Chicagoland begins IndyCar's final four on ovals

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/24/2010 - Joliet, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: IZOD IndyCar. Date: Sunday, August 29. Race: PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300. Site: Chicagoland Speedway. Track: 1.5-mile tri-oval. Start Time: 8:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 200. Miles: 300. 2009 winner: Ryan Briscoe. Television: VERSUS. Radio: IMS Radio Network/SIRIUS XM Satellite.

After the ninth and last road/street course race of the season was completed last Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, the IZOD IndyCar Series now holds its "final four" events on 1.5-mile ovals, beginning this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

With five wins so far this season, Will Power from Team Penske holds a 59- point lead over Dario Franchitti, the defending series champion. Franchitti's Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon, is 95 points out of the top spot. All five of Power's wins have come on road/street courses.

"I don't think this championship is almost mine," he said. "There's a lot of racing to go. Four races, a lot can happen. Really, whatever the buffer is, you can lose a lot of that in just one race. I'm going to race those ovals like I want to win the championship. I think I got enough experience now, and I think we'll be very strong."

After Chicagoland, the series will head to Kentucky Speedway (September 4) and then Twin Ring Motegi in Japan (September 19) before wrapping up the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway (October 2).

Penske has won the last two race at Chicagoland, with Helio Castroneves taking the 2008 race and Ryan Briscoe capturing the 2009 event.

Power did not compete in last year's race at Chicagoland due to season-ending injuries he sustained during a practice crash at Sonoma. He finished fifth in his only IndyCar start at Chicagoland in 2008, when he drove for KV Racing Technology.

Even though Dixon and Franchitti have been dominant on the 1.5-mile ovals lately, a Ganassi driver has not won at Chicagoland since Dan Wheldon's victory in a Ganassi car here in 2006. Wheldon also won at Chicagoland in 2005.

Wheldon departed Ganassi and moved over to Panther Racing at the conclusion of the 2008 season.

Dixon has been the bridesmaid at Chicagoland, finishing second in the last four races here.

Last year, Briscoe beat Dixon to the finish line by 0.0077 seconds -- the fourth closest finish in series history.

"I've seen this movie before several times, so it's frustrating," Dixon said after his runner-up finish at Chicagoland in 2009. "I was thinking maybe for a lap or two there that we just might be able to do it. But for the majority of the night, if it came down to that shootout, I think we definitely knew we were going to lose. But it's getting pretty old, so hopefully we can turn it around at some point."

In 2008, Castroneves finished 0.0033 seconds ahead of Dixon in the second closest finish in series history. However, Dixon clinched the series title by 17 points over Castroneves.

When the series competed at Chicagoland in 2007, Franchitti, who drove for Michael Andretti's team at the time, entered the season-ending race with just a three-point lead over Dixon. The two drivers battled all the way to the final lap, with Franchitti taking the checkered flag and the series title.

Dixon held the lead on the last lap, but Franchitti passed Dixon, who suddenly slowed when he ran out of fuel. He coasted home second.

Chicagoland had hosted the series' season-finale from 2006-08. The season now ends in Homestead.

Twenty-nine teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300.

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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams

NFL Betting

It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.

We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.

Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.

Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.

Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.

NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.

The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Wagering

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