Sunday 8/9/15 service plays chatter/comps/requests & other stuff...

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Post your request, Comments or concerns here.
Good luck on all your plays.

When not viewing the service plays.
Make sure to enjoy the rest of what the RX has to offer.

First time here at the RX.
Make sure to visit the Newbies Room
Click here to go there now

 

[superbeets]

English Premier TODAY 13:30

Arsenal

v

West Ham

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		2/7	5	11	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT ARSENAL	RECENT FORM
HLADHDHWNWNW​ Most recent​	3 - 0 3 - 1 5 - 1 1 - 0	HWAWHWAL*HDAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Arsenal have not won in four of their last five openers

EXPERT VERDICT: West Ham’s inconsistent start to the Europa League has led to plenty of negativity around the club, but the competitive action may stand them in good stead in the first few weeks. The Hammers won’t be undercooked and could prove stubborn opponents for Arsenal, for whom expectations are very high.

RECOMMENDATION: Draw
1


REFEREE: Martin Atkinson STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

English Premier TODAY 16:00

Stoke

v

Liverpool

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS1		5/2	12/5	5/4	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT STOKE	RECENT FORM
HWHDALHWADHW​ Most recent​	6 - 1 3 - 5 3 - 1 1 - 2	ADALHWADHLAL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Liverpool have won two of their last eight games at the Britannia Stadium

EXPERT VERDICT: Revenge will be in the Britannia Stadium air but Liverpool may be found in their quest to gain vengeance for last season’s final-day humiliation at Stoke. The 6-1 defeat was a pitiful performance by an insipid Anfield outfit and it may take time for this side to develop its own charisma after the departure of talisman Steven Gerrard.

RECOMMENDATION: Stoke
1


REFEREE: Anthony Taylor STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Dutch Eredivisie TODAY 11:30

AZ Alkmaar

v

Ajax

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS4		2	5/2	5/4	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT AZ ALKMAAR	RECENT FORM
HWAWHWAWHWAW​ Most recent​	1 - 3 3 - 2 2 - 3 1 - 1	HDADHWALADHL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: New AZ signing Vincent Janssen scored ten goals in pre-season

EXPERT VERDICT: Ajax's season got off to a terrible start this week when they were eliminated from the Champions League at the third qualifying round stage and they face a tough start to their Eredivisie campaign in Alkmaar, who finished third last term and recruited well over the summer.

RECOMMENDATION: AZ Alkmaar
2

 

[superbeets]

English Championship TODAY 12:00

Preston

v

Middlesbro

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
SS5		23/10	23/10	7/5	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT PRESTON	RECENT FORM
ADAWHWALAWHW​ Most recent​	1 - 3 1 - 3 2 - 2 0 - 2	AWALHDAWHWNL​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Middlesbrough kept 21 clean sheets last season

EXPERT VERDICT: Preston were impressive in League One last season but a visit from Middlesbrough represents a baptism of fire back in the Championship. Boro boasted the tightest defensive unit in the second tier last term and have strengthened in attack over the summer, with the signing of Stewart Downing a real coup.

RECOMMENDATION: Middlesbrough
3


REFEREE: Chris Kavanagh STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

Scottish Premiership TODAY 12:30

Partick

v

Celtic

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
BT1		8	4	1/3	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT PARTICK	RECENT FORM
AWHWADHLADAD​ Most recent​	0 - 3 1 - 5 1 - 2 1 - 4	HWHWAWHWHWAD​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Both teams have scored in just three of Celtic’s last 11 away league games

EXPERT VERDICT: Partick were delighted to kick off their league campaign with a 0-0 draw at Hamilton after being reduced to ten men after just 25 minutes. Now they’ll be hoping that Celtic’s long trek back from Azerbaijan will give them a chance to be competitive, but the weary champions can still land the spoils.

RECOMMENDATION: Celtic to win 1-0
1


REFEREE: John Beaton STADIUM:

 

[superbeets]

English Premier TODAY 13:30

Newcastle

v

Southampton

	HOME	DRAW	AWAY
		15/8	23/10	17/10	More markets

​

RECENT FORM	LAST HEAD-TO-HEADSAT NEWCASTLE	RECENT FORM
HLHLALHDALHW​ Most recent​	1 - 2 1 - 1 4 - 2 1 - 0	ALALHWALHWAW​ Most recent​

KEY STAT: Newcastle lost nine of their last 11 league games

EXPERT VERDICT: Steve McClaren has a massive job at Newcastle to turn around the fortunes of a failing club and it could take time for the coach and his new signings to gel. Southampton have already played in the Europa League so should be at full speed and they beat the Toon home and away last season.

RECOMMENDATION: Southampton
2


REFEREE: Craig Pawson STADIUM:

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

ART ARONSON

1* Bonus Play Minnesota Vikings.

What you see is what you get each year from Pittsburgh, which builds through the draft, doesn’t sign a lot of free agents and basically comes at you. How much Ben Roethlisberger has left is a question asked every September given the number of hits he takes. The biggest change will be at defensive coordinator, where legend Dick Lebeau is gone – which may mean the LBs will be freer to attack the pocket.

The Vikes have Adrian Peterson back and things seem to have calmed down a bit in Minnesota. But then again, Mike Wallace has been on board for only a few months. Vikes are looking for a huge Year 2 improvement from Teddy Bridgewater and if they get it they can make things sticky in the North.

In 2014/15 the Steelers were 1-3 SU/ATS in the preseason and in 2013/14 they were 0-4 SU/ATS. After missing the playoffs in 2013/14, Pittsburgh returned last year only to lose 30-17 to the Ravens in the Wildcard round. Mike Tomlin has clearly not been very worried about winning in the preseason the last few years.

Last year the Vikes went 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in the preseason, after going 1-3 SU/ATS in 2013/14 and 1-3 SU/ATS in 2012/13. For a team which is desperately trying to get back to the playoffs, the preseason suddenly becomes a lot more important.

There are many players on Minnesota which have something to prove, while Pittsburgh will surely be happy to just go through the motions and leave Canton without any significant injuries.

Minnesota would seem to be the more motivated team in this one, consider laying the short points.

AAA Sports

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

TONY KARPINSKI
NFL | Aug 09, 2015
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Pittsburgh Steelers+3½

This is the annual Hall of Fame game and I am backing the Steelers in this one. I am excited to see the Steelers new look on defense as DC Butler replaces the legend LeBeau. This is a good chance to blitz often and test the Vikes QB's. Look for Steelers RB to see a lot of time because Bell is out 3 games with a suspension. Take the Steelers by 13 here on Sunday night.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Raphael Esparza

Pittsburgh /Minnesota Over 34½

Yes, I know most NFL Preseason Hall of Fame Games go under the total, but Sunday night I see offense ahead of defense. Both teams love to run the ball, but it wouldn't shock me to see the passing game established by both teams, and if that happens I see scoring early. Pittsburgh's defense is under new coaching, so we could see some early hiccups, and the Vikings offense could be a surprise all season long. So again this Hall of Fame game will go over the 34.5 number. This total opened at 34, and public money came in on the OVER early, and I see more public money being bet on the OVER until kickoff.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

