamlin pulled away from Edwards when Edwards made a mental
mistake by missing the entry to pit lane. Bowyer took over second as Edwards
finally made his pit stop on lap 178. Seven laps later Bowyer made his last
pit stop of the night.
While Hamlin stayed on the track, Edwards, on fresh tires, was able to make up
for his error. On lap 187 Hamlin finally came in for his last stop and he
chose to take fuel only to keep his lead. When he returned to the track the
margin was 2.196 second over Edwards. The No.60 Ford quickly caught up to
Hamlin and with just nine laps to go Edwards passed Hamlin on the outside for
the lead. Edwards pulled away from Hamlin as the laps dwindled down and after
200 laps of racing Edwards cruised past the finish line victorious.
Over the first 20 events of 2007, Edwards has fashioned his 716-point lead
from four wins, 12 top-5s and 15 top-10s.
On the other hand, had Harvick raced the complete schedule the numbers say he
would be leading. Harvick has made 15 start and won three times. His 13
top-10s, despite five fewer starts, is second only to Edwards. Edwards is
averaging 153.7 points per race, while Harvick is slightly better earning
157.2 points per race.
But Harvick made the decision before the season that he couldn't race full-
time in the Busch Series. He has stuck to his decision and the result is that
Edwards will cruise to his first Busch Series championship.
INDYCARS
The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, OH
For the second time in three weeks the IndyCar Series will take the show to a
street course.
That's good news for Scott Dixon, No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing, who so far
this year has a win (Watkins Glen) and a second place (St. Petersburg) in two
road course starts. It's not a fluke either. In 2006 Dixon earned a first,
second and fourth in the three road course events.
Dixon seeks to improve on last year's fourth-place overall finish. In 2006 he
collected two wins and nine top-fives. He already has those numbers in 2007
with still six races left on the schedule and is working on a two-race win
streak.
"To come back and repeat at both (Watkins Glen and Nashville) is fantastic,"
said Dixon. "To be honest, things seem to come a little easier for me. I think
it is a confidence level. Coming into these two races that were back to back,
we've proven ourselves (at Nashville) last year, so you do come into a race
weekend with more confidence. That's really all I can put it down to.
The New Zealand native is one of six drivers who has raced on the Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course.
The IndyCar driver with the most success on the 2.258-mile circuit is Helio
Castroneves. In four CART starts between 1998-2001 the Brazilian collected
three top-10s including back-to-back wins in 2000 and 2001.
Series points leader Dario Franchitti has made the most starts at Mid-Ohio,
but has little success to show for it. In six starts, Franchitti has just one
top-10 (third in 1999) and finished 16th or lower four times.
But this is a different Franchitti than we have seen before. In posting 11
top-10s in 11 starts, the Edinburgh, Scotland driver has learned how to
compete even when he doesn't have the best race car and is looking at the big
picture.
"The position that Scott and I are in, obviously being up at the front in the
fight for the championship maybe changes it (the thought process)," said
Dixon. "Take Marco (Andretti), for instance, who I believe can win week in,
week out, has the pace and the talent to do that, and the car to do that.
Right now he's just looking to win races. So there's a situation right now,
earlier on I backed off rather than trying and make the big outside pass.
Marco would have kept his foot on it or certainly Dan (Wheldon) did, because
Dan is not really in the fight for the championship right now."
Franchitti has collect four consecutive podium finishes to carve out a 34-
point lead over Dixon (434-400) and 97 over teammate Dan Wheldon.
Sam Hornish Jr., not known for his road-course prowess, finished a solid
second two weeks ago at Watkins Glen and is expecting good things in IndyCars'
first visit to Mid-Ohio.
"I'm looking forward to heading to Mid-Ohio as I think we've got a great
opportunity ahead of us after that second-place finish at Watkins Glen," said
Hornish Jr., who used to come the 90 miles from his home in Defiance, OH to
watch the CART races with his dad.
"I was too little to see over everyone else, so I sat on the top of the fence
pole all day long watching the cars go by and thinking how cool that would be
to someday drive there," said Hornish Jr.
How cool would it be if he actually won the race?
CHAMP CARS
Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton - JAGflo Speedway - Edmonton, Canada
As the series heads to Edmonton for the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton the
championship has become a three-man race. Rookie Robert Doornbos leads the way
with 164 points and the former Minardi F1 driver has looked solid all season
long.
Doornbos has one win (Mont Tremblant), six top-six finishes and only once
(Long Beach) has he finished outside the top-10.
Behind Doornbos is Will Power (162) and three-time Champ Car Series champion
Sebastien Bourdais (161). Power won the last time the series was on the track
two weeks ago in Toronto when he was able to navigate the slippery streets of
the Toronto course better than anyone else.
"I'm very happy for the team," said Power. "This is exactly what we needed
points-wise, and also for Sebastien not to finish, that really helps us in the
championship."
Behind the top-three drivers is Justin Wilson (138), who is attempting to
bridge the gap and join the chase. Over the last four weeks he has cut the
margin from 36 points to just 23.
