Edwards receives three-race probation for Atlanta incident

Autoracing Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Edwards avoided suspension but received a three-race probation period from NASCAR after intentionally wrecking Brad Keselowski in last Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

NASCAR President Mike Helton addressed the seriousness of the Edwards- Keselowski incident, in which Keselowski's car went flying upside down into the frontstretch wall after Edwards deliberately hit him from behind in the closing laps at Atlanta. Helton also said NASCAR officials had several discussions internally as well as conversations with the stakeholders of the situation, including team owners Jack Roush (Edwards) and Roger Penske (Keselowski), before making their decision to place Edwards on probation for the upcoming races at Bristol, Martinsville and Phoenix.

Edwards was neither fined nor penalized with a points loss for the incident.

Both drivers had an earlier encounter at Atlanta when Keselowski clipped Edwards and shot him up the track, sending him and Joey Logano into the wall. Edwards spent more than 150 laps in the garage for repairs, but retaliated shortly after he returned to the track.

NASCAR took action immediately when they parked Edwards and ordered him to the sanctioning body's hauler for a discussion on the matter.

"We made it very clear to [Edwards] that these actions were not acceptable and did go beyond what we said back in January about putting the driving back in the hands of the drivers," Helton said. "I believe [Edwards] understands our position at this point."

Prior to the start of the 2010 season, NASCAR essentially told Sprint Cup Series drivers, "Boys, have at it and have a good time." NASCAR adopted a more hands-off policy.

"We were willing to put more responsibility in the hands of the drivers, but there is a line you can cross, and we will step in to maintain law and order when we think that line is crossed," Helton added.

NASCAR does plan to meet with both drivers and team owners next week at Bristol to resolve the latest in an on-going feud between Edwards and Keselowski.

The issues between the two began last April when Keselowski hit Edwards from behind on the final lap at Talladega. While Keselowski drove on to his first Sprint Cup victory, Edwards' car spun and then sailed into the safety fence along the frontstretch. Eight race fans sustained minor injuries after being struck by debris from his car.

Later in the season, both drivers tangled in a Nationwide Series race at Memphis, with Keselowski turning Edwards around in the closing laps.

Wwwgo2hk Autoracing Betting News

<< NBA suspends Granger, Frye
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Basketball Association on Tuesday levied one-game suspensions without pay against Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger and Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye. Both men were hit with the penal

<< Cooke hit, GM meetings give NHL shot to protect players
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here we go again. The NHL has yet another chance to address the issue of blows to the head, and while it's never a good thing when a questionable hit brings the topic into the limelight, the latest infract

<< Rooney returns to training for United
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United has been handed a big boost ahead of Wednesday's Champions League last 16 second leg clash with AC Milan after Wayne Rooney was able to take part in training on Tuesday morning. Roon

<< Dallas officially adds Hartman
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas acquired goalkeeper Kevin Hartman from the Kansas City Wizards for a second-round pick in the 2012 draft and signed him to a contract, the Major League Soccer clubs announced. "I'm excited to be in

<< Rapids sign goalkeeper Joyce
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rapids signed goalkeeper Ian Joyce, the Major League Soccer club announced on Tuesday. The Rapids also announced the club released forward Facundo Diz and did not offer a contract to 2010

Rangers acquire Ramirez from Yankees >>
Surprise, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have acquired pitcher Edwar Ramirez from the New York Yankees in exchange for cash considerations. Ramirez was designated for assignment in late February when the Yankees signed Chan Ho Park

Sorgi to back up other Manning >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants inked quarterback Jim Sorgi on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Wisconsin product, who was the backup to Peyton Manning in Indianapolis for the past six seasons, now gets the chanc

Turf to Dirt Angle Works Best >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both of Saturday's three-year-old Kentucky Derby preps were won by horses that raced on the turf in their previous start. One was favored at Aqueduct while the other was the sixth choice in the betting at S

UL-Lafayette to look for new men's hoops coach >>
Lafayette, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Louisiana-Lafayette has decided not to retain men's basketball coach Robert Lee, whose contract expired at the conclusion of this season. Lee had spent the past 14 seasons with

NASCAR suspends crew members for substance abuse violation >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Tuesday indefinitely suspended two crew members for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy. According to a news release, William Keith, a crew member of the No.38 Front Row

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.