Another pole for Newman at PIR

Autoracing Betting Lines

04/10/2008 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Newman captured the pole for Saturday night's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway. The No.12 Alltel Dodge circled the flat one-mile oval in 26.975 seconds (133.457 m.p.h.).

The pole victory was Newman's first of the season, record fourth at PIR and 43rd of his Sprint Cup career. It's been an eventful week for the Penske driver who received a 25-point penalty earlier in the week after failing post- race inspection in Texas.

"It wasn't a perfect lap, but it was a very good lap," said Newman, the track qualifying record holder (26.499 seconds in 2004). "I want to thank everybody at Penske Racing."

Starting alongside Newman will be Elliott Sadler who posted a time of 26.984 seconds.

Row two will consist of Carl Edwards (26.991), who won last week's race and Mark Martin (26.993). They were the only drivers to break the 27-second barrier.

"I think we are going to be pretty competitive on Saturday night," said Edwards, who leaders the series with three wins.

Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Kasey Kahne (fifth), Kyle Busch (sixth), two-time defending series champion Jimmie Johnson (seventh), Martin Truex Jr. (ninth), Jeff Gordon (11th), Tony Stewart (12th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (13th), Kevin Harvick (17th) and Matt Kenseth (27th).

Kyle Petty and John Andretti failed to qualify for the race.

If the Chase for the Sprint Cup started today, there would be some very big names left without a "ticket to the dance." NASCAR invites just 12 drivers to compete in the "Chase." Currently outside the top-12 are: Kenseth, Gordon and Kurt Busch - all former series champions. Others who would be left off the list include: Truex Jr., who made last year's Chase, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray and Casey Mears.

Kenseth, the 2003 Sprint Cup Champion, is the closest to qualifying for the "Chase," just 54 points behind both Kahne and Clint Bowyer.

Gordon, part of the Hendrick Motorsports team of drivers which dominated in 2007 winning 18 of 36 events, has been frustrated for much of the season trying to find the right setup.

"I can't remember the last time we struggled this bad," said the four-time series champion.

In 2008 a Kurt Busch sighting in the top-10 has been a rare event. After pushing Penske teammate Ryan Newman to the victory at Daytona in February, Busch, the 2004 Sprint Cup Champion, has failed to earn a top-10.

But the good news for these guys and the rest of the drivers outside the top-12 is that there is plenty of time left to get it together and make the "Chase." There are still 19 races remaining before the Sprint Cup "regular" season ends in Richmond on September 6th.

Gordon is the defending champion both at PIR and the next race in Talladega.

The race is scheduled to drop the green flag on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. (et).

Fpxsports Autoracing Betting News

<< Millwood, Rangers cool off O's
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Millwood threw seven strong innings, and Josh Hamilton drove in two runs to help Texas top Baltimore, 3-1, and snap the Orioles' six-game win streak. Millwood (1-2) allowed one run on three hits a

<< Inter Milan's Crespo not headed to Roma
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hernan Crespo's agent insists the Argentina striker will not be moving from Inter Milan to Roma this summer. The 32-year-old former Chelsea star has been linked with a move to the capital after growing disi

<< San Jose set for home opener against Chicago
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Jose coach Frank Yallop and his players sounded like a broken record after the club's loss in its first match in Major League Soccer since 2005. "We still have a ways to go," Yallop said. "It's a lea

<< AC Milan wants Ronaldinho and Shevchenko
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has hinted that both Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko will be snapped up the Rossoneri in the summer. Shevchenko has endured a difficult two seasons at Chel

<< Phillies' Rollins sits again
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies were minus the services of shortstop Jimmy Rollins for a second straight night Thursday while wrapping up a three-game series with the rival New York Mets. Rollins left Tuesday

Real Salt Lake happy to host D.C. United so early >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake had to be excited when it learned it would host D.C. United in its third game of the season, at least if history repeats itself. Although no other clubs are excited to see the back-to-back

Rose and Immelman lead Masters; Woods four back >>
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Rose and Trevor Immelman both posted rounds of four-under-par 68 on Thursday to share the opening-round lead of The Masters at Augusta National. Tiger Woods, who proclaimed that the single-season

Ochoa shares lead in her native Mexico >>
Morelia, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off her second major championship, Lorena Ochoa fired a seven-under 66 on Thursday to take a share of the first- round lead at the Corona Championship. The Mexican star opened with two eagles,

Boston College moves into final >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nathan Gerbe recorded a hat trick and added an assist, as Boston College reached the championship game by defeating North Dakota, 6-1, in the Frozen Four. Ben Smith and Dan Bertram each posted a

Masters First Round News & Notes >>
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Poulter aced the par-three 16th hole, which, at the time, tied him for the lead at three-under par. He bogeyed the 17th hole to fall back to two-under par. "You've got a few thousand people on th

American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.