Skinner set to battle Hornaday Jr. and Kvapil at Bristol

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/22/2007 - Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "Race leader Mike Skinner" is a phrase used quite often this season. The driver of the No.5 Toyota truck has led at least one lap in the last 19 races dating back to the Atlanta Motor Speedway in October 2006.

Skinner led 102 laps in the last Craftsman Truck Series race at the Nashville Superspeedway pushing him over the 1,000-miles led mark in 2007. It is the fifth time in the series the feat has been accomplished and the second time for Skinner, who did it in 1996. Skinner finished third in 1996 and is determined to finish a couple of positions higher this season.

Skinner has led the most laps in seven races this year while leading the series in points (2,521), winnings ($526,850), wins (4), poles (8), top-fives (12) and top-10s (14). He also leads Ron Hornaday Jr. by 82 points.

Wednesday's race will present a different challenge than usual at the 0.533- mile, high-banked, Bristol Motor Speedway short track. In addition to the traditional problems that BMS entails there is the added feature of a newly paved race track.

Teams tested there in July, but it will still be the first NASCAR race on the track since it was repaved.

"They did a nice job, the track looks different, but it's really the same Bristol - and that's a good thing," said Ted Musgrave's crew chief Rick Gay Jr.

In the test, Travis Kvapil was quickest at 119.626 m.p.h., while Musgrave was second fastest.

"The team did a great job working through our test plan," Kvapil said. "They hit on some things towards the end of the day that found us some more speed."

Kvapil (-236) sits third in the championship after winning the last race at Nashville.

"It was pretty awesome," said Kvapil in the post-race press conference. "It took our K&N Ford half the race to get the track position and the right adjustment in it. This is the truck we won with in Michigan and finished second in Kentucky with."

It was Kvapil's ninth consecutive top-10 and third win of the season. If Skinner and Hornaday Jr. weren't having such great seasons, Kvapil would be right in the middle of the battle, instead of just outside of it, looking in.

The good news, however, is there are still 10 races left and if Kvapil can keep up his current pace he can challenge Skinner and Hornaday Jr. for the championship.

Aportsbook Autoracing Betting News

<< Reds bring up Saarloos from minors
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds selected the contract of pitcher Kirk Saarloos from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. Saarloos, who was up with the team earlier this season, went 1-4 with a robust 8.19 earned

<< Ferguson joins Vikings
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran receiver Robert Ferguson agreed to terms with the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday. Ferguson, who was cut by Green Bay last Friday, was drafted in the second round by the Packers in 2001 and had p

<< Rain wipes out Day 1 at Forest Hills
Forest Hills, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Four opening-round matches were postponed because of rain Tuesday at the $74,800 Forest Hills Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Classic. Second-seeded American Meilen Tu was scheduled to meet Italian Roberta V

<< Fire sign Colombian defender Conde
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago signed Colombian international defender Wilman Conde, who previously played under Fire coach Juan Carlos Osorio, on Monday. Conde, 24, played for Osorio with Millonarios in Colombia. Co

<< Hawks exercise options on Marvin and Shelden Williams
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks exercised contract options for the 2008-09 season on forward Marvin Williams and forward/center Shelden Williams. Marvin Williams averaged 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 64 con

West Virginia suspends two players >>
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West Virginia football program suspended defensive back Ellis Lankster and linebacker J.T. Thomas indefinitely on Tuesday. The pair were arrested over the weekend for transferring and receiving st

Red Bulls refuel for key clash at United >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coach Bruce Arena is worried if New York will have enough "gas back in the tank" for Wednesday's key showdown at D.C. United. New York won one of the best games in Major League Soccer history on Saturd

Braves place James on DL; recall Reyes >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have placed starting pitcher Chuck James on the 15-day disabled list and replaced him in the rotation with Jo-Jo Reyes for Tuesday night's game against the Reds. James is suf

Cubs reinstate Floyd, activate Blanco >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs activated outfielder Cliff Floyd from the restricted list and activated catcher Henry Blanco from the 60-day disabled list on Tuesday. Floyd was originally placed on the bereavemen

Fire try to stay hot against Wizards >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexican international Cuauhtemoc Blanco has needed just three games to turn Chicago into a playoff contender. Since joining Chicago in July, he has one goal and two assists during a three- game unbeaten st

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting