Busch denies Logano second straight Nationwide win at Chicago

Autoracing Betting Lines

07/09/2010 - Joliet, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch had the dominant car, but needed a little bit of luck at the end to win Friday's Dollar General 300 Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.

Despite leading a race-high 110 laps, Busch had to overcome a penalty for speeding on pit road early in the 300-mile race. Busch ran eighth after his penalty, but reclaimed the lead shortly after a restart on lap 81.

Joey Logano passed his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and took the lead for the first time just after a restart with 53 laps remaining.

Trevor Bayne's late-race accident in the closing laps setup a green-white- checkered finish. Busch held the third spot for the restart, but quickly grabbed second when points leader Brad Keselowski ran out of fuel. Busch then chased down Logano and made the winning pass with less than two laps to go.

"I knew I couldn't spin my tires, and I knew I couldn't let him force me too high, because it was real dirty, and that's how I lost the lead to Joey earlier the first time," Busch said.

Just after Busch took the white flag for the final lap, a six-car wreck occurred on the frontstretch, with Busch winning the race under caution.

"We didn't have the track position when it mattered, and the car got really tight on us," Busch said. "[The team] never gave up. They knew I had it in me. I didn't think I had it in me."

Busch captured his seventh victory of the season and the 37th of his Nationwide career, which moved him into sole possession of second on the series' all-time race winners list. He surpassed Kevin Harvick, who started on the pole and finished seventh in this race.

"To win as many as we've won and be successful as JGR has been, it's fun every week," he said. "It's always cool to come out here and put on a good show."

Busch also won at Chicagoland in 2008. He joins Harvick as the only repeat race winners here.

Logano won last year's race at Chicagoland, but came up short on his bid for a second consecutive victory at the one-and-a-half-mile track.

"Kyle did a good job," Logano said. "He did what he was supposed to do. He drove me into the turn and got me loose. They beat me. I'm embarrassed more than anything else."

Rookie Brian Scott finished a career-best third, with David Reutimann and Jason Leffler rounding out the top-five.

While Keselowski wound up 21st, Carl Edwards finished sixth and trimmed 50 points from Keselowski's lead. Keselowski now holds a 227-point advantage over Edwards.

Danica Patrick, making her fifth Nationwide start, finished two laps behind in 24th.

"I definitely learned a lot," Patrick said. "It was really nice to run a clean race with no accidents."

Patrick has competed in five IndyCar races at Chicagoland, but this was her first in a stock car event here.

Victoriasvegas Autoracing Betting News

<< Braun delivers in extras to end Brewers skid
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun lined an opposite-field single over Ryan Church's head in right field to score Rickie Weeks with the game- winning run in the 10th inning, as the Brewers earned a 5-4 comeback win over the Pir

<< Bosh arrives in Miami via sign-and-trade
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Bosh officially joined the Miami Heat Friday night via sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors acquired two first-round draft picks and a trade exception from the Heat to facilitate th

<< Report: Knicks agree with PG Felton
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks have reportedly come to terms on a multi-year contract with point guard Raymond Felton. According to the New York Daily News, the three-year deal could be worth $25 million for the fiv

<< Stockton takes lead at Dakota Dunes
Saskatoon, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brady Stockton shot an eight-under 64 to take the midway lead Friday at the Canadian Tour's Dakota Dunes Casino Open. Stockton, a 30-year-old from Arizona, completed two rounds on the Dakota Dunes course wit

<< Buehrle, Pierzynski carry White Sox over Royals
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Buehrle spun seven scoreless frames and A.J. Pierzynski hit two home runs and drove in a season-high four runs to power the White Sox to an 8-2 victory over Kansas City in the opener of a three-g

Argos edge Blue Bombers >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleo Lemon threw for 162 yards and ran for a touchdown as he helped lead the Toronto Argonauts to a thrilling 36-34 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Canad Inns Stadium. Also putting together a str

Orioles C Wieters leaves after injury >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters left Friday's game against the Texas Rangers after stumbling while running the bases. Wieters was seen limping to third on a Scott Moore double and was forced o

Marlins edge Diamondbacks behind Nolasco, Uggla >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Nolasco pitched seven strong innings to win his fourth straight start, and Florida edged Arizona, 3-2, in the second portion of a four-game series. Nolasco (9-6) allowed six hits and two runs, w

Stewart's slam completes another winning rally for Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Stewart knocked in a career-high six runs and his grand slam was the big blow in a five-run seventh inning as Colorado rallied to down San Diego, 10-8, in the opener of a three-game set at Coors Field.

Yanks don't get their ace, but still record seventh straight win >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Yankees failed to acquire Cliff Lee from the Mariners on Friday, but New York still topped Seattle, 6-1, behind Phil Hughes' seven effective innings on the mound. The reigning World Series champions

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.