Wilson claims first IndyCar pole at Toronto

Autoracing Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Wilson will start on the pole for the first time in his IZOD IndyCar Series career after posting the quickest lap in Saturday's qualifying for the Honda Indy Toronto.

Wilson lapped the 1.721-mile, 11-turn Toronto street circuit in one minute, 0.2710 seconds for his maiden pole in his 43rd IndyCar start. The 31-year-old Englishman also set a new track qualifying record.

I think this is a great boost after having a couple of difficult races," Wilson said. "We've been working really hard, but we just haven't got the results. To come in and get a result, we've been close in the Firestone Fast Six a few times, but it's just not quite happened, so this really is a big morale boost for everyone on the team. We're just going to enjoy the race tomorrow."

Wilson, in his first year driving for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, gave the team its second pole. Sarah Fisher recorded DRR's first pole in 2002 at Kentucky.

Will Power from Team Penske qualified 0.19 seconds behind Wilson to grab the outside pole. Wilson denied Penske from winning its ninth straight pole.

"I didn't get the most out of the last sector, but [Wilson] laid down a really quick time," Power said. "To have the car on the front row, we'll see if we can beat him in the race tomorrow."

Power, the current points leader, has scored the most victories so far this season with three, including a win two weeks ago at the Watkins Glen, NY road course.

Helio Castroneves, also from Penske, qualified third, while Ryan Hunter-Reay from Andretti Autosport took the fourth spot.

Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon will share the third row. Franchitti, the defending series champion and last year's race winner at Toronto, qualified fifth, while Dixon took sixth.

Power's lead is 32 points over Franchitti.

Ryan Briscoe will start seventh, followed by Tony Kanaan, Alex Tagliani and Marco Andretti.

Danica Patrick had her best road/street course qualifying performance so far this season with a 12th-place finish.

"I was pleased with our qualifying run today," Patrick said. "It was a good step in the right direction. I'm happy with the car, and hopefully we can have a decent day tomorrow."

Canadian Paul Tracy will start 24th in front of his home crowd. Tracy spun out during his run during the first qualifying session.

Sunday's IndyCar race at Toronto is scheduled to start at 12:30 p.m. (et).

Stockmarket-casino Autoracing Betting News


<< Report: Brad Miller signs with Rockets
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets have agreed to a three- year deal with veteran center Brad Miller. Miller's agent, Mark Bartelstein, confirmed the pact to the Houston Chronicle and indicated it to be worth just shy of

<< Monfils, Montanes to battle for Stuttgart title
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France's Gael Monfils and Albert Montanes of Spain will square off in the final of the Mercedes Cup tennis event following their semifinal wins Saturday. The third-seeded Monfils was taken

<< Martino to remain Paraguay's manager
Asuncion, Paraguay (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gerardo Martino has agreed to a four- year contract extension to remain in charge of Paraguay's national team, although he could still leave following the Copa America tournament. Martino's new

<< Woods unable to get anything going
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time Open champion Tiger Woods mixed four bogeys and three birdies in a round of one-over 73 Saturday at the British Open. Woods finished three rounds at three-under-par 213 and is currently

<< Celtic inks Mexico international Juarez
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexico international Efrain Juarez has agreed to a four-year deal with Celtic and has met up with his new teammates in Seattle on their preseason tour of North America. The 22-year-old has been gra

Indians beat Tigers to begin doubleheader >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Crowe's two-out RBI single in the seventh inning gave Cleveland a 4-3 win over Detroit in the first game of a doubleheader from Progressive Field. Fausto Carmona (9-7) went seven-plus inning

Tigers call up Porcello to start back end of DH >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers have recalled right- hander Rick Porcello from Triple-A Toledo to start the second game of a doubleheader with the Indians Saturday. Porcello was demoted on June 20 after pi

D.C. fails to pick up option on Emilio >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United and striker Luciano Emilio have parted ways after a brief three-month reunion as United opted not to pick up its option on the former Major League Soccer MVP. Emilio returned to the team i

Polanco contributes big hit in return for Phils >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Placido Polanco made a huge impact Saturday in his return to the lineup with the Philadelphia Phillies. The veteran infielder, who was activated off the 15-day disabled list prior to the game, singled

Phillies use four-run ninth to beat Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ross Gload scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in a wild four-run, two-out rally in the ninth inning that carried the Phillies to a 4-1 comeback win over Chicago in third meeting of a four-

Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.

The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.

Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.

MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:

Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)

Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)

Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.

Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com