Hornaday grabs pole at Phoenix, Benson starts 14th

Autoracing Betting Lines

11/07/2008 - Avondale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Hornaday, Jr. edged Sprint Cup Series regular Kyle Busch to win the pole for Friday night's Lucas Oil 150 Craftsman Truck Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. The No.33 Chevrolet driver and defending series champion rounded the one-mile oval in 27.319 seconds (131.776 m.p.h.).

The pole victory was Hornaday's fifth of the season, second at Phoenix and 19th of his Truck Series career.

"Phoenix is a lot of fun, and it feels like home to me," said Hornaday, a native of Palmdale, California. "A lot of family and friends come out here. It's just cool. It feels like my old Southwest Touring (Series) days here the way that truck drove."

Hornaday is just six points behind leader Johnny Benson with two races to go, making it the narrowest margin in the series' 15-year history at this stage. Benson qualified 14th.

Busch, the defending race winner, will start second after recording a time of 27.419.

Erik Darnell (27.520) and Scott Speed (27.536) will make up row two.

Brian Scott will roll off fifth.

Sixth through 10th will be: J.R. Fitzpatrick, Brad Keselowski, Mike Skinner, Brendan Gaughan and Kevin Harvick.

Last year, Hornaday trailed Mike Skinner by 57 points heading into Phoenix, but came back in the final two races to capture his third series title.

Benson has finished seventh or better in his last five races at Phoenix, including a victory there two years ago, while Hornaday has finished no worse than 13th in 13 starts at Phoenix. He won there in 1998 and '99.

The green flag for tonight's race is scheduled to drop around 8:00 p.m. (et).

Wwweircom Autoracing Betting News

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.