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10/12/2011 - Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: IZOD IndyCar. Date: Sunday, October 16. Race: Las Vegas Indy 300. Site: Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Track: 1.5-mile oval. Start time: 3:45 p.m. (et). Laps: 200. Miles: 300. Television: ABC. Radio: IMS Radio Network/SIRIUS XM Satellite.
Eighteen points, two drivers and one race to go.
That's the point separation between leader Dario Franchitti and second-place Will Power heading into this weekend's IZOD IndyCar Series season-finale at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This will be the first time the series has competed at this 1.5-mile track since 2000.
Franchitti is attempting to win his third consecutive and fourth overall IndyCar championship. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver would become just the third person to win three titles in a row on the racing circuit, joining Sebastian Bourdais and Ted Horn. Franchitti would also join drivers such as A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears and Bourdais with at least four championships.
"I think with the three we've won right now, I've always felt we had the capability to do it, but having the capability to do it and actually getting it done are two different things," Franchitti said. "I'm very proud of the achievement -- the championships and the Indianapolis 500s [wins]. As far as right now, I'm really just focused on this weekend and trying to make it four.
"The whole organization, the Target team, is very much of a similar thing. All the stuff that was done in the past, that's fun and everything, but this is about trying to get the job done this weekend."
Last year, Power held a comfortable 59-point lead over Franchitti with four races to go. The last four were contested on 1.5-mile ovals. Power finished 16th (Chicago), eighth (Kentucky), third (Japan) and 25th (Homestead) in those races and lost the championship by five points.
"I think the biggest difference for me this year is just I'm a lot further along on ovals," Power said. "I feel as though every time I go into a weekend I have a chance of winning them. Obviously, we're coming from behind this time, but at the end of the day, I feel as though we've done everything as a team to prepare for this race. I think that we're in very good shape.
"Obviously, no one knows what the outcome is, but we know that we've put everything into it this year, and hopefully we can come away with a win."
Power held an 11-point lead over Franchitti heading into last week's penultimate race of the season at Kentucky. Power started on the pole and led the first 48 laps, but during the first round of pit stops, the Team Penske driver made contact with Ana Beatriz while entering his stall, causing damage to his car. He had to pit several times for repairs and ended up finishing 19th. Franchitti finished a very close second to Ed Carpenter, who claimed his first IndyCar win by a margin of just 0.0098 seconds.
There will be more than the series championship at stake in Sunday's 300-mile race at Las Vegas.
Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon has an opportunity to share a $5 million bonus with a lucky fan if he wins at Las Vegas. Wheldon, who has competed in just two races this season, is the only driver eligible for the "GoDaddy IndyCar Challenge" cash award. He will drive the No.77 car for Sam Schmidt Motorsports. He was also behind the wheel of that car at Kentucky, starting 28th and finishing 14th in the 29-car field.
Wheldon has a tough task ahead of him at Las Vegas. He will have to start from the rear of the expected 34-car field.
"When you look at the depth of the field, it's going to be incredibly tough," Wheldon said. "I think we all know what this team is capable of and what everybody that's been part of the team has helped do for tracks like Vegas. I feel we'll have a very fast race car."
Nine of Wheldon's 16 career IndyCar wins have come on 1.5-mile ovals.
Las Vegas will also mark the end of Danica Patrick's seven-year career in IndyCar. Patrick, the only female to win a race in the series (Japan, 2008), is moving over to NASCAR full-time in 2012, running a full schedule in Nationwide and a partial one in Sprint Cup.
"There will definitely be things and people that I miss about IndyCar," Patrick said. "I'm especially sure on frustrating weekends [in Sprint Cup and Nationwide competition], I'll think, 'When I came here in IndyCar, maybe it was much easier.' I'm excited about the change, and I'm not afraid of change."
Patrick is currently 10th in the point standings, with her season-best finish of fifth coming at Milwaukee.
<< Roethlisberger, Wilson, Janikowski earn AFC weekly awards
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger, Buffalo Bills safety George Wilson, and Oakland Raiders kicker
Sebastian Janikowski have been selected as the AFC's top players for Week 5 of
the NFL
<< So just how bad was it in Boston?
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maybe we should have seen this coming when Terry Francona
parted ways with the Boston Red Sox just days after the regular season and
didn't seem to mind one bit.
In fact instead of being relieved of duties, Francona just l
<< Stenhouse Jr., Sadler take points battle to Charlotte
Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Friday,
October 14. Race: Dollar General 300. Site: Charlotte Motor Speedway. Track:
1.5-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 200. Miles: 300. 2010 Winner:
Brad Keselowski.
<< Johnson aiming for another Chase win at Charlotte
Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Saturday,
October 15. Race: Bank of America 500. Site: Charlotte Motor Speedway. Track:
1.5-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 334. Miles: 501. 2010 Winner:
Jamie McMurra
Lithuania coach Zutautas quits >>
Vilnius, Lithuania (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lithuania coach Raimondas Zutautas
stepped down from his position on Wednesday after his team closed out a
disappointing Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with a 4-1 defeat to the Czech
Republi
Valencia's Maduro ruled out four months >>
Valencia, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Valencia defender Hedwiges Maduro is
expected to miss the next four months after tearing ligaments in his ankle
while away on international duty with the Netherlands.
Maduro was called up to t
Pujols awakens to make his mark on the postseason >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have got to where they
are -- tied 1-1 in the National League Championship Series heading into a
Game 3 matchup in St. Louis -- because of a collective effort. And although
many d
Winter Memories featured in Queen Elizabeth II >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winter Memories heads a field of eight three-
year-old fillies for Saturday's 28th edition of the Queen Elizabeth II
Challenge Cup at 1 1/8-miles on the turf at Keeneland. The $400,000 stakes has
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Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
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In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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 odds .
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