WUNDERDOG

Pittsburgh +4

The preseason can be a good time to back underdogs, particulary in weeks one and four when so little is at stake. Here we find Pittsburgh as a dog despite winning a division title in 2014. That's because Minnesota went 4-0 last August under Mike Zimmer. However, Zimmer was a rookie head coach then and rookie coaches often want to show the fans and their new bosses that they hired the right man for the job. Zimmer has nothing to prove in 2015, coming off a decent inaugural season. This is still a rebuilding Vikings squad, one that has a young QB rotation and a defense ranked #25 against the run (121.4 yards per game). They face a talented and deep Steelers roster, one with a good QB rotation in Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones and Taj Boyd. Jones has shown improvement as the Steelers #3 QB, making the kind of progress over the past several practices in training camp that generally seemed to elude him over his first two seasons. A big reason is that he is playing with the big boys, throwing to targets such as Antonio Brown, Heath Miller, Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant, plus they add speedy rookie WR Sammie Coates (Auburn). Coach Mike Tomlin is 20-13 in preseason with all this talent, partly because he demands physical play even in August when many opponents are going through the motions to try to stay healthy. Even in practice the last week he was pleased with the physical play. This is a deep, talented young linebacking corps and the secondary has a slew of players fighting for roster spots with 26-year-old CB Cortez Allen and Mike Mitchell, plus rookies Senquez Golson (second round), Doran Grant and Gerod Holliman. Pittsburgh is on a 5-1 spread run and this shapes up as a good matchup for them. Take the Steelers.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

JIM FEIST

979) New York Mets

Your Bonus Play for Sunday, August 9, 2015 is in the MLB scheduled contest between the New York Mets and Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Mets continue to be one of the hottest teams in baseball, though they lost Saturday's game against the Rays, 5-4. The Mets jumped out to a big early lead but couldn't hold on. Still, the Mets have now won eight of their last 11 games. The offense has been hitting very good, averaging over five runs a game during that streak. Bartolo Colon has been inconsistent of late, but still a solid overall pitcher for the Mets this season. Colon went just 2 1/3 innings back on July 29th, allowing six runs to the Padres. But he rebounded nicely against the Marlins, pitching a strong eight innings and allowing just one run. Colon has also not walked a batter in his last 18 1/3 innings. The Rays snapped a two game losing streak with Saturday's win over the Mets. It was only their fourth win in their last nine games. Chris Archer is their Ace and goes today. He's been very good of late, allowing just five runs over his last four starts. However, he did give up nine runs to the Royals back on July 8. The Mets are a nice dog here and worth a play. They have been hot and if we get the "good" Colon here today, the Mets will be a great valued dog play. Play New York.

 

[Scott602]

Spartan has a GOY..

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

EPL Best Bets - Week 1
By Chris David

The 2015-16 English Premier League begins this weekend as 20 clubs will look to capture the championship.

Unlike other leagues played in the United States, the EPL has no postseason which makes every regular season just as important as the next.

While winning the championship is the ultimate goal, most pundits will tell you that the all-important achievement is finishing in the Top 4 and in some cases not finishing in the relegation zone, which consists of the final three spots.

Similar to other European soccer leagues, the EPL is very top-heavy, this year’s league is a four-horse race.

Odds to win 2015-16 English Premier League

Chelsea 3/2
Manchester City 5/2
Arsenal 7/2
Manchester United 9/2

After the top four betting choices, the next four teams are considered longshots.

Liverpool 20/1
Tottenham 100/1
Everton 250/1
Southampton 250/1

The final 12 clubs in the EPL have odds listed at 1000/1 or lower.

Despite what the oddsmakers believe, many will still tell you that the EPL is the best soccer league in the world from top to bottom.

For the opening week, I’ll take a closer look at the Top 4 clubs mentioned above and their matchups.

Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur (Saturday, 7:45 a.m. ET, NBCSN)

The Reds are as high as 5/8 (Bet $160 to win $100) favorites to earn three points, while bettors backing the Spurs can get close to 5/1 odds on the upset.

In the two meetings last season, Manchester earned a 3-0 win at Old Trafford and a scoreless draw on the road.

Tottenham was a respectable 9-4-6 on the road last season but it was a bit of a bully. Against the Top 4 clubs last season on the road, the Spurs were 0-1-3 and they gave up 11 goals. Include a 3-2 loss to Liverpool at Anfield and it’s hard to expect much from the club on the road.

The Reds dominated clubs at home last season, producing a 14-2-3 and the three losses came against inferior opponents as well, which included an opening week loss to Swansea City.

On Friday, manager Louis van Gaal announced that goalkeeper David De Gea has been dropped from the opener because he doesn’t believe his mind is fit due to transfer talk. Sam Johnstone is expected to relieve the best goalkeeper in the EPL.

