NASCAR pleased with its new rules package for Daytona
Autoracing Betting Lines
01/13/2012 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR officials seem to be very encouraged so far with their revised rules package for next month's Speedweeks events at Daytona International Speedway.
NASCAR president Mike Helton, vice president of competition Robin Pemberton and Sprint Cup Series director John Darby gave a competition update on the new rules on Friday at Daytona. Thirty-two Sprint Cup teams are in the midst of a three-day test session at the 2.5-mile speedway, preparing themselves for Speedweeks, particularly the February 26 Daytona 500.
At the conclusion of Thursday's opening day session, NASCAR notified teams it will increase the size of the restrictor plates to 15/16 of an inch and reduce the size of the front grille opening by one inch on each side. The sanctioning body also announced it will ban communications between drivers on their car radios during the race in an effort to break up the two-car tandems.
"In what we saw on the racetrack [Thursday], the ability to react from our side and from the teams' side to make adjustments and adapt to those adjustments I think is what we are seeing unfold in front of us," Helton said. "We've not seen anything that we dislike, but we know there are other things that we would like to see more of. I think the progress of the weekend is we're kind of in the middle of it right now."
NASCAR's latest modification to the restrictor plate and the grille openings made for speeds almost reaching 205 mph during Friday morning's session at Daytona. Michael Waltrip Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer led the way with identical lap speeds of 204.722 mph. Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Marcos Ambrose and Aric Almirola were second quickest at 203.142 mph each.
During the afternoon session, NASCAR gathered further data when as many as 20 cars ran in a draft.
"What we're looking for is just the ability to collect some data and put another check in the box if you will," Darby said. "We've seen a lot of time spent on qualifying laps and qualifying runs. We've seen a little bit of time spent with a two-car-tandem type of a push.
"The one snapshot we haven't been able to capture yet is what does 10 or 15 or 20 cars in an old-school style of draft look like. What kind of speeds do they generate, and what type of rpm do the engines run at. It's something we need, and it's a piece of the master equation if you will, as we close in on a package to come back to Speedweeks with."
Prior to this week's test, NASCAR collected data from test sessions at Talladega Superspeedway last October and then Daytona the following month.
NASCAR has also conducted test sessions for teams to familiarize themselves with the electronic fuel injection systems, which are replacing carburetors in the Sprint Cup cars for the 2012 season.
"I think NASCAR has handled this really well, and we've had a lot of time to develop the systems and get things going," said five-time series champion and 2006 Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson. "I don't have any fear, and I don't really sense any throughout the garage area. We're still learning the rules package as we go.
"With a day and a half to go, I'm not sure NASCAR has settled in with the package they want just yet, and we'll keep fine-tuning. From an overall aero package and plate package, there's still probably some adjusting that would take place I would guess. I really don't know. From a reliability standpoint of the [electronic fuel injection], I don't see any issues for anybody."
Teams will wrap up testing at Daytona on Saturday. NASCAR will then decide if further modifications to the cars are needed before the start of Speedweeks.
"It's a test, and we're all learning from the test, and when we get our information when we're done, we will go back to sit down with our groups and make decisions on how we come back to start Speedweeks," Pemberton said.
During last year's Speedweeks at Daytona, NASCAR made numerous changes to the cars, including the restrictor-plate size.
"When Speedweeks unfolds, many times we do make an adjustment when we're down here to address what the teams have done to make their improvements," Pemberton added. "We expect that out of them, and they expect that out of us. I think we're all geared up to come back and have a pretty good Speedweeks. I think this is one of the better test sessions that we have been at in a number of years."
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is expected to return to the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Boston Celtics. Rose sprained his toe during the first quarter of Tuesday's 111-100 wi
<< Ancelotti, PSG under pressure in Ligue 1
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlo Ancelotti has led three European giants
in Italy and England, and the Italian now has the task of developing a fourth
in France.
Ancelotti was named PSG's new coach late last month, and he inherits a t
<< Atlanta takes Leroux No. 1 in WPS draft
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Beat picked U.S. national team
and UCLA forward Sydney Leroux No. 1 overall in the 2012 Women's Professional
Soccer draft Friday.
The 21-year-old Leroux scored 30 goals in 36 games for U.S. U
<< Penguins captain Crosby resumes skating
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins superstar and captain
Sidney Crosby returned to the ice for the first time in more than a month
during Friday's morning skate.
Crosby said he is allowed to "lightly exert," and
<< Tottenham keen on continuing title charge
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is a storm brewing in North London
and Tottenham is at the source as in-form Spurs have marched up the
Premiership table to move into a tie for second.
While Manchester City and Manches
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Bob Bratkowski as offensive coordinator, new head coach Mike Mularkey said Friday. The Jaguars are also bringing back Mel Tucker as defensive coordinator and assi
Wolfsburg signs defender Rodriguez >>
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg signed Switzerland defender
Ricardo Rodriguez from FC Zurich on Friday on a 4 1/2-year contract.
Rodriguez, 19, becomes the 10th new signing for Wolfsburg manager Felix Magath
this winter. H
TebowMania still strong in its birth place >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - By this point, it's really no secret.
All the headlines, sports-talk blathering and desperate Rick Perry co-opts
over the past few weeks have merely confirmed the obvious.
This is Tim Tebow's world and we're all just
Titans sign TE Stevens to multi-year deal >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calling him a "core" player, the Tennessee
Titans agreed to terms with tight end Craig Stevens on a new multi-year deal
Friday.
The Titans tweeted a photo of Stevens signing his contract.
"Craig is
Klinsmann adds midfielder Jones to U.S. roster >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jurgen Klinsmann called up midfielder Jermaine
Jones to the U.S. national team January training camp Friday.
Jones will join the roster Saturday, as the U.S. prepares for matches against
Venezuela and Panama
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com