In last year's race on the 1.973-mile road course it was Wilson who outlasted
Bourdais for the victory. Wilson had a big lead when a caution flag let
Bourdais get right onto his rear bumper.
The race would get back underway with 16 laps to go and the two clearly best
cars took off down the track, but Nelson Philippe slammed a tire barrier in
turn seven and brought out another caution flag. That would leave Bourdais
just 13 laps to make a move past Wilson.
Again Wilson and Bourdais quickly put more than one second between themselves
and third-place A.J. Allmendinger.
Despite being on harder tires and having less "push-to-pass" Wilson was
doggedly hanging on to the top spot and in fact with eight laps to go the
margin had ballooned to 2.5 seconds. Bourdais could do nothing with Wilson and
he went on to win the race without serious challenge.
If Wilson can repeat that performance, he could turn the championship race
into a foursome.
FORMULA ONE
Grand Prix of Europe - Nurburgring - Nurburging, Germany
While Ferrari drivers have won five of the nine Formula One races in 2007 they
still find themselves trailing McLaren in every other category.
McLaren's fabulous rookie Lewis Hamilton is the series points leader having
won twice (Canada, United States) and been on the podium in all nine races.
Hamilton's teammate, two-time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso, is second
overall with two wins and six podiums. As a team, McLaren owns a 25-point lead
over Ferrari in the manufacturer's championship (128-103).
Yet there is still reason for optimism at Ferrari. While the Ferrari lacked
the speed in the two North American races, when the series returned to Europe
their speed miraculously returned.
At Magny-Cours it was all Ferrari as Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa swept to
a one-two finish. The series next went to Silverstone and again Raikkonen led
the way, looking for all the world like the driver that Ferrari had wanted to
see all season.
Raikkonen's two-race win steak coincides with a cutting remark from Ferrari
president Luca di Montezemolo
"We are waiting for the real Raikkonen, the one that everyone fears," said
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo just before the French Grand Prix.
Apparently the words were taken to heart as Raikkonen has awaken to become the
man Ferrari expected and the team is right back in the title chase.
"It was great to win two races in a row, the team and I needed that," the Finn
said on Ferrari's official website. "It's time to succeed. The second part of
the championship has begun and you can see how the performance pendulum is
easily swinging from one side to the other."
Now it's the Grand Prix of Europe at the famed Nurburgring. In 2006, Michael
Schumacher took it to Alonso (driving for Renault) for the victory. Massa
finished third and Raikkonen fourth.
It should be quite a show this Sunday and if Ferrari continues to improve over
the second half of the season the championship could be one of the best shows
in years.
<< Cullen returns to Carolina
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have re-acquired center
Matt Cullen in a trade with the Rangers, sending defenseman Andrew Hutchinson,
forward Joe Barnes and a third-round pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft to New
York.
<< Pistons sign Samb
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons signed center Cheick
Samb on Tuesday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Samb, 22, was the 51st pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2006 draft and
his right were then tr
<< Pirates resume set with Colorado
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates will be seeing a familiar face on
the opposing mound when they play the second of three consecutive games with
the Colorado Rockies tonight at PNC Park.
Josh Fogg was a mainstay in the Pitts
<< Mojo for Jo-Jo? Rookie leads Braves vs. Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After being dealt a lopsided loss to the Cincinnati Reds on
Monday, the Atlanta Braves will turn to an unproven rookie in hopes of evening
the three-game series between the teams tonight at Turner Field.
Jo-Jo Reyes make
<< Red Sox try to string back-to-back wins together against KC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield goes for a sixth win in seven
decisions tonight when the Boston Red Sox host the Kansas City Royals in game
two of a three-game series at Fenway Park.
The 41-year-old right-hander, a native of M
Binghamton to host 2008 AHL All-Star Classic >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American Hockey League has selected the
city of Binghamton as the host for the 2008 All-Star Game.
The festivities are scheduled to take place Sunday, January 27 and Monday,
January 28 at the Broome
RSL acquires U.S. midfielder from Colorado >>
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake acquired U.S. National
Team midfielder Kyle Beckerman from Colorado on Monday for midfielder Mehdi
Ballouchy as the struggling teams completed their second trade in four days.
Becker
Report: Wade could miss start of 2007-08 campaign >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Heat All-Star guard Dwyane Wade's recovery
from surgery may force him to miss the start of the upcoming season.
According to the Miami Herald, the Marquette product expects to miss training
camp and at le
Nadal, Ferrer cruise in Mercedes Cup openers >>
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spaniards Rafael Nadal and defending
champion David Ferrer were among the first-round winners Tuesday at the
Mercedes Cup.
The top-seeded Nadal rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Germany's
Niners sign first-round pick Staley >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers have signed
offensive tackle Joe Staley, the second of their two first-round picks from
the 2007 NFL Draft.
The 49ers traded up to grab Staley with the 28th overall pick,
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
read more
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