Chelsea vs. Swansea City (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN)

The defending EPL champs open as heavy home favorites (-300) and it’s hard to imagine the Blues not earning a result in this matchup. Chelsea blasted Swansea 4-2 at home and 5-0 on the road in the two affairs last season, which saw the ‘over’ easily cash in both contests.

The Blues went 15-4-0 at home last season and the four draws all came in the second-half of the season. In 19 home games last year, the club allowed nine goals which helped the ‘under’ produce a 13-6 (68%). It might be hard to see that number change with the philosophy and back line still intact. Make a note that Chelsea could have a possible

Swansea was outscored 27-19 on the road last season which led to a 7-3-9 record. One lean that could have you backing the visitor is the look-ahead angle since Chelsea travels to Manchester City in Week 2.

The latest betting trends at Sportsbook.ag show that their users are backing the Draw at 5/1 odds.

Arsenal vs. West Ham United (Sunday, 8:30 a.m. ET, NBCSN)

The Gunners have been made the biggest favorites in Week 1, listed as high as minus-400 (Bet $100 to win $25) at some Las Vegas based casinos. The number isn’t surprising, considering Arsenal has won nine straight encounters against West Ham United and five of those wins came at home. During this span at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal has outscored West Ham 14-2, which includes a 3-0 victory last March.

Some bettors could be hesitant backing Arsenal at a huge price and it should be known that they had five draws at home. West Ham only won three road games last season but they did manage to salvage points

The total opened at 2.5 at most shops but most books have pushed it up to 3 goals and based on last year’s trends for Arsenal, it’s hard to disagree with an ‘over’ lean. The Gunners were 24-14 to the ‘over’ which includes a 13-6 mark at home.

Arsenal has scored 11 combined goals in their last three home games versus West Ham United, which makes you believe the Gunners should net at least three in the opener but you wonder if WHU can help the cause.

Manchester City at West Bromwich (Monday, 3:00 p.m. ET, NBCSN)

Last game of Week 1 takes place from The Hawthorns where West Bromwich Albion (+465) will look to capture the big upset Manchester City (-160) at home. It’s not going to be easy for the Baggies, who are inferior in talent and confidence. City has won seven straight meetings in this series which include a pair of 3-1 victories last season.

As mentioned above, City does host Chelsea next week so it could get caught napping in this clash. Last season, West Brom was one of seven clubs to have a negative goal differential (-2) at home. Giving you more reason to not expect an upset, City netted a league-high 39 road goals last season and its plus-15 (39-24) goal differential was also tops in the EPL as well.

Fearless Predictions

Similar to other sports, I’ll attempt to provide winners on a weekly basis and offer up my Best Bets each week for your entertainment. For now, let’s ease into the campaign.

Straight - Over 2.5 (+100) Bournemouth-Aston Villa – 2 Units

Straight – Southampton-New Castled United DRAW (+230) – 1 Unit

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Premier League betting preview: Chelsea look poised for silverware yet again
By SOCCER AUTHORITY

Footy expert Soccer Authority takes a look at the Big 4 of the English Premier League, focusing on strengths, weaknesses, transfers in and out and where smart money should be when betting Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City during the new Premier League campaign.

Arsenal

Transfers In: Petr Cech (GK)
Transfers Out: N/A

Strengths

Home form. The Gunners scored the second most Goals at home this season, second only to Manchester City.

Alexis Sanchez. One of the players of the year last year with an impressive tally of Goals and Assists. If the Chilean can replicate the form he showed last season, Arsenal will be looking good for another title challenge.

Weaknesses

Arsenal still lack consistency. Last year, we saw a handful of poor performances against much weaker opposition at the start of the season which ruined their title chances.

Getting wins against the "Big 4" hasn't been easy for Arsenal in recent years, expect them to struggle against the likes of Chelsea, Man City, and Man Utd this season.

