10/17/2008 - Martinsville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Persistent rain at the Martinsville Speedway Friday forced NASCAR to cancel qualifying for the Tums QuikPak 500.
The field for the Sprint Cup Series race has been set by owner points, giving Jimmie Johnson the pole position. Johnson, who holds a 69-point lead in the "Chase for Sprint Cup" standings, has won three of the last four races at Martinsville.
Jeff Burton, currently second in the standings, will start on the outside pole. Burton picked up his second victory of the season last week at the Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Two years ago, Burton held a 45-point lead after Lowe's, but dropped to sixth in the standings the following week at Martinsville when the Richard Childress Racing driver suffered engine failure, and ended up finishing 42nd.
Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards will make up row two, while RCR teammates Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick will start on the third row.
The remaining Chase contenders - Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin - will start seventh through 12th, respectively.
Scott Speed will make his first career Sprint Cup start, driving the No.84 Toyota for Red Bull Racing. Speed, a full-time competitor in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and part-time driver in the Craftsman Truck Series, will start 35th in his Cup debut.
Derrike Cope and Sterling Marlin did not make the field.
Rain also washed out Sprint Cup and Craftsman Truck Series practice at Martinsville. The Truck Series will qualify Saturday morning.
The weather for the remainder of the weekend in Martinsville looks much better with only a slight chance of showers forecasted for early Saturday and then mostly sunny for Sunday.
Sprint Cup final practice is scheduled for tomorrow. The green flag is scheduled to drop Sunday around 1:30 p.m. (et).
<< Chelsea limps into Middlesbrough contest
Middlesbrough, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari
is facing a tough trip to the Riverside Stadium on Saturday when his league-
leading side tangles with Middlesbrough.
Not because Chelsea was the first win for
<< Two Carolina OL doubtful for Sunday
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carolina Panthers right tackle Jeff Otah and
center Ryan Kalil are both doubtful for Sunday's game against the New Orleans
Saints.
Otah and Kalil were both held out of practice for the second straight day
<< Jones says Romo could play Sunday
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he
believes quarterback Tony Romo will be able to play Sunday against the St.
Louis Rams despite a broken right pinkie finger.
Romo has worked out on a limited
<< Aeros' Kolanos recalled by Wild
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Aeros center Krys Kolanos has been
called up to the American Hockey League club's NHL affiliate, Minnesota Wild
President and General Manager Doug Risebrough announced on Friday.
The 27-year-old
Texans activate CB Robinson from PUP list >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Texans activated cornerback Dunta
Robinson from the physically unable to perform list on Friday.
Robinson was rehabilitating a right knee injury that he sustained at a game in
Oakland on November
Blue Jackets' Peca gets five-game suspension >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus Blue Jackets forward Michael Peca
was suspended for five games by the NHL on Friday for a violation of Rule 41,
pertaining to physical abuse of officials.
The suspension was finalized after a
Rams G Incognito fined >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Richie
Incognito was fined $35,000 by the NFL for his actions in Sunday's win over
the Washington Redskins.
Incognito was fined $25,000 for repeated abuse of a game
Maroney, Kaczur doubtful for Pats >>
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots running back Laurence
Maroney and tackle Nick Kaczur are both doubtful for Monday's game against the
Denver Broncos.
Neither player participated in practice this week.
Maroney is s
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
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