Franchitti riding high into Texas after Indy win

Autoracing Betting Lines

06/02/2010 - Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: IZOD IndyCar. Date: Saturday, June 5. Race: Firestone 550k. Site: Texas Motor Speedway. Track: 1.5-mile tri-oval. Start Time: 8:45 p.m. (et). Laps: 228. Miles: 550 (kilometers). 2009 winner: Helio Castroneves. Television: VERSUS. Radio: IMS Radio Network/SIRIUS XM Satellite.

After winning the Indianapolis 500 in dominating fashion last Sunday, Dario Franchitti made a strong statement in his bid for a second straight IZOD IndyCar Series championship.

Franchitti led 155 of 200 laps to claim his second Indy 500 victory. His first win came in 2007.

"To win two of these things is pretty special," Franchitti said. "They showed me a list of two time winners. Those guys are legends. I said the other night, I'm just a driver, those guys are legends. I'm so lucky to be drive for Chip [Ganassi] and Team Target, getting in good cars, especially having gone away after we won in '07. To be invited back was pretty cool. To have won a championship and an Indy 500, I didn't expect any of this."

Franchitti collected nearly $2.8 million for his Indy 500 win.

"That's a lot of money in any currency," he said. "This race just gets better and better, and I think we're getting back to the glory days. I'm so proud to be back here and be a part of it. It's home for me."

Franchitti not only gave Ganassi his fourth Indy 500 victory as a team owner, but also helped Ganassi become the only owner to win the Indy 500 and the Daytona 500 in the same year. Jamie McMurray, in his first year with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, won the Daytona 500 in February.

With six of 17 races completed on the 2010 IndyCar schedule, Franchitti is just 11 points behind leader Will Power from Team Penske.

Franchitti has recorded 14 career IndyCar victories, but has yet to win at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway. His best finish in six starts at Texas is second, which came in 2004. He started on the pole there in '04 and last year.

Helio Castroneves is the defending race winner.

Castroneves' Penske teammate, Ryan Briscoe, dominated the race by leading 160 of 228 laps, but Castroneves beat Briscoe out of the pits during final round of stops and took the lead for good with 53 laps remaining. The Brazilian has not won a race since one year ago at Texas.

After sustaining multiple injuries during a hard crash in the closing laps of the Indy 500, Mike Conway will be out of the No.24 Dreyer and Reinbold Racing car for at least three months. The team has yet to name a driver for Saturday's race at Texas.

Conway had surgery to repair fractures to his lower left leg. He also has a soft tissue injury to his lower left leg and is expected to have another surgical procedure later this week. Conway also suffered a compression fracture of one of his thoracic vertebrae. He has been fitted for a back brace, which he will wear for the next few months.

Ryan Hunter-Reay also was involved in the late-race crash at Indy. Hunter-Reay had surgery on his left thumb and was fitted with a carbon fiber splint, which should allow him to participate at Texas.

Twenty-six teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Firestone 550k.

Mysportstracker Autoracing Betting News

<< Bodine looking to extend win record at Texas
Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck. Date: Friday, June 4. Race: WinStar World Casino 400k. Site: Texas Motor Speedway. Track: 1.5-mile tri-oval. Start time: 9:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 167. Miles: 400 (kilometers). 2

<< Summer stand-alone season begins with Nashville
Lebanon, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Saturday, June 5. Race: Federated Auto Parts 300. Site: Nashville Superspeedway. Track: 1.333-mile D-shaped concrete oval. Start time: 8:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 225. Miles: 300. 2009 w

<< Nothing tricky about Pocono for Hamlin
Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Sunday, June 6. Race: Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500. Site: Pocono Raceway. Track: (2.5-mile triangle. Start time: 1:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 200. Miles: 500. 2009 winner: Tony Stewart.

<< Ken Griffey Jr. retires
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ken Griffey Jr. has announced his retirement from baseball Wednesday just two months into his 22nd major league season. Griffey informed the Mariners before Wednesday's game against Minnesota and retires

<< Doan, Miller and Crosby named finalists for Messier Award
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan, Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby have been selected as 2010 finalists for the Mark Messier Leadership Award. The award recog

Dodgers outlast Diamondbacks in 14 innings >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garret Anderson's two-out single in the 14th inning scored Matt Kemp, as the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Arizona Diamondbacks, 1-0, to complete a three-game series sweep. Jamey Carroll had three

Rangers' Guerrero hurts eye, taken to hospital >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers outfielder/designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero was taken to a Chicago hospital after suffering an eye injury during batting practice. Guerrero was taking swings in the batting cage, and a ball car

Arizona State lifts interim tag from baseball coach Esmay >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona State lifted the interim tag of baseball coach Tim Esmay, giving him the job on a permanent basis. Esmay took over in December to replace Pat Murphy, who resigned after more than 15 years in the posi

Briere's PP goal gives Flyers lead after one period in Game 3 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Briere's power-play goal late in the first period gave the Philadelphia Flyers a 1-0 edge over the Chicago Blackhawks after 20 minutes of play in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals from Wachovia Center.

Blown call costs Detroit's Galarraga perfect game >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Armando Galarraga was one out away from the third perfect game of 2010 and the second in less than a week, but a blown call by first base umpire Jim Joyce cost him immortality. After retiring the first 26 batte

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.