Smart Money

When betting on Arsenal games this season, keep an eye on the Over 2.5 Goals. If you had bet on Overs in every Premier League game last year, you would have had roughly a 8-10 percent return on investment.


Chelsea

Transfers In: Begovic (backup GK), Radamel Falcao (FW)
Transfers Out: Didier Drogba (FW), Felipe Luis (LB), Petr Cech (GK)

Strengths

Chelsea’s one weakness last season was their depth in the striker position and this was evident whenever Diego Costa got injured. The arrival of Radamel Falcao should resolve that problem. He has had many critics since arriving in the Premier League but we believe Jose Mourinho can get the best out of this player.

Jose Mourinho knows how to win titles and will do whatever it takes to retain the Premier League title. Expect Chelsea to have another rock-solid defense this season with emphasis being put on winning more that style.

Weaknesses

There are not many weaknesses in this side, but with John Terry turning 35 this year we may see his form start to slide.

Smart Money

Chelsea ‘To win to Nil’ at home was a market we profited from a lot last year. Eleven of their 15 home wins last season were ‘To Nil’ as they conceded just nine home goals in total and six of the wins were 2-0 scores


Manchester City

Transfers In: Raheem Sterling (FW), Fabian Delph (CM)
Transfers Out: James Milner

Strengths

Sergio Aguero was the League’s Top Goalscorer last season with an impressive 26 Goals in 33 appearances. If he can repeat this form next season there’s no reason Man City won’t be challenging for the title.

Like Arsenal, Man City have an impressive record at home. Since 2011-12 they’ve won 63 of 76 home games with just five defeats!

Weaknesses

City’s form on the road was ther downfall last season with points dropped against weak opposition including Burnley and Crystal Palace. Since 2011-12, Man City have only won 51 percent of away games, if they are to challenge for the title they must improve on the road.

Smart Money

Over 3.5 Total Goals - Since Pellegrini became coach, City’s games have averaged 3.42 goals per game with 47 percent having at least four goals.


Manchester United

Transfers In: Matteo Darmian (RB), Bastian Schweinsteiger (CM), Memphis Depay (FW), Morgan Schneiderlin (CM)
Transfers Out: Robin Van Persie, Radamel Falcao (Loan)

Strengths

Man Utd were fantastic against the Premier League elite clubs last season with an average of 1.8 points picked up per game against the “Top 6” The only team they failed to beat were Chelsea.

Squad Depth. As always Man Utd have a wealth of talent in most positions and with the addition of this summers tranfers we should see a notable improvement this season.

Weaknesses

Man Utd’s defense last season was the weakeset part of their game, and without the heroics of David De Gea we wouldn’t have seen them finish in the Top 4. If they’re to challenge for the title this is one area of their game that must improve.

Goals scored. United struggled in front of goal with both Van Persie and Falcao failing to impress. Last season Man Utd only scored 62 Goals, their worst total since 2005.

Smart Money

Under 2.5 Goals when playing away from home. United scored just 11 goals in their last 12 away games last season as 11 of their 19 away games had fewer than three goals'

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Cheez-It 355 at The Glen
By Micah Roberts

It's time for the best type of racing we'll see all season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series where driver skill is heightened and ownership power is lessened. Yes, it's road course racing at Watkins Glen International in New York, the second road course race of the season.

It's terrible we only get two road course races, and it's even worse that one of the road races aren't in the Chase. Now, we put the two road courses in the same category because they're roads, but they're so vastly different from the ovals. From a road course stand point, Watkins Glen is about as different from Sonoma Raceway as Martinsville is to Daytona.

This is a much faster course then what we saw in June at Sonoma with all its elevation changes.

An example of how vastly different they are can be looked at the qualifying speeds from the last race on each. A.J. Allmendinger was on the pole at Sonoma with speed at 96.31 mph. Jeff Gordon won last years pole at Watkins Glen at 129.466 mph. Sonoma, technical. Watkins Glen, fast straightaways.

