NASCAR tweaks format for all-star race

Autoracing Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR is making a slight adjustment to its annual Sprint All-Star Race by adding a mandatory four-tire pit stop for all teams prior to the start of the final 10-lap segment.

NASCAR officials made the announcement Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the all-star event will be held on May 22.

Starting this year, all drivers must pit for four tires once the field completes one lap behind the pace car prior to the start of the fourth segment. The order in which the cars exit pit road is how they will line up for the 10-lap shootout with only green-flag laps counting.

"We saw last year just how competitive this format can be, with Tony Stewart battling Matt Kenseth for the win on the final couple of laps," NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said. "With the addition of the four- tire pit stop, there is going to be even greater competition between the pit crews on who can get their driver serviced and out the quickest. I think the fans are in for quite a show."

Last year, the all-star race featured a 10-lap shootout as its final segment for the first time since 2001. Stewart passed Kenseth with two laps remaining to win the event for the first time in his 11th appearance.

The remainder of the format for this year's race will remain the same.

The opening segment will be 50 laps with a mandatory green-flag pit stop on lap 25, at which time teams must pit and take on four tires. The caution flag will be displayed for an additional pit stop following the end of the first segment.

Segment two is 20 laps with the caution flag displayed at the end of the second portion for an additional pit stop.

After running 20 laps in segment three, teams will have a 10-minute break when they may make normal adjustments to their cars. The finishing order after the third segment determines the field's lineup for the pace lap prior to the start fourth segment.

The eligibility standards also will remain the same. Race winners from either the 2009 or 2010 season through May 16, or any past champions of the all-star event or Cup Series (over the previous 10 years) are eligible for the race.

The top-two finishers in the Sprint Showdown, a 40-lap preliminary race, and the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote all advance into the all-star race lineup. Joey Logano won the fan vote last year.

Supercazino Autoracing Betting News

<< Portland fires VP Penn
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers announced on Wednesday that Vice President of Basketball Operations Tom Penn has been relieved of his duties. "We felt it was in the organization's best interest to

<< Report: Rangers manager Washington tested positive for cocaine
Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington reportedly tested positive for cocaine during the 2009 season. According to a report from SI.com, Washington failed the test last July, but has passed all his t

<< Eagles cut ties with OL Andrews
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles released offensive lineman Shawn Andrews on Wednesday. "We appreciate the efforts and contributions of Shawn while he was in Philadelphia," said head coach Andy

<< Harvick looking for another win at Bristol
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Saturday, March 20. Race: Scotts Turf Builder 300. Site: Bristol Motor Speedway. Track: .533-mile oval. Start time: 2:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 300. Miles: 159.9. 2009 winner: Kevin Harv

<< NASCAR's March Madness begins with Bristol
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Sunday, March 21. Race: Food City 500. Site: Bristol Motor Speedway. Track: .533-mile oval. Start time: 1:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 500. Miles: 266.5. 2009 winner: Kyle Busch. Television

Seton Hall fires hoops coach Gonzalez >>
South Orange, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seton Hall has fired head men's basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez. Gonzalez was in his fourth season with the team, which ended its season Tuesday with an 87-69 loss to Texas Tech in the f

Canucks winger Samuelsson to miss up to 3 weeks >>
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -Canucks winger Mikael Samuelsson will be out up to three weeks with an undisclosed upper body injury during Tuesday night's 5-2 loss to the Islanders.Samuelsson left during the third period of a contest that also sa

Bears release Vasher >>
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) -The Chicago Bears have released former Pro Bowl defensive back Nathan Vasher.Vasher, selected in the fourth round of the 2004 draft out of Texas, played six seasons with Chicago and made 19 interceptions, including eight in 2

DE Edwards reaches 4-year deal with Bills >>
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -Free agent defensive end Dwan Edwards has signed a four-year contract with the Buffalo Bills.The team announced the deal Wednesday.A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press early Wednesday morning tha

Bears release CB Vasher >>
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears released long-time cornerback Nathan Vasher on Wednesday. Vasher, who was a fourth-round pick by the Bears in 2004, has spent the last six seasons in Chicago. He signed a cont

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .