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NASCAR not making any big changes for 2012 seasonAutoracing Betting Lines01/26/2012 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unlike 2011, NASCAR will not make any major alterations in its rules for the upcoming season. Officials from the sanctioning body, including NASCAR chairman and chief executive officer Brian France and president Mike Helton, held a press conference Thursday to address the "state of the sport." Last year, NASCAR revealed a host of format changes, including a revised points system for all three of its national touring series, as well as a new rule which prevented drivers from competing for a championship in more than one of the three series. Other rule modifications included two "wild card" positions for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship format and a new qualifying procedure. NASCAR made such drastic changes to help improve track attendance and television ratings, which had both slumped in recent years. "We're very pleased with how all those changes played out," France said during his opening remarks. The 2011 season in NASCAR's premier series -- now known as the Sprint Cup Series -- featured the closest battle for the championship. Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards ended the season in a points tie (2,403 each), but Stewart captured his third title by virtue of his five wins -- all of them in the Chase -- compared to only one for Edwards. "The way to top that is to have three drivers or four going for the championship if that's possible," France said in regards to the upcoming season. One significant change for 2012 is the electronic fuel injection systems, which are replacing carburetors in the Sprint Cup cars. Electronic fuel injection has been a project that NASCAR has worked on with both McLaren Electronic Systems and Freescale Semiconductor the last several years. NASCAR also worked with Sprint Cup teams to test the technology this past season. "We're pretty confident in what we've chosen; it's been tested pretty carefully - that we will be in good shape," France said. "If we're not, if there's some change, then we'll look at that. But we're pretty confident that we've got the right package on that." France mentioned the electronic fuel injection systems could be used in the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series in the future. NASCAR is preparing for the debut of the new Sprint Cup cars next year. Earlier this week, Ford unveiled its 2013 Fusion model. The other three manufacturers -- Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota -- are expected to unveil their models later this year. Private test sessions for the car are planned throughout this season. "I think the optics of the 2013 car will be very significantly recognized and very popular, and the effort with NASCAR and all of the manufacturers collectively working on this together, the four manufacturers in a room with NASCAR and NASCAR saying we would like for you to help us design this race car in a way that you would like it, that was a bit of a surprise to them, for us to be that open with that process," Helton said. NASCAR announced on Wednesday it is doing away with undisclosed fines. During the past couple of seasons, Sprint Cup drivers Denny Hamlin, Juan Pablo Montoya and Ryan Newman had been secretly fined for comments they made that were considered detrimental to the sport. NASCAR's policy in not publicly announcing fines had recently received criticism, mostly from fans. "In terms of going public with it, we didn't have a real strong position on that," France said. "We feel like that's something people think is a good thing. We were happy to do it." Officials further addressed the new rules package for restrictor-plate racing this year, beginning with the February 26 season-opening Daytona 500. The revised rules are intended to scale back on the two-car tandem style of racing that has been featured at Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway the past couple of seasons. NASCAR is banning driver-to-driver radio communications while they are on the track for restrictor-plate races. However, team-to-team communications for these events will remain allowable. "I think we have some confidence that the tandem racing as we saw the '11 [season] conclude with won't be a part of the Daytona 500," Helton said. "We're not going to write a rules package that prevents the drivers from racing close to each other. That's NASCAR racing the fans expect. So we think the Daytona 500 will be more in line with the fans expectations. You'll see more than likely cars push each other, but that was happening in 1959 and 1979." After Sprint Cup teams tested earlier this month at Daytona, NASCAR made some modifications to the cars, particularly the restrictor plates and the front grilles, for the Daytona 500 and other Speedweeks events.
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Betting the NFL preseasonRule 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. |
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