Biffle, Bowyer looking to clinch last two Chase spots at Richmond
Autoracing Betting Lines
09/08/2010 - Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Saturday, September 11. Race: Air Guard 400. Site: Richmond International Raceway. Track:0.75-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 400. Miles: 300. 2009 winner: Denny Hamlin. Television: ABC. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) /SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.
Heading into Saturday's regular season-ending race at Richmond International Raceway, 10 drivers have already secured a spot in the 12-man field for the championship Chase.
The last two Chase berths technically remain up for grabs, but Greg Biffle is almost assured he will make the playoffs. Biffle, currently 11th in points, is 161 points ahead of 13th-place Ryan Newman and needs only a 42nd-place finish or better, regardless of where Newman finishes, to lock down his position.
"We basically just have to start the race in Richmond to lock in our Chase spot, but I won't breathe easy until we finish that race," Biffle said.
Clint Bowyer, presently 12th in the standings, holds a comfortable 117-point advantage over Newman, but anything can happen, especially on the three- quarter-mile Richmond track.
"I need to make sure I don't screw up, first and foremost," Bowyer said. "In the end, you need to make sure you don't beat yourself. I've been in this situation before. Even though there is a lot of pressure, we need to go out there and do what we've been doing all year long."
If Bowyer finishes 28th or better, he will qualify for the Chase. Bowyer has performed well at Richmond during his Cup career, finishing no worse than 18th in nine races here.
"Richmond is definitely the place I feel the most comfortable laying it out on the line," Bowyer added. "It's one of my favorite race tracks where I've won at in the past, so it gives us an extra boost of confidence."
Bowyer's second and most recent Cup victory came in May 2008 at Richmond.
Three drivers -- Newman, Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin -- are outside the top-12 and have a very slim chance of making the Chase. Anyone within 161 points of 12th place mathematically remains in contention with one race to go before the Chase begins.
"Mathematically, we have a chance, and for an engineering guy, I guess that means something," Newman said. "But I can only try my hardest, and I did that [last Sunday at Atlanta]. We can't expect to make it all up in one shot."
Despite winning the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 earlier this season, McMurray sits 128 points behind Bowyer in 14th place.
Martin is 147 points out in 15th. Martin, in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports last year, recorded five wins and finished second to champion and teammate Jimmie Johnson in points. The 51-year-old has yet to post a victory in 2010.
"These next 11 races are going to put me in a different position, and that might be interesting to me, because I can race each race with not so much to lose and everything to gain," Martin said.
When the 12-driver field for the Chase is determined, all qualifiers will have their point totals reset to 5,000. Each driver will then have 10 bonus points added for every race he won during the regular season.
Johnson, the four-time defending series champion, and Denny Hamlin have the most wins so far this season with five each. Kevin Harvick, the current points leader, and Kyle Busch are next in line with three victories apiece.
Hamlin won last year's fall race at Richmond. Hamlin, from nearby Chesterfield, VA, led 299 of 400 laps and held off Kurt Busch after a late- race restart to win a Cup race at his home track for the first time.
"I love coming back here, and I love the race track and seeing friends and family," Hamlin said. "I don't think that will ever wear off. Winning here was something I'll never forget, but I enjoy just being at that track."
Forty-eight teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Air Guard 400.
Mattias Ekstrom will drive the No.83 Red Bull Racing Toyota in place of Reed Sorenson. The Swedish driver made his NASCAR debut with Red Bull in June at Sonoma, CA, where he finished 21st. Ekstrom, Reed Sorenson and Casey Mears have been sharing driving duties in the No.83 car since Brian Vickers had to curtail his season in May due to treatment for blood clots.
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former runner-up Novak Djokovic was an easy quarterfinal winner Wednesday at the U.S. Open. The third-seeded Djokovic handled 17th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 6-2 at the USTA Billi
<< Yanks' Posada hurt, may have concussion
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada did
not play in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over Baltimore, and may have a concussion
after a foul ball struck him during Tuesday's game.
"He got a foul tip, somewhat,
<< This Week in Auto Racing September 10 - 12
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sprint Cup Series' "Chase cut-off race" at
Richmond International Raceway headlines this week in motorsports. The
Nationwide Series also will be at Richmond, and Formula One concludes its
"European schedule"
<< Jyles to replace injured Bombers QB Pierce
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Jyles will replace injured Winnipeg
quarterback Buck Pierce for the foreseeable future, and possibly the remainder
of the season.
