GFS Marketplace 400: Silly Season Gets Sillier
The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round.... As the third Chase for the Championship in NASCAR grows nigh, as Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. try to hold off Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle, another battle has exploded. The Battle For Silliness. I wrote an article a few weeks back on a Silly Season that already included Brian Vickers getting fired from Hendrick Motorsports and helping start a new Toyota Red Bull Racing team; Casey Mears leaving Ganassi for Vickers's old #25 with Hendrick; Todd Kluever taking over for Mark Martin in the #6 at Roush; Dale Jarrett leaving the iconic #88 for Michael Waltrip's Toyota team; and Juan Pablo Montoya jumping from F-1 to Ganassi's #42. But that was before the latest explosion on the Smokeless Set. While Kahne has threatened the top 10 all season, his teammate at Evernham, Jeremy Mayfield, has been truly dreadful; he currently sits 34th in points, and amazingly hasn't posted a single top-10 finish through all of 2006 (this from a guy who squeaked into the Chase each of the last two seasons). The axe finally fell at Evernham this week, as the increasingly-whiny Mayfield was relieved of his duties. Amazingly, the guy who'll replace him is Elliott Sadler, another guy who's made a Chase, and who was suffering through a mediocre year at a suddenly-mediocre team: Robert Yates Racing. Sadler was 20th in points, had one top-five and five top-10 finishes this year, and was part of a Yates organization that has fallen apart at the seams. Jarrett is gone in November, and no replacement has been named (could Ward Burton really be headed back to Cup driving?), general manager Eddie D'Hondt was fired after being blamed for allowing Sadler to go, and crew chiefs Tommy Baldwin (Sadler's chief) and Slugger Labbe (Jarrett's) were released. It's been a brutal year in general for all Ford teams, considering Fords have won only three events all season (they'd won nine at this point in '05), and Yates certainly bears the brunt of this. This weekend, David Gilliland takes over for Sadler in the #38, Jarrett continues his lame-duck run in the #88, and Sadler takes over the #19, while Mayfield looks on from the sideline. Considering Sadler, Mayfield and Jarrett are three of the mega-stars in this sport, this is amazing. (Imagine Gary Sheffield and Manny Ramirez getting traded in a three-team swap, and Vladimir Guerrero being forced to sit for the rest of the season as a result.) As we head into Michigan for our second trip to the Irish Hills this weekend, a track where the Fords have traditionally dominated, all you can really say is: Wow. And let's all resolve not to bet on any of these drivers for the rest of the year, shall we? Last Week: Tony Stewart couldn't quite hold off Kevin Harvick at Watkins Glen, so I barely missed on a straight-up win (albeit one at very slender odds). However, Junior did top Mears, so I won a -180 head-to-head bet, which gave me the tiniest winning week I've ever had: I finished up .06 units. Woo-hoo! We're rich! Anyway, for the season, I'm hanging tough at a profit of 14.56 units, which is much, much better than a sharp stick in the eye. We've posted winning weeks in 14 out of 21 tries, too. So let's keep it going. Take Carl Edwards (+900), 1/6th unit. Edwards probably had the best car here on Father's Day weekend, but he never quite got the chance to show it. It was a rainy June day, and Kasey Kahne (+450) was able to get out of his pits on what would turn out to be the race's final stop just a split-second faster than Edwards, whereupon the heavens opened. I don't discount how good Kahne has been on the downforce tracks this year, but I think he's slightly better suited to the higher-banked 1.5-milers in Charlotte, Atlanta and Texas (where, not coincidentally, he's swept so far in '06). Edwards, meanwhile, seems to like those two-milers a ton: his average career finish at Michigan is 5.25, and he's come 2nd, 4th and 5th the last three events here. He's also great at Michigan's sister track in Fontana, where he's come 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th the last four times out there. His year has sucked, but he's had good cars at Pocono and Indy lately. I think he can break through here. Take Greg Biffle (+600), 1/6th unit. Hey, didn't I just say the Fords have been kind of crap so far in '06? Well, get used to it, because you're about to see a pretty clear pattern in what I expect to happen this weekend. Biffle has won twice at Michigan (in the fall of '04 and spring of '05), and has only failed to post a finish inside the top six once here in his last six tries. The Biff is known for his love of these big sweeping tracks, which suit his style of going hard into the corners and letting his car slide maniacally up toward the wall. He's able to carry as much speed as anyone in the field using this method (which also tended to suit him at the A-C-T tracks last season, though not as much in '06). Plus Biffle is desperate to get closer in the Chase; he currently sits 13th, 180 points in back of Dale Eanrhardt Jr. (+1400). He's still got time to make the top 10, but it has to begin now. Take Matt Kenseth (+900), 1/6th unit. Kenseth won the California race this spring, and probably should've won the Michigan race exactly one year ago, but for some crazy fuel strategy by eventual winner Jeremy Mayfield (who, as I mentioned