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07/27/2010 - Long Pond, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All three of NASCAR's national touring series are in action this weekend, with the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series at Pocono and the Nationwide Series at Iowa. Formula One heads to Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series
Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 - Pocono Raceway - Pocono, PA
Sprint Cup Series teams travel to Pocono Raceway for the second time within the past two months. If there is one driver who's looking forward to returning to Pocono the most, it's Denny Hamlin.
Pocono has been Hamlin's house lately. He won here one year ago and then again in June. If he wins Sunday's 500-mile race, he will become the third driver to score three consecutive victories at Pocono. Tim Richmond accomplished the feat from 1986-87, and Bobby Allison turned the trick from 1982-83.
Hamlin, currently third in points, is tied with Jimmie Johnson for most victories so far this season with five.
The driver with the most wins after the September 11 race in Richmond, VA will enter the championship Chase in the first seed. All 12 drivers who qualify for the playoffs -- the last 10 events of the season -- will have their point totals adjusted to 5,000. Each driver will then have 10 bonus points added for every race he won during the 26-event regular season.
"It's good that we're going back in a relatively close time frame; obviously, we run really well there," Hamlin said. "In my mind, we have a lot of really good tracks coming up. A lot of tracks that we just won at we're getting ready to go back to. We need to get two more wins I feel like before the Chase starts to kind of solidify where we will be bonus-points wise when we get to the Chase."
Hamlin is tied with Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip and Richmond for second most wins at Pocono with four. Bill Elliott holds the track record with five victories. Hamlin's first two wins at Pocono came during rookie season in 2006.
The battle for the top-12 spots in the Chase remains tight with six races to go before it begins. Heading into Pocono, 283 points separate eighth-place Matt Kenseth from 17th-place Kasey Kahne.
Clint Bowyer currently holds the 12th position, while 13th-place Mark Martin is 62 points behind Bowyer. Last year, Martin finished second in points and scored five victories. The 51-year-old driver has yet to win in 2010.
After winning the Brickyard 400 last Sunday, Jamie McMurray kept his Chase hopes alive, as he advanced two positions in the standings to 16th. McMurray, who became the third driver to win both the Daytona 500 and the 400-mile race at Indianapolis in the same season, is now 151 points out of 12th-place.
"Everyone wants to make the Chase," McMurray said. "Getting to win the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 means more to me this year than making the Chase. This year or in 10 years, the guy that won that race one time everybody will talk about. The guy that finished third in the points, nobody cares. I would really like to be in the Chase, but I have no focus on that at all."
Pocono, dubbed "The Tricky Triangle," is one of the most unique tracks on the Cup schedule with its 2.5-mile triangular shape.
Though Indianapolis has a rectangular-shaped layout, Pocono somewhat resembles Indy, with both tracks having relatively flat banking. The banking in each of Indy's four turns is nine degrees, whereas Pocono's corners vary from six to 14 degrees.
The July race at Pocono used to run prior to Indianapolis until 2007. Now, Indy is scheduled one week before Pocono.
"It used to be that if you ran good at Pocono, then you had a good shot at running good at Indy," driver/owner Tony Stewart said. "I don't know if it's still correlated the last couple years with the new car. The thing about Indy is that it's got a couple little bumps here and there, but when you go to Pocono, it's rough and bumpy. The setups are quite a bit different now."
Forty-five teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500.
Nationwide Series
U.S. Cellular 250 - Iowa Speedway - Newton, IA
While the Sprint Cup and Camping World Truck Series run at Pocono Raceway, the Nationwide Series competes at Iowa Speedway. It's the second time NASCAR's second-tier series races at the 0.875-mile oval.
Eight drivers -- Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard, Michael McDowell, Joe Nemechek and Reed Sorenson -- will do the Pocono/Iowa combo this weekend.
Keselowski currently holds a 205-point lead over Edwards.
Last Saturday at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, Edwards' 2nd-place finish compared to an eight-place run for Keselowski allowed Edwards to trim 23 points from Keselowski's lead.
"We had a great race last week at O'Reilly Raceway Park and made up some ground in the championship run; we need to build on that at Iowa," Edwards said.
Keselowski is the defending race winner at Iowa.
When the series competed at Iowa for the first time one year ago, Keselowski and his then crew chief, Tony Eury Sr., gambled on old tires. Keselowski remained on the track, while most of the leaders pitted during a late-race caution. He managed to pass Kyle Busch for the lead with nine laps to go and then held off Busch for the win.
In addition to his race winnings, Keselowski collected a $75,000 bonus from series title sponsor Nationwide Insurance for scoring the victory in the third "Dash 4 Cash" event on the 2009 schedule. Full-time series regulars and part- time/limited series-only regulars are those eligible for the insurance company's bonus program. No driver earned the prize money at Nashville and Kentucky earlier in the season.
In April, Harvick, who was then a full-time Nationwide competitor, won $25,000 in the first "Dash 4 Cash" race of the year at Nashville. Joey Logano wasn't eligible for the bonus when he won in June at Kentucky, so the bonus has rolled over to $50,000 for Iowa. Harvick and Busch will not eligible at Iowa, as they will try to spoil the reward for the regulars.
"I'm pretty excited about going back to Iowa Speedway for the Nationwide Series race," Harvick said. "Last year, we didn't have the finish we wanted due to a parts failure, but I'm ready to go back and show what we can really do at Iowa."