We don’t talk a lot about A.J. Allmendinger for 34 of the 36 races each year, but in those two races -- the road courses -- is where he becomes one of the favorites. He won his first and only career race at The Glen last season in a brilliant effort where took the lead with three laps to go over road ace Marcos Ambrose. The win made him eligible for the Chase, which he hopes to duplicate Sunday.

Ambrose is no longer racing in America, which means that Allmendinger chances of winning are greatly enhanced. And it’s logically his only real chance to make this years Chase.

Kyle Busch started his incredible run of winning four of five races at Sonoma. He beat brother Kurt Busch to the finish line by a half-second. Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano rounded out the top-five.

Watkins Glen runs different than Sonoma, but it still takes a skilled all-around driver to master both the left and right turns where entering and exiting turns is where the best take advantage. There are quite a few drivers that raced mostly on ovals their entire life that regularly struggle when asked to make right and left turns.

The last season Kyle Busch had that was similar to what he’s doing lately was in 2008, a year where he swept both road races. He also won at The Glen in 2013. There’s no reason to believe he won’t be racing for the win, and no reason to believe he shouldn’t be considered the favorite. That is unless you believe his 40th-place finish in last years Watkins Glen race is relevant.

Jeff Gordon is widely considered the best NASCAR road racer because of his nine career wins. However, the fact remains that he hasn’t won on a road course since 2006 at Sonoma and he hasn’t won at Watkins Glen since 2001. From 1997-99, Gordon won three straight Watkins Glen events. However, he hasn’t had a top-five there since that 2001 win.

Gordon looks to be in decent position to make the Chase on points even if he doesn’t win a race, but like Allmendinger, this might present his best chance to seal the deal. Three top-fives in 21 races isn’t very Gordon-like, and a terrible way to send out the four-time champ.

Car owner Rick Hendrick should have heads rolling in the garage to make things better for the driver that took the Hendrick name into the Hall of Fame. For whatever reason, Gordon hasn’t been given equipment that matches Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. within the stable. That’s too bad, but don’t be surprised if you see that spark ignited within the No. 24 team in the near future.

Brad Keselowski is a driver that averages a 19th-place finish at Sonoma, but was runner-up for three straight season at Watkins Glen from 2011-13. Last season he finished 35th, but look for another finish fighting for the win. This time he doesn’t have to race Ambrose won two of the races Keselowski finished second in.

Kurt Busch finished third in this race last season and had a career-best second-place in 2010. He’s been better at Sonoma, where he won in 2011, but the Stewart Haas horsepower is going to have him fare well on the straights. Look for a possible 1-2 Busch brothers finish again like Sonoma, just maybe not the same order of finish.

Kyle Larson adapted well at Watkins Glen last season with fourth-place and Carl Edwards has finished in the top-five in the last two. Edwards won at Sonoma last season. Harvick won at The Glen in 2006 and was seventh last season.

Watkins Glen is one of four tracks that Johnson has never won on over his career, but he’s always run competitively off the ovals with a 13.9 average in 13 starts. His lone road course win came at Sonoma in 2010.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #41 Kurt Busch (10/1)
2) #18 Kyle Busch (5/1)
3) #19 Carl Edwards (12/1)
4) #2 Brad Keselowski (10/1)
5) #47 A.J. Allmendinger (7/1)

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Drivers to Watch - Watkins Glen

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Cheez-It 355 at the Glen
Sunday, August 9th – 2:00 p.m. EDT
Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY

The NASCAR circuit will make the short trip north from the Poconos to Watkins Glen for the Cheez-It 355 this week, a 90-lap, 220.5-mile race that has been held on at this venue since 1957. This is just one of two road courses during the season, the other being Sonoma Raceway, and will bring plenty of specialty drivers to race specifically at these type of tracks.

Both Tony Stewart (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009) and Jeff Gordon (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001) have proven to be a couple of the best drivers when at these type of venues, but without them taking home the trophy in any of the past five years, it is time for some new names to make a mark on the winding asphalt.

Last year it was A.J. Allmendinger who took the checkered flag at the end of the 220+ miles, earning his first career victory behind a time of 2:26:48 with an average speed of 90.123 MPH.

