NASCAR confiscates parts from Johnson's Daytona 500 car
Autoracing Betting Lines
02/17/2012 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmie Johnson's Daytona 500 car failed opening day inspection on Friday at Daytona International Speedway after NASCAR officials discovered a template (body) violation on his car.
Officials found the "C-posts" -- the panel that connects the rear of the car's roof to the top of the rear quarter panel or deck lid area -- to be illegal and therefore confiscated the parts for further investigation at NASCAR's Research and Development Center in Concord, NC.
"The 48 car had a body modification on it that was outside of what our tolerances are or what the original surface definitions for the body were," Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said. "What you would normally see is exactly what the original surface of the car should be.
"There were some obvious modifications that the template inspectors picked up on, and we did some additional inspections with some gauges and stuff and found that they were just too far out of tolerance to fix, so they were removed from the car. I think the team is working now on getting the correct pieces flown down here [from North Carolina], so they can get them all welded back in."
Johnson's team must fix the issue on the car and remit it for inspection before they can participate in the first practice for the Daytona 500, which is scheduled for Saturday morning. Qualifying is slated for Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (et).
Penalties could be forthcoming to Johnson's No.48 Hendrick Motorsports team, including possible suspension of crew chief Chad Knaus and other members of the team.
Robin Pemberton, NASCAR's vice president of competition, said any penalties would be announced after Daytona Speedweeks concludes with the February 26 Daytona 500. Pemberton also noted this violation would not result in any members of the No.48 team being ejected from the racetrack for the remainder of Speedweeks.
The three other cars from Hendrick -- Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne -- had no issues during inspection.
In 2006, Johnson's car failed post-qualifying inspection for the Daytona 500, with officials discovering an unapproved template modification to the rear window area. Knaus was not allowed to participate in any further Speedweeks activities, including the Daytona 500. He was also suspended for the next three Cup races and received a $25,000 fine.
Johnson went on to win the Daytona 500 for the first time in 2006, with Darian Grubb serving as his interim crew chief at the time.
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Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.