Forty-seven teams are on the preliminary entry list for the U.S. Cellular 250.
Camping World Truck Series
Pocono Mountains 125 - Pocono Raceway - Pocono, PA
The Camping World Truck Series will compete at Pocono Raceway for the first time this weekend. The series' inaugural stop at Pocono marks the final track currently hosting a Sprint Cup race at which trucks have yet to compete.
This will not be the first time the series competes in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Truck teams used to run at the now defunct Nazareth Speedway in Nazareth, PA from 1996-2001.
Saturday's race at the 2.5-mile Pocono track is scheduled to be 125 miles in length, which means it's a 50-lap shootout.
"I think adding Pocono is great for the series, and by making it a 50-lap race, you are sure to see a lot of action," said four-time and defending series champion Ron Hornaday. "I know that going down in to turn one, you better have a good spot, because we will probably be four or five wide."
Hornaday has previous experience at Pocono, with two Cup starts here during the 2001 season, when he drove the No.14 car for team owner A.J. Foyt.
Last Friday, Hornaday ended a 22-race winless streak at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Hornaday recorded his 46th career truck victory, but his first since August 1, 2009 at Nashville. He currently is fourth in points (-212).
Todd Bodine is the current leader, holding a 177-point advantage over Aric Almirola. Bodine is another driver who has previous experience at Pocono.
"I think you're going to see a heck of a race," Bodine said. "I know everybody is saying that. The way the trucks are and the drafting that's involved, the way Pocono is, long straightaways with a little bit slower corner, drafting is going to be very large, it's going to be critical.
"I think a lot of the veteran drivers like myself and [Mike] Skinner and Hornaday, guys that have competed there in the Cup Series, we're going to have a little advantage for a while. But I think that the guys in the Truck Series are good enough and the teams are good enough that they're going to catch up."
Three Sprint Cup regulars -- Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler -- also will compete in the truck race at Pocono.
Kahne is driving the No.18 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch will be in Iowa on Saturday for the Nationwide race there. Kahne is undefeated in two career truck starts. He won the last two races of the 2004 season -- Darlington and Homestead.
"Kyle and I had been talking about it for a while, and I told him I was interested in running a truck race or two for KBM this year," Kahne said. "He had another obligation with the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday, so he asked if I could race his truck. It's a great opportunity for me to come back to the series and compete with really good equipment. I've watched Kyle put the team together, and it's really been impressive how well they've done this year as a first-year team."
The format for truck qualifying at Pocono will be considerably different. The qualifying order is set by inverting the times from Friday's final practice session. Trucks are released in approximately 25-second increments, and drafting is prohibited.
Thirty-seven teams are on the preliminary entry list for Pocono Mountains 125.
FORMULA ONE
Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring - Budapest, Hungary
Days after their controversial 1-2 finish in the German Grand Prix, Ferrari is hoping its momentum continues for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, but without any dispute.
Fernando Alonso claimed the victory at Hockenheim, but his teammate, Felipe Massa, was robbed of a potential win after his Ferrari team instructed him to move aside and allow Alonso to take the lead with 20 laps remaining.
Shortly before Alonso made his winning pass, Massa's race engineer, Rob Smedley, told his driver over the radio that "Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understand the message?" Massa wound up finishing second.
Formula One's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), determined Ferrari breached sporting regulations and fined the Italian team $100,000. Race stewards determined Ferrari gave team orders to Massa, which interfered with the race result.
Stewards also have forwarded their decision to the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) for further review. It means Ferrari could face additional penalties.
Lewis Hamilton from McLaren holds the world championship lead heading into Budapest. Hamilton has accumulated 157 points so far this season, compared to 143 for his teammate and defending champion Jenson Button. Red Bull Racing teammates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are tied with 136 points each, while Alonso sits fifth in the standings with 123.
Hamilton is the defending winner of the Hungarian GP. Last year in Budapest, He started fourth but overtook Mark Webber for second in the opening laps. Alonso, the pole sitter, lost his right-front tire just after making his first pit stop on lap 11. That allowed Hamilton to take the lead and run in front for the remainder of the 70-lap event, as he finished nearly 12 seconds ahead of then Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen.
"I love racing in Hungary," Hamilton said. "I've always run well there. I won in 2007, and winning there last year was one of the best races of my career in terms of sheer satisfaction. The whole team was elated with that result, because we'd just performed one of the greatest turnarounds in the sport, coming from the back of the grid at the start to take victory."
But last year's Hungarian GP was rather subdued following Massa's near-fatal crash in qualifying.
During the second segment of qualifying (Q2), Massa ran off the course in turn four and slammed head on into the tire barrier after being struck on the head by a spring that came off of Rubens Barrichello's car. He underwent surgery for a fractured skull. Massa also suffered a concussion and an injury to his left eye during the incident.
The Brazilian sat out the remainder of the 2009 season.
"It was a difficult time, almost a year ago," Massa said. "It was a very difficult time for me. Somebody was saying that I still need to be here, so I'm here, very happy and working, still doing my job, so let's go back to Hungary and try to achieve a good result there."
The 2.722-mile (4.381 km), 16-turn Hungaroring road course is located 12 miles northeast of Budapest and is set in a natural amphitheater. Overtaking is quite difficult since the circuit is very narrow with a lot of corners. The pole sitter for the Hungarian GP has gone on to win six of the last 11 times.
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Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
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