above, won't be participating this weekend). Kenseth was only 13th here in June, which broke a string of six consecutive top-10 finishes; he also won at this joint way back in the summer of '02. It's clear that I'm making one final stand with the Roush cars this weekend, despite the fact that there's no question that the Dodges, and even to some extent the Chevys (especially when they're driven by Jimmie Johnson (+1000)), have made up most of the gap between them and the Roush downforce cars. I wasn't convinced Kahne was the best man in June, so we'll find out if Roush is ready to make a stand; right now, only Kenseth and Mark Martin (+1600) are securely in the Chase, and getting only two of their five drivers into the postseason would certainly be a major upset for Roush. Note: Please check back for updated odds and a head-to-head selection either late Saturday or early Sunday, depending on when the online books put the odds online. Thanks. Christopher Harris is a featured writer for the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com |
Other Sport Betting Articles
Premiership Transfer Window Review - Part Two David Walker continues his review of the January transfer window and how the moves will impact each team’s success, or survival at the end of the 2005/06 season.Everton After spending the early part of the season facing a relegation battle the only reinforcements came in the form of Alan Stubbs, joining from Sunderland for his second ...World Cup 2006 Preview - Spain Outright Odds: 14/1 Group H Winners: 4/6Spain, yet again, are tipped as dark horses for the World Cup and 2006 will finally end years of disappointment and this generation of players will fulfil their undoubted potential. But they won’t. For all their individual talent they can never motivate themselves to rise to the challenge. ...How to Work at Home and Make Money Online Thousands of people make money online everyday working at home. The best part of a home business is that you are not limited to one or two options. There are literally hundreds of different opportunities out there for you to take hold of and start profiting off of. Possibly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of people of make mone ...League Two Betting Review - 6 March 2006 Leyton Orient failed to take full advantage of a host of teams not playing this weekend but moved to within one point of an automatic promotion place. The O’s let a two goal lead slip at Shrewsbury Town to draw the match 3-3.A 30-yard free kick from Matt Lockwood and a low strike by Paul Connor put Orient had put 6/4 Orient 2-0 up after 2 ...Information About FIBA - Part 2 The marketing team, headed out of the Geneva offices by Marketing Director Matthew Osmon and Marketing Manager Olivier Godallier, includes a total of six in-house members. This small group is charged with finding and maintaining Official Sponsors and relationships with those sponsors, as well as creative development of marketing solutions. ...Hit The Ice With Sure Grip Performance Hockey Gloves As any dyed-in-the-wool hockey player knows, off season is merely a "break between seasons". Yes, it's true that players "indulge" in summer diversions like roller blading, hiking, swimming, biking or even pounding some weights to build some extra muscle for increased strength and hits. But the hard-core hockey aficionados ...League Two Betting Review - 2 April 2006 Grimsby are within three points of leaders Carlisle after easing to victory over play-off outsiders Wrexham. The Mariners, hammered 5-0 at Lincoln last week, took the lead through Gary Jones after 25 minutes and Michael Reddy ensured an 8/11 home victory two minutes from time.Northampton kept their automatic promotion campaign on course w ...The Dubious Immorality of Online Gambling The recent back-door legislation which outlawed online gambling in the USA has been championed as a moral cause. This is in direct opposition to a Gallup Poll taken earlier this year which found that 60 percent of adults believe gambling is morally acceptable.Chief sponsor Jim Leach (R-Iowa) has called it one of the most important pieces ...The Three Vital Ministries of the Average Christian Every Christian should be involved in some form of ministry. Many believers especially those new to the faith, believe personal ministry is beyond their abilities. Please understand I am not saying that every Christian should pastor a church, or other large ministry. However much of the work of the church has been done, and should be done by wha ...League Two Betting Review - 29 January 2006 Wycombe Wanderers remained top of League Two despite a coupon busting performance by failing to beat Stockport County. After only managing a draw at Barnet last week, the bookies priced Wycombe at a best price of 2/5 to see off Stockport who had won away just twice all season.However, midfielder Matthew Hamshaw gave Stockport a shock 38 m ...Basketball Picks There is not such thing as a sure bet. The beauty of sports competition is that no matter what team is the favorite and has probabilities on their side, one score of the other team can change the outcome of a game.Basketball picks are popular today with all the games that have been going around on the NBA playoffs. Thousands of bettors se ...Games That Cost You A Fortune Besides the obvious fact that some online casinos (an estimated 30%) will never pay their customers one red cent either because you will never win or they fail to pay out if