08/23/2008 - Sonoma, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite having to use their backup cars after their primary ones were damaged in transporter fire earlier this week, Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe managed to capture the front starting row for Sunday's Grand Prix of Sonoma County at the Infineon Raceway. Castroneves won the pole after turning in a quick lap at the 1.99-mile, 11- turn road course in 1 minute, 16.9027 seconds (107.809 m.p.h.) during the third and final qualifying session.
It was Castroneves' third IndyCar Series pole of the season and the 26th of his career.
"I got to thank Team Penske," Castroneves said. "What a great rebound, showing they can put those issues behind and keep working as fast as they can. Attitude and speed, that is what makes the team what it is."
Briscoe secured the second starting position with a time of 1:16.9185 seconds
Castroneves' and Briscoe's primary cars sustained water, smoke and heat damage Wednesday morning when a Team Penske transporter caught fire while en route to Sonoma, CA.
Will Power (1:17.0875) and Tony Kanaan (1:17.1286) will start in row two.
Scott Dixon and Oriol Servia were the other drivers running in the final session. They will start fifth and sixth, respectively.
The 12 quickest drivers, the top-six from each of the first two qualifying groups, then competed for 15 minutes to eliminate six drivers for the final segment.
With three races remaining this season, Dixon could all but wrap up his second series title with a record-breaking seventh victory of the year at Sonoma. Earlier this month at Kentucky, Dixon tied the series record for most wins in a season, set by his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon in 2005.
Castroneves ran out of fuel on the last lap as Dixon passed him heading into the final turn at Kentucky. Dixon now holds a commanding 78-point lead over Castroneves, who has yet to win a race in 2008. He has finished in the runner- up spot seven times this year.
Dixon held off Castroneves in the final laps of last year's race to record his third-straight road-course victory and his fourth win of the season. He also grabbed the lead in the championship standings, leaving Sonoma with a four-point advantage over Dario Franchitti. Franchitti went on to defeat Dixon for the title in the season-finale at Chicagoland.
The green flag is scheduled to drop on Sunday around 5:30 p.m. (et).
<< Colonel John claims Travers in photo-finish
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Santa Anita Derby winner Colonel John
survived a stretch long duel with Mambo in Seattle to win Saturday's $1
million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, The "Mid-Summer Derby"
attract
<< Royals' Gordon goes to DL
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Royals third baseman Alex
Gordon was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a torn muscle in
his right leg.
Gordon left Thursday's 10-3 loss against the Cleveland Indians
<< Rangers recall pitcher McCarthy from minors
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers recalled pitcher Brandon
McCarthy from Triple-A Oklahoma in time to start Saturday's game against the
Cleveland Indians.
The 25-year old McCarthy will make his season debut as he spe
<< Streelman leads Barclays as Stricker collapses
Paramus, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Streelman carded a three-under 68
Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after 54 holes of The Barclays, the first
FedEx Cup Playoff event.
Streelman completed three rounds at eight-under-par 205.
Lee versus Kittleson in U.S. Amateur final >>
Pinehurst, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Lee and Drew Kittleson will meet in
Sunday's 36-hole U.S. Amateur Championship final after both advanced in
Saturday's semifinals.
Lee, 18, who can become the youngest U.S. Amateur champion
Coe two clear in Ontario >>
Mississauga, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Coe fired his second straight five-
under 65 Saturday to grab a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Jane
Rogers Championship of Mississauga.
Coe completed 54 holes at 13-under-par 197. Th
Lions take advantage of injury-depleted Browns >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Orlovsky hit on 13-of-20 passes for 167
yards, with a touchdown and an interception, while Jon Kitna was 9-of-11
passing for 98 yards to help lead the Detroit Lions in a rout of the injury-
laden C
Texans WR Williams to have surgery >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans wide receiver Harry Williams
will undergo surgery Sunday to repair a fractured vertebra sustained in
Friday's preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The procedure will be performe
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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