07/04/2008 - Daytona Beach, FL (Autoracing Betting) - Denny Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch in a green-white-checkered finish to win Friday night's Winn-Dixie 250 Nationwide Series race at the Daytona International Speedway. The driver of the No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 29 of 105 laps. He finished 0.133 seconds ahead of Busch.
The victory was Hamlin's third of the season and eighth of his Nationwide Series career.
Hamlin had fallen two seconds off the pace after his final pit stop, but rebounded when he made the pass on Edwards for the lead on lap 89.
Hamlin drove the same car that Tony Stewart won last week at New Hampshire. Stewart also drove the No.20 Toyota to victory in the series season-opener at Daytona in February.
But it wasn't an easy win for Hamlin as Colin Braun spun and smacked the wall with two laps to go, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. On the final restart, Hamlin quickly pulled ahead of the field, while Carl Edwards was bumped into the infield grass, but made his way back into the pack.
Edwards also had a near miss with pole sitter Bryan Clauson while trying to pass him just past the halfway point. Both drivers were running among the top-five at the time.
Clauson led the field to the green, but was quickly shuffled back in the field as Clint Bowyer moved his way to top spot. Bowyer ran in front for six laps before Dale Earnhardt, Jr. inherited the lead.
The first caution of the night came on lap 14 when Josh Wise spun. Earnhardt, Jr. opted for fuel only on his first stop. Brad Keselowski, Earnhardt, Jr.'s protege, took on two new tires and drove off pit lane just behind Earnhardt, Jr. On the restart, Earnhardt, Jr. ran second to Shane Huffman, who did not pit. But Earnhardt, Jr. got drafting help from Keselowski to pull ahead of Huffman. Three laps later, Edwards made the pass on Earnhardt, Jr. and ran out in front until the next round of stops during the second caution.
Keselowski used pit strategy to his advantage. He took two left-side tires only and was the fastest off of pit lane. Keselowski's strategy worked well for 28 laps when he led the way. Then the tires on his No.88 Chevrolet began to wear as he fell back in the field.
Hamlin, Busch and Earnhardt, Jr. easily passed Keselowski. Keselowski would fall back to seventh before making his final stop. Hamlin and Earnhardt, Jr. exchanged the lead before teams came in for their final round of stop during the green flag with less than 25 laps remaining.
Keselowski made his stop for four fresh tires with 23 laps to go. Hamlin relinquished the lead two laps later.
Edwards won the battle off of pit lane and put himself back in the lead after the round of stops, but Busch was looking to make the move around Edwards. Earnhardt, Jr. and Keselowski were also in pursuit of Edwards.
Busch, Edwards and Hamlin swapped the lead for the next several laps before Hamlin ran out in front for the final 15 laps.
Earnhardt, Jr., Bowyer and Keselowski completed the top-five.
Bowyer will take a 202-point lead over new second-place Keselowski to the next event scheduled for Friday night, July 11th at the Chicagoland Speedway.
<< Ozaki fires 63 for early lead in New York
Endicott, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Ozaki fired a nine-under 63 Friday to grab
a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the Dick's Sporting Goods Open.
Ozaki, who is winless on the Champions Tour, missed the course record at En-
Joie G
<< Galatasaray claims to have signed Kewell
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Galatasaray claims it has won the race to
sign injury-plagued forward Harry Kewell following the end of his contract with
Liverpool.
The 29-year-old Australia international was not offered fresh terms a
<< Hamburg coach expects Van der Vaart to stay
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamburg coach Martin Jol believes Rafael
van der Vaart will remain at the AOL Arena for the upcoming season.
The 25-year-old Netherlands international has been linked with a string of top
clubs across
<< West Ham signs Icelandic teen defender
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley has
made Icelandic teenager Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson his first capture of the summer.
The 17-year-old defender moves to Upton Park on a long term contract from HK
Ko
Grant: Scolari faces impossible job at Chelsea >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Chelsea boss Avram Grant has warned
successor Luiz Felipe Scolari that he is embarking on an impossible job at
Stamford Bridge.
Scolari was confirmed as the replacement for the sacked Grant
Villa coach O'Neill won't budge on Barry >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin O'Neill again warned Liverpool
that Gareth Barry will not be leaving Aston Villa unless they match the value
of the wantaway midfielder.
The Villa boss has now rejected three bids from t
Atletico Madrid signs French striker Pongolle >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atletico Madrid has signed former Recreativo
striker Florent Sinama Pongolle, a French striker.
Pongolle, 23, had more than 20 goals in two seasons for Recreativo. He played
at Liverpool from 2003-06. No
Reds complete signing of Swiss fullback Degen >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool has completed the signing of
Switzerland fullback Philipp Degen on a free transfer.
Degen, 25, had agreed to join the Reds from Borussia Dortmund prior to the
start of the recently comp
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
Sports Betting News: Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting