10/13/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Burton began the 2008 "Chase for the Sprint Cup" as the seventh seed, but after winning last Saturday's Bank of America 500 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway, the 41-year-old driver moved up to second in the championship standings. He is 69 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson with five races remaining in the season.
Burton led the final 57 laps on Saturday, took fuel only on his last pit stop, and held off Kasey Kahne at the finish for his second Sprint Cup Series victory of the year.
"(Crew chief) Scott Miller did a great job, made that call there at the end, and that's what won the race," Burton said. "I'm sure everybody was questioning it. Hell, I was questioning it. I was thinking, 'I don't know if this will work or not,' but it did."
It's the first time Burton has recorded multiple victories in a Cup season since 2001, when he drove the No.99 Ford for car owner Jack Roush.
Burton, in his third consecutive "Chase" this year, has finished ninth or better since the playoffs began last month at New Hampshire.
Johnson is the only other driver with Top-10 finishes in the first five Chase races this year.
Two years ago, Burton held a 45-point lead after Lowe's, but dropped to sixth in the standings the following week at Martinsville when he suffered engine failure, and ended up finishing 42nd. The Richard Childress Racing driver finished the 2006 season seventh in points.
"It was our first year in the Chase, and we had worked really hard," Burton said. "It was my second year at Childress. We had been through a lot of changes, a lot of stuff going on at the shop, trying to make things better. Being a small part of Richard Childress Racing, we had both teams in the Chase."
Teammate Kevin Harvick joined Burton in the '06 Chase, while all three RCR drivers qualified for the playoffs in '07 and '08, with Clint Bowyer joining the action.
Burton has been a Cup competitor since 1993, but has finished no better than third in points (2000). As the oldest driver in this year's Chase, Burton is already pleased with his season, regardless of whether he wins the title or not.
"We're just having fun, and we're paying attention to us," he said. "We're not going to get caught up in the point thing. We're paying attention to it, but we're not going to get caught up in it. If we don't win the championship, our year's not a failure. We weren't one of the teams that set the bar up there. We're just laying it out there, having a good time."
Johnson, the two-time defending series champion, is attempting to become the first driver since Cale Yarborough to win titles in a row. Yarborough won the championship consecutively from 1976-78.
At the start of the Chase, Johnson, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards were considered the top championship contenders. But Busch collapsed in the first two races as he finished 34th New Hampshire and 43rd at Dover and dropped from first to 12th in points, while Edwards has fallen from second to fourth in the ranks after finishing 29th at Talladega and 33rd at Lowe's. He is now 169 points behind Johnson.
Third-place occupant Greg Biffle is the only other driver close to Johnson in points (-86). Biffle won at New Hampshire and Dover, but was caught up in the second "big one" at Talladega and finished 24th.
Johnson ended last year's Chase by winning four of the last five races en route to his second-straight championship. He also completed the 2006 season with finishes of first or second in five of the last six races to capture his first title. Despite his previous late-season surges, Johnson is not about to underestimate Burton in this year's championship bout.
"He's always been on my radar screen," Johnson said. "He's been doing this a long time, and he knows the tracks. He's revitalized RCR over the years. I think we can all give him a lot of credit for the turnaround RCR has had. On the track he's smart, and he knows how to race hard. He's been out there a long time."
If Burton pulls off the upset and wins the Cup championship, it will be the seventh title for team owner Richard Childress, but his first since 1994 when Dale Earnhardt captured his record-tying seventh championship.
As long as Burton remains consistent, he should be battling for the title all the way up to the final lap in the November 16th season-ending race at Homestead.
<< Pujols undergoes elbow surgery
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underwent surgery on his right elbow earlier Monday in a procedure that
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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