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New Nationwide car running its first short-track raceAutoracing Betting Lines09/08/2010 - 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. 2009 winner: Carl Edwards. Television: ESPN 2. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio. Friday's Nationwide race at Richmond International Raceway will be the third of four races for the series' new car this year. It also will be the first event the car runs on a short track. The car made its debut on July 1 at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway and then ran again on August 14 at the two-mile Michigan International Speedway. The October 15 race at Charlotte, a 1.5-mile oval, will be last race for the car this season before it's introduced full-time in Nationwide next year. Brad Keselowski, the current points leader, won last month at Michigan in a Dodge Challenger. Keselowski also won this year's spring race at Richmond. "The real challenge for us going back to Richmond is making sure we run well with the new car," Keselowski said. "It obviously drives different. We won't be able to use the setup notes from the spring race. That's a little bit of a shame, because we were so good with the old car, but we've also been very strong and consistent in the new Dodge Challenger." Carl Edwards is the defending winner of this race. "It will be great to run the Nationwide [Ford] Mustang for the first time at a short track," Edwards said. "We get to test for a day, so we've got a really good test planned. We feel like we've got a good car built with all our latest updates." NASCAR is allowing teams to test the car at Richmond in a full-day of practice on Thursday. With nine races remaining, Keselowski holds a whopping 332-point lead over Edwards in the drivers' championship standings, but his No.22 Penske Racing Dodge team trails the No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team, with drivers Kyle Busch and Brad Coleman, by 83 points in the owners' title race. Once again, Busch will try to claim his Nationwide record 11th win this season. Busch finished second to Jamie McMurray in last Saturday's race at Atlanta. He has three Nationwide victories at Richmond. Sam Ard set the series record of 10 wins during the 1983 season, but Busch matched that record in 2008. Busch claimed his 10th win this season last month at Bristol. Forty-four teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Virginia 529 College Savings 250.
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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 Haml
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Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance. Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it? If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.) Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa). In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech. Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down. (Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28) If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you. Atlantic Coast Conference Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
Work left to do: Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's. Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win). Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT. For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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