New car, Danica return to Nationwide in Michigan

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/11/2010 - Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Saturday, August 14. Race: CARFAX 250. Site: Michigan International Speedway. Track: two-mile oval. Start time: 2:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 125. Miles: 250. 2009 winner: Brad Keselowski. Television: ESPN. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.

Nationwide Series teams will run the new car for the second time this weekend at Michigan. The car made its debut last month at Daytona, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. taking the victory in the No.3 Wrangler Chevrolet, a car number and paint scheme made famous by his late-father, Dale Earnhardt. Richmond (September 12) and Charlotte (October 15) are the other tracks scheduled for this car before it's introduced full-time in 2011.

At Daytona, Ford showcased its popular Mustang, while Dodge introduced the Challenger, Chevrolet brought a new model of its Impala, and Toyota kept its standard version of the Camry.

NASCAR is allowing teams to test the car on the two-mile Michigan track in a full-day of practice on Thursday. Teams will practice again the following day for Saturday afternoon's 250-mile race.

Brad Keselowski, the current points leader, returns to his home track with hopes of defending his race title here and giving the new Challenger its first win.

"I think a lot of folks in this series that are competing with this new car are very lost," Keselowski said. "Even at Penske Racing with the resources that we have, it's kind of a free-for-all. So you've got to start somewhere. Fortunately, I have a good place to start with our success at Daytona having two strong cars that qualified on the front row. Hopefully, some of that will carry over."

Keselowski enters Michigan with a very comfortable 327-point lead over Carl Edwards, who the Nationwide race at Michigan in 2008.

After a month hiatus in the series, Danica Patrick returns at Michigan. Patrick last competed in the July 9 race at Chicagoland, where she finished a season-best 24th. The IndyCar star has run in five Nationwide races so far this year. After Michigan, she is scheduled to race at Dover, California, Charlotte, St. Louis, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.

"I'm thankful for the extended practice sessions NASCAR has given us in Michigan on Thursday," Patrick said. "It's going to be nice to get out there and run these new cars. We've been talking about the new cars so much this year, and now I'll get a chance to shake one down. JR Motorsports has put a lot of effort into its new car program, so I'm hoping we can get the most out of it in Michigan."

Forty-four teams are on the preliminary entry list for the CARFAX 250.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.