Watkins Glen has been a hotbed for new names to get wins since the likes of Gordon and Stewart with Juan Pablo Montoya (2010), Marcos Ambros (2011, 2012) and Allmendinger (2014) all getting Sprint Cup Series wins at road courses only. In the first visit to a road course this year, the Busch brothers, led by Kyle, went one-two at Sonoma and it was Kyle who has won here (2008 and 2013) twice before as well.

With only five more races before “The Chase”, let’s find a few racers who could do well on the turns at Watkins Glen this week.

Drivers to Watch

A.J. Allmendinger (9/2) - There is a reason that a guy who is 24th in the Sprint Cup Series standings is the favorite this week to win; he is a much better road racer. In 2015, he has just three top-10 finishes over 21 starts and has failed to crack the top-five once, even at Sonoma where he failed to finish the race. Despite that, he is solid on the twisting road courses and is 6-for-13 in getting top-10s at such tracks in his career while having his one win here last year. He has another top-five in that time and his 94.7 driver rating is seventh among current drivers at Watkins Glen. It had been since the beginning of March that the 34-year-old had cracked the top-10 this season, but he was able to get his act together leading up to this race and ended last week’s race in the Pocono’s in seventh after a pole of 22nd. His team is coming around at the right time to put up a huge performance at the Glen on Saturday.

Kyle Busch (6/1) - Busch is the other obvious choice here and although his odds put him lower than Allmendinger, his experience at winning over his career and recent success make him a nice pick. He took down Sonoma back in June and was also the victor here in 2013, two of his four career victories on road courses. Not only has he been very successful at finishing off the races at these types of tracks, but he has been on fire since returning to the Sprint Cup Series in May and has won four of his 10 races in that time. Busch has won in four of the last six weeks, and looked to have another win under his belt last week after winning the pole, but ran out of gas at the end and finished in 21st after leading for 19 laps. Look for Busch to once again show up in a big way and continue his quest to make “The Chase.”

Brad Keselowski (8/1) - Keselowski has limited experience at Watkins Glen, but in his five career visits to the track has earned himself three top-five finishes; all second places over three consecutive seasons between 2011 and 2013. He has a driver rating of 102.8 here (5th-best) and has spent 78.3% of his time (637 laps) in the top-15 (2nd-most) with an average green flag speed of 119.971 MPH (5th-fastest). His season has been similar to his results at the Glen as he has one victory while typically finishing just outside of first with three runners-up. Two of those came in the past three weeks; including in Pennsylvania as he took a start of ninth and led for three laps before giving it up to Matt Kenseth. The 31-year-old knows how to win as evidenced by his 17 career victories and he could be in line for his first win on a road course at the Cheez-It 355.

Kasey Kahne (30/1) - Kahne has hit road courses 23 times in his career, and has a solid average finish of 18.7 while also earning a victory in Sonoma in 2009. He has been having a very rocky 2015 campaign, and has not done better than 19th at any of his last five stops as he comes off of a 43rd last week. But still, he is ranked 16th in the Sprint Cup standings with six top-10s in 21 races, with the last unsurprisingly coming at Sonoma where he grabbed an eighth after starting in 26th. Kahne has faded recently, but he should pick things up once again and have no issues competing for a top-10 finish with a chance at the top spot.

Trevor Bayne (Field: 100/1) - Much of the reason that Bayne is so low in the odds is that he has nearly zero experience racing on the road courses in the Sprint Cup Series. His visit to Sonoma this year was his first exposure to such a track and he actually fared quite well with a standing of 24th; a nice improvement over his start of 33rd. The youngster is fighting for a spot in “The Chase” for the first time after doing no better than 53rd in the past and has done so behind three of his career six top-10s this year; including two in the past seven races. Of the underdogs here this week, Bayne seems to be the best bet as his stock will continue to rise and he has plenty of wins coming in his future.


