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Hendrick taking different approach to Chase this yearAutoracing Betting Lines09/07/2010 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Team owner Rick Hendrick arguably had his best season in NASCAR's premier series in 2009, with Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon finishing 1-2-3, respectively, in points. That same scenario won't be unfolding for Hendrick this year. Gordon qualified for the championship Chase last month at Bristol, and Johnson, who is seeking his record-extending fifth consecutive Sprint Cup Series title, locked down his playoff spot last Sunday at Atlanta. But Gordon and Johnson likely will be the only Hendrick drivers in this year's Chase field. Barring a miracle in Saturday's regular season-ending race at Richmond, Martin will miss the Chase, as he currently trails 12th-place Clint Bowyer by 147 points. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 219-point deficit has him missing the playoffs for the second straight year. With two drivers in and two out, would this be considered a down year for the mighty Hendrick organization? Not necessarily. "We're not happy with where we are as an organization, but we're working on it," Hendrick said. "Nobody is blaming anybody, and nobody is giving up." Ten drivers have now qualified for the Chase, which begins September 19 at New Hampshire. Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer will presumably secure the final two spots in the Chase. Regardless of any other driver's performance, Biffle will clinch with a 42nd-place finish or higher, and Bowyer will qualify with a 28th-place run or better. Heading into the Chase, not only will a fifth Cup championship for either Gordon or Johnson be a priority for Hendrick, but building momentum for all four teams will be among the top objectives as well. "My philosophy is when you've got some areas to work on, you work hard and you work together," he said. "I would rather miss the Chase and have momentum in the last 10 [races] than be in the Chase and grind to a nothing toward the end of the year. "Our plan is to build momentum and get better every week. Hopefully by the end of the year, we'll have all four teams going forward and not backing up." Hendrick had three of his drivers in the Chase each year from 2006-09. Johnson has made the Chase each season since the playoff format began in 2004. Johnson is currently seventh in points, but due to his five victories so far this year, he could start the Chase in the first seed. Denny Hamlin also has five wins for the season. Johnson's third-place run at Atlanta marked his first top-10 finish since August 1 at Pocono. "There's a lot of teams coming together right now, and I think the 12 drivers in the Chase, and the organizations represented in the Chase, are all pretty strong," Johnson said. "I still think we are trying to catch up a little bit. Some guys might be a little further ahead. We all have our complaints here and there. But I think you're going to have a really good Chase." Gordon presently holds the second spot in points, but Gordon has yet to win this season. Martin recently has been plagued with distractions, particularly his driving status with Hendrick for next year. The 51-year-old Martin will drive the No.5 Chevrolet for Hendrick in 2011 before Kasey Kahne takes over his seat the following year. "We'd certainly like to be in," Martin said. "We will make our very best effort, just as we have starting at Daytona in February. For me, and I think for our whole team, Staying focused on upping our game, improving our performance and working toward trying to get back in the form that we were in last year is our number one priority." Martin notched five wins in his first season with Hendrick in '09, but has yet to drive into victory lane this year. After finishing the '09 season a disappointing 25th in points, it looked like Earnhardt Jr. was on the rebound earlier this year. Earnhardt Jr. held a top-12 spot in points after Darlington in May, but NASCAR's most popular driver slowly has faded from there. Hendrick confirmed this past weekend that Lance McGrew will remain as Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief heading into next year. "I'm pretty happy with the chemistry there now," Hendrick noted. "We had some good momentum going, and then we kind of fumbled the ball a little bit here right before the Chase." When Gordon failed to make the Chase field in 2005, Hendrick made a crew chief change on Gordon's team at the start of the 10-race playoffs, with Steve Letarte replacing Robbie Loomis. Gordon and Letarte will be in the Chase for the fifth straight year. Hendrick will attempt to set a record for most all-time owner championships in the series with 10, but chasing history won't be the only thing on Hendrick's mind during this year's Chase, as he looks to revamp his once-dominant organization.
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New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets have requested waivers on forward Sean May less than a month after signing him. May had signed with New Jersey on August 9 and suffered a stress fracture in his left foot las
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Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos bolstered their defensive line on Tuesday by agreeing to terms with Keith Vickerson to a contract. Details were not released per team policy. The 6-foot-5, 321-pound defensive lineman
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NFL Football Office Pools : NFL Football ContestsNFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules Welcome to our free football office pool page. Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers. Football Pickem Pools: Your basic office pool format, where you pick the winner of each game, either against the spread or straight up. Spice up your pool by using confidence ranks, key picks, and other options. Pick 5 pools available. You can print NFL Football Office Pools here. Custom ranks available. Custom point spreads. Use Pro and/or College games, even D1AA games can be included. Many many other options. Football Survivor Pools: Also known as Knockout, Suicide, Eliminator, Survival and Loser pools. Pick one team each week. If they win you advance to the next round. If they lose, you're out. The catch: You can only pick a team once. Many options like Pick a Team Only [Once,Twice,Unlimited], [1,2,3,4,5] Strikes and You're Out, Double Picks, Bye Weeks, Alias Entries and more. Very easy to set up and manage.
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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds? Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh. Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs. Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com |
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