Briscoe nips Wilson for pole at Mid-Ohio

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/08/2009 - Lexington, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Briscoe held off a fierce challenge from Justin Wilson in the "Fast Six" final qualifying segment to capture the pole for Sunday's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Briscoe, the current IndyCar Series points leader and last weekend's winner at Kentucky, threw down the fastest lap at 121.905 m.p.h. (one minute, 6.6814 seconds) in his No.6 Team Penske car. His lap was .03 seconds faster than Wilson from Dale Coyne Racing. Both drivers ran on the softer Firestone "red" tires.

"I was able to do the same thing at Edmonton, but really didn't get enough out of those sticker set (of tires)," Briscoe said. "But here, I was determined to squeeze all of the juice I could out of those tires, and I didn't realize that Wilson also had the new set of tires."

Briscoe recorded his third pole of the season and the seventh of his IndyCar career. He also set a new qualifying record at the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course, eclipsing his teammate Helio Castroneves' 2007 record here.

Wilson's lap at 121.870 m.p.h. secured him the outside pole, while Scott Dixon, who was quickest in the first two qualifying rounds, ended up third in the final session.Graham Rahal will share the second row with Dixon.

"It's disappointing to miss it by that much," Wilson said. "We got a chance here starting second on the grid."

Castroneves and Dario Franchitti will occupy row three. Castroneves had won the pole for the first two races at Mid-Ohio.

"The car was handling very difficult and pushing quite hard," Castroneves said.

Ryan Hunter-Reay and Tony Kanaan will start from the fourth row, and E.J. Viso and Paul Tracy will roll off from row five. Tracy is filling in for Mario Moraes in the No.5 KV Racing Technology car this weekend while Moraes remains in Brazil after the passing of his father, Mario Ermirio de Moraes, earlier this week.

Andretti Green Racing teammates Hideki Mutoh and Danica Patrick will line up on row six.

Sunday's race is scheduled to start around 1:45 p.m. (et).

Wwwmoneyplayscasino Autoracing Betting News

<< Browns waive Shaun Smith
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns waived veteran defensive lineman Shaun Smith on Saturday. Smith, who signed with the Browns as a restricted free agent in 2007, played in 11 games last season. He started in 10 of

<< Orioles P Hill has surgery
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles pitcher Rich Hill underwent surgery Friday to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder. Hill, who was placed on the disabled list last week due to inflammation in the shoulder, went 3-3

<< Red Sox SS Lowrie put on DL
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox shortstop Jed Lowrie was placed on the 15-day disabled list with ulnar neuritis in his left wrist. Lowrie left Thursday's game against the Yankees due to an irritated forearm. He is batting .143

<< Ortiz: I never bought or used steroids
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Sox slugger David Ortiz broke his silence Saturday saying he never bought or used steroids, but acknowledged that he was careless when he purchased legal, over-the-counter vitamins or supplements. Speakin

<< Harvick captures Nationwide pole at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick edged Marcos Ambrose in Saturday's Nationwide Series qualifying at Watkins Glen International to take the pole position for the Zippo 200. Harvick, who was among the ninth and final

Eagles TE Ingram tears ACL; WR Jackson hurts knee >>
Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles tight end Cornelius Ingram was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Saturday. Ingram, a 2009 fifth-round draft pick out of the University of Florida

Bayern opens with draw at Hoffenheim >>
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivic Olic scored in his debut for Bayern Munich, but the 21-time Bundesliga champions couldn't hold on to hand new boss Louis van Gaal a win on his birthday in a 1-1 draw at Hoffenheim on Saturday. Olic

Rays claim Springer off waivers >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays claimed right-handed pitcher Russ Springer off waivers from the Oakland Athletics Saturday. The 40-year-old Springer pitched in 48 games for the A's this season and went 0-1 with a 4.10 ERA.

Song versus Johnson for U.S. Women's Am title >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jennifer Song and Jennifer Johnson both won their semifinal matches on Saturday, setting up the 36-hole final of the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. Song handled Tiffany Lua, 3 & 2, in Saturday's s

Lind's hit in 10th inning lifts Blue Jays past O's >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Lind's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning lifted Toronto past Baltimore, 3-2, in the middle contest of a three-game set at Rogers Centre. Danys Baez (4-6) allowed an infield single to Joe

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.