02/20/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Martin won the 2007 Daytona 500. Sure, he didn't get the trophy, the huge check or drenched by champagne in Victory Lane, but that doesn't change the fact that he won the race.
In typical NASCAR fashion, the rules were not applied consistently and this time it cost Martin the biggest prize of his career.
To set the scene we must turn back the clock to Sunday - lap 202 of the Daytona 500. Martin has held off the field and is just a short distance from his first Daytona 500 win in 23 attempts. Harvick is flying on the outside with help from Matt Kenseth and is close to catching Martin. Through turn three they go and Kyle Busch gets too low on the track, the rear wheels break loose and he slids up into Kenseth. All hell breaks loose behind the two leaders.
Had it been any other lap in the race, the caution flag would have come out immediately.
But NASCAR is gun-shy to throw the caution flag on the final lap of a race ever since Gordon was declared the winner over Dale Earnhardt Jr, at Talladega in the summer of 2004. The fans almost started a riot after the race, throwing bottles and cans at Gordon as he tried to take his victory lap.
So they let Martin and Harvick decide it on the track. They held the flag behind their back while Clint Bowyer was sliding upside down with flames leaping from the engine.
Harvick edged Martin by 0.020 seconds - about three feet.
"I have no idea what happened behind me," Martin said after the race. "From what my spotter said, I was ahead when they started wrecking."
About two hours after the race had ended, NASCAR changed the ruling saying: "When the No.07 car (Bowyer) went sideways - the No.29 (Harvick) was ahead of the No.01 (Martin) and was declared the winner."
Ten minutes later they reversed that statement by saying the race "ended under the green flag."
Still, Martin is a "gentlemen racer" and he didn't complain about the decision and what might have been. He said in the post-race press conference that he "thought NASCAR made the right decision." Martin is the kind of guy who wants to win the Daytona 500 fair and square. He didn't want to win the Daytona 500 by caution flag, he wanted to be the first driver to the checkered flag.
You may not respect NASCAR for its decision but you MUST respect the driver.
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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.
Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com
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