Pierce dislocated his right elbow during Sunday's 27-23 loss at Sas
<< Eskimos sign WR Mitchell among numerous roster moves
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Eskimos on Wednesday added a
former NFL wide receiver to their roster by signing Marko Mitchell.
A seventh round pick of the Redskins in the 2009 NFL draft. The 6-foot-3, 218-
pounder record
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Friday, September 10. Race: Virginia 529 College Savings 250. Site: Richmond International Raceway. Track: 0.75-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 250. Miles: 187.5. 200
City's Balotelli faces six-week injury absence >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City announced on Wednesday
that new signing Mario Balotelli will undergo knee surgery that could keep him
out for up to six weeks.
Balotelli moved to City from Inter Milan in August, but
Kosier, Colombo held out of Wednesday's practice >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys could be without two key
members of their offensive line for the season-opener, as left guard Kyle
Kosier and right tackle Marc Colombo both missed practice Wednesday.
Colombo was
Houllier takes charge at Villa >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa confirmed on Wednesday that
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Shanahan says DT Haynesworth will be with Redskins come Sunday >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington coach Mike Shanahan wouldn't address
rumors surrounding a possible trade of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and
said the veteran will be with the Redskins for Sunday's season opener against
Dallas.
Football Betting Sportsbook Accepts Credit Cards
Michael Vick is back, Brett Favre isn't and the NFC East remains the best division in the NFC, maybe in all of football.
As players start to gather for the start of another season, some things change and some stay the same in the world of the NFL.
The NFC East has been the dominant division in the National Conference for a while, despite limited playoff success, save for the New York Giants surprise Super Bowl win two seasons ago.
Hell, there's a generation of kids in Texas who have never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game (last win was in 1996).
But collectively, the Giants, Eagles, Cowboys and Redskins (well, maybe not so much the Redskins) are as good as a division gets in an NFC conference that has struggled to stay competitive with the AFC side.
Sports bettors have both acknowledged the NFC East's dominance, as one glance at the NFL future odds menu will show.
Looking over the NFL betting odds at online sports book MySportsbook.com we see the top three teams listed to win the NFC Championship are all from the NFC East:
Dallas Cowboys - 7 - 1
Philadelphia Eagles - 13 - 2
New York Giants - 9 - 2
Slotting in behind these three are two teams from the NFC North: the Minnesota Vikings (15-2) and the Chicago Bears (10-1).
Again, despite the lack of recent playoff success, the Dallas Cowboys are popular with the sports betting community, as they hold 14% of all the money wagered on who will win the NFC Championship.
So far, the New York Giants are the bettors' favorite to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, as they have 24% of the overall NFC Championship betting volume.
And what about the Philadelphia Eagles? For the most part, the Eagles had a very productive offseason, the kind that could bring them back to the top.
They had a good draft adding the likes of WR Jeremy Maclin and RB LeSean McCoy.
Unfortunately, the team received a blow when long-time defensive coordinator Jim Johnson passed away on Tuesday.
But this team will make a real run at the division title this year. Going into the regular season, Philly is listed at +240 to win the division.
Last season the Eagles were 9-6-1 SU and 10-6 ATS.
Teams from the NFC East will play teams from the AFC West in the regular season and the Eagles haven't really been a good bet in the last 20 games against the likes of San Diego, Oakland, K.C. and Denver, only going 8-12 ATS.
Two seasons removed from that Super Bowl title, the New York Giants see themselves listed as the odds-on favorite in NFC East championship futures at +162.
Plaxico Burress is gone and with him all the bad publicity surrounding the gun in the sweatpants incident, but can they replace him in the offense?
Last season the Giants were a very reliable bet going 12-4 ATS.
In the Giants' last 20 games against fellow teams from the NFC East; they are 13-7 ATS.
Dallas is listed at +240 to win the division.
Dallas went 9-7 SU and 7-9 ATS last season and with the amount of talent the Cowboys have, a similar performance won't do.
The Cowboys have been atrocious against divisional rivals, going 6-14 ATS in their last 20.
The Washington Redskins are longshots to win the division at +550.
Visit MySportsbook.com for free sportsbook odds RSS feeds go to MySportsbook.com for all your betting football needs.
FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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