09/07/2008 - Joliet, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2008 IndyCar Series season ended in dramatic fashion Sunday as Helio Castroneves nipped Scott Dixon to the finish line by inches to win the Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 at the Chicagoland Speedway. Castroneves finished 0.0033 of a second ahead of Dixon in the second closest finish in series history.
The victory was Castroneves' second of the season and the 14th of his career
"It is awesome," Castroneves said. "We tried everything would could to win. Thanks to my guys, they gave me a great car."
Castroneves led a race-high 79 laps and picked up three bonus points in the process, but Dixon ended up clinching the title by 17 points and a $1 million bonus in the process.
"Team Target (Chip Ganassi Racing) has done a fantastic job all year," Dixon said after capturing his second title. "This season has just been amazing.
Dixon won his first championship in 2003. He ended the 2008 season with a record-tying six victories, including one in the Indianapolis 500. A win at Chicagoland would have broken Dan Wheldon's 2005 record for most victories in a season.
Castroneves won the season-finale from the 28th starting position. His qualifying time was disallowed when he ran below the white line numerous times during his four-laps attempt. Castroneves, however, quickly made his way through the field and grabbed the lead for the first time on Lap 77.
Dixon fell back to 11th, while Castroneves held the lead during the mid-stages of the race. But Dixon managed to capture the lead in the late-going as he won the battle off of pit road. Castroneves came out second.
"We were trying to work out where we needed to be, and I think I got a little complacent in the middle there," Dixon said. "Some of those guys are so quick, some people we didn't expect to be racing with. We got shuffled back in line a little bit but what a great day."
Dixon led 15 laps before Castroneves caught him on the final lap.
Ryan Briscoe, Tony Kanaan and Will Power completed the top-five.
Sam Hornish, Jr. beat Al Unser, Jr. in the closest finish in series history -- 0.0024 of a second in 2002 at Chicagoland.
The IRL will run an exhibition race Sunday, October 26th, at the Streets of Surfers Paradise in Australia.
<< Lopez and M's down Yanks
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Lopez had a pair of solo homers while
Adrian Beltre went 2-for-3 with a two-run blast to extend his hitting streak
to 13 games, as the Seattle Mariners took the rubber match of a weekend set,
5-2, fr
<< Newhan, Astros rally past Rockies
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Newhan hit a go-ahead RBI triple in a
two-run eighth inning as the Houston Astros came back to edge the Colorado
Rockies, 7-5, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Coors Field.
Jose Cast
<< Cowboys' Barber leaves with injury
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber
III left Sunday's 28-10 win over the Cleveland Browns with an apparent injury
to his ribs.
He was sent to the locker room during the final quarter to have X-rays
<< Murray upends Nadal to reach U.S. Open final
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Andy Murray advanced to
his first ever Grand Slam final with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4 victory over
top-ranked Rafael Nadal on Sunday at the U.S. Open.
The match was suspended on Satu
Romo, Cowboys take down Browns >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Romo threw for 320 yards with a
touchdown and an interception on 24-of-32 passing to lead the Dallas Cowboys
to a 28-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in the season-opener for both
teams.
Pirates' McLouth leaves after being hit in face >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pirates center fielder Nate McLouth
left in the fourth inning of Pittsburgh's 11-6 loss to the San Francisco
Giants on Sunday after being struck in the face by a batted ball.
McLouth dove to
Warner and Cardinals slide past Niners >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurt Warner was an efficient 19-of-30 for
197 yards and a touchdown as the Arizona Cardinals edged the San Francisco
49ers, 23-13 in the season opener for both NFC West squads.
Edgerrin James carried
Giants rip hapless Pirates thanks to 10-run frame >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pablo Sandoval went 2-for-3 and drove
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inning, as the Giants came back to down the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-6 in the
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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.
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