you do, there are some “bad bets” no matter where you play. This article looks at some of the games that will cost you a fortune if you don’t change your gambling ways. ...The NBA Playoffs In April, 8 NBA teams from each conference qualify to play in the championship playoffs. The top three teams based on their regular season record are chosen for the top three seeds based on the NBA seeding system. The next five teams with the best records take the other five seeds. The one difference of the NBA seeding system from any other Amer ...Premiership Season Preview 2006/07 - Everton EvertonOdds: 500/1Last Five Seasons 2005/06 - 11 (Premiership), 2004/05 - 4 (Premiership), 2003/04 - 17 (Premiership), 2002/03 - 7 (Premiership), 2001/02 - 15 (Premiership).2005/06 Cup Progress Champions League Third Qualifying Round vs Villarreal - lost 4-2 on aggregate. UEFA Cup First Round vs Dinamo Bucharest ...Championship Season Preview 2006/07 - Ipswich Town Ipswich TownOdds: 40/1Last Five Seasons 2005/06 - 15 (Championship), 2004/05 - 3 (Championship), 2003/04 - 5 (Championship), 2002/03 - 7 (Championship), 2001/02 - 18 (Premiership, Relegated).2005/06 Cup Progress FA Cup Third Round vs Portsmouth (h) - lost 1-0. Carling Cup First Round vs Yeovil Town (h) - lost 2-0 ...Gambling Events Basics Gambling has always been a tabooed subject in the middle class households because of the adverse sociological impacts. The great epics of the east include stories about the kings loosing their whole dynasties in the game of gambling. Thought he whole practice is scathed, but the charm of the game has not ended basically because of the quick rew ...League One Season Preview 2006/07 - Port Vale Port ValeOdds: 40/1Last Five Seasons 2005/06 - 13 (League One), 2004/05 - 18 (League One), 2003/04 - 7 (League One), 2002/03 - 17 (League One), 2001/02 - 14 (League One).2005/06 Cup Progress FA Cup Fourth Round vs Aston Villa (a) - lost 3-1. Carling Cup First Round vs Rotherham United (a) - lost 3-1. Football ...Who Will Win The English Premiership In 2007? Now the Fifa World Cup is out of the way, after yet another disappointing performance from the English team, focus is once again turning to the start of the Premiership. In this article, I write about the contenders for the trophy and give my opinion on who I think will end up as the champions in May 2007.The English Premiership will be d ...How To Run Your Own Professional Horse Racing Tipster Service For those of you who have ever joined a horse racing tipster service and been disappointed with the results, you’ve probably thought, “I could do better myself”. Well you may be right!If you have continued that thought process, you may have considered starting your own horse racing tipster service, but have been held back by not kn ...Never Bet on Big Soccer Underdogs As almost every professional bettor will tell you, backing heavy favourites is a sure fire way to the poorhouse. That’s common knowledge, right? Perhaps, but there’s one problem with that type of thinking: it’s dead wrong.The received wisdom is the linesmakers skew their odds on heavy favourites because the public love betting on the best ...Boxing Sparing Robots Needed It is always difficult to find a good sparing partner to box with or practice martial arts. The better you get the fewer people who are willing to get in the ring or on the mat with your. Worse off if it is a friend and he makes a mistake, you often find yourself holding back on your gut instincts to take him out and exploit his foolishness in l ...NBA Basketball Betting Do you want to know a little secret? NBA basketball betting can make you a lot of money. NBA basketball is a game that has helped turn sports betting losers into happy sports bettors with larger bankrolls. It’s really no secret to winning sports bettors—NBA basketball is the easiest game to make money at. The game itself gives sports bettors ...Brazilian Men's National Soccer Team Takes on a New Complexion Brazilian dominance in soccer takes a new complexion. There used to be a time when the Brazilian men's national soccer team were of average size and build. They were small (shorter), fast and skillful. Diminutive in stature but this did not apply to their technical and tactical abilities.The Brazilian men's national soccer team might ...The Coaching Ball Revolutionize the Way Kids Learn to Kick a Soccer Ball Now there is a soccer ball that will guarantee that you will strike a soccer ball low and on target and that will show you where to kick a soccer ball to swerve it or loft it. The Coaching Ball IS soccer's new training revolution! The Coaching Ball is the soccer ball to improve YOUR technique. Youth Soccer will benefit from the strong training e ...World Cup 2006 Preview - Switzerland Outright Odds: 150/1 Group G Winners: 4/1Switzerland qualified from the same group as Group F opponents France and also remained unbeaten in 10 qualifying matches, with four wins and six draws. After finishing in runners-up spot they faced Turkey, a side they had beaten just once in their history, in the play-offs. After winning the f ...Soccer - Not Just The World Cup The games are over, the battle is won. Italy are now crowned kings of the world - at least for the next four years. The French team were downcast, beaten on a penalty shoot-out, their captain dismissed because of a violent indiscretion.Talk of provocation on his behalf. An accusation that personal insults were levelled at Zidane from a ...
|