Odds to win Cheez-It 355 at the Glen -

AJ Allmendinger 9/2
Kurt Busch 6/1
Kyle Busch 6/1
Brad Keselowski 8/1
Jimmie Johnson 8/1
Kevin Harvick 8/1
Joey Logano 10/1
Carl Edwards 12/1
Jeff Gordon 15/1
Martin Truex Jr. 15/1
Tony Stewart 15/1
Clint Bowyer 20/1
Denny Hamlin 20/1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 30/1
Jamie McMurray 30/1
Kasey Kahne 30/1
Matt Kenseth 30/1
Sam Hornish Jr 30/1
Greg Biffle 50/1
Kyle Larson 50/1
Ryan Newman 50/1
Paul Menard 60/1
Aric Almirola 100/1
Austin Dillon 100/1
Boris Said 100/1
Casey Mears 100/1
Danica Patrick 100/1
Justin Allgaier 100/1
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 100/1
Field (Any Other Driver) 100/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

Allmendinger powers to pole position at Watkins Glen
By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service
Distributed by The Sports Xchange

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- AJ Allmendinger would like nothing better than a good, strong case of deja vu.

"Hopefully, we're reliving last year," Allmendinger said after putting his No. 47 JTG/Daugherty Chevrolet on the pole for Sunday's Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN).

Last year the road course ace barged into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup by winning at Watkins Glen from the sixth starting position.

On Saturday at the 2.45-mile road course, Allmendinger posted the only sub-69-second lap (1:08.993) to win the pole at 127.839 mph, edging Martin Truex Jr. (127.569 mph) for the top starting spot in the 22nd NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.

Tony Stewart (127.481 mph) qualified third, followed by Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick (127.416 mph) and four-time Watkins Glen winner Jeff Gordon (127.181 mph), who is making his final start at the Central New York road course as a full-time Sprint Cup driver.

The Coors Light Pole Award was the fourth of Allmendinger's career, his first at Watkins Glen and his second of the season -- and it marked a dramatic turnaround from a disappointing final practice on Friday afternoon, when Allmendinger was 28th on the speed chart.

"I didn't do a good job (on Friday)," Allmendinger said. "They saved me. They gave me a good race car. ... I don't know if I'll sleep any better tonight, but I'll be ready for tomorrow."

As he tries for a repeat performance, Allmendinger will have a familiar chassis under him.

"It's the same car we ran last year, the same car we ran at Sonoma," said Allmendinger, who also won the pole for the West Coast road course race in June. "But they put a lot more work into it over the winter to make sure it was lighter, we got the right tools that we needed into the car to make it faster."

Clearly, there's pressure on Allmendinger to qualify for the Chase, but most of it is self-generated.

"There isn't any more pressure than I put on myself," he said. "These guys (his team) deserve it. I want to lift them on my shoulders and carry them to Victory Lane. Last year was special and it just makes you want to do it more and more.

"But the outside, there ain't nothing there (in terms of pressure). It's all inside here that I put the pressure on myself, and I'm going to go try to make it happen. These guys deserve it."

Kyle Larson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Austin Dillon will start from positions six through 10 on the grid. TJ Bell failed to make the 43-car field.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying - Cheez-It 355

Watkins Glen International

Watkins Glen, New York

Saturday, August 08, 2015

1. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 127.839 mph.

2. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 127.569 mph.

3. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 127.481 mph.

4. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 127.416 mph.

5. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 127.181 mph.

6. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 126.948 mph.

7. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 126.912 mph.

8. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 126.868 mph.

9. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 126.828 mph.

10. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 126.788 mph.

11. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 126.112 mph.

12. (51) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 125.980 mph.

13. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 126.826 mph.

14. (41) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 126.790 mph.

15. (19) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 126.677 mph.

16. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 126.610 mph.

17. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 126.595 mph.

18. (15) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 126.584 mph.

19. (55) David Ragan, Toyota, 126.533 mph.

20. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 126.488 mph.

21. (43) Aric Almirola, Ford, 126.092 mph.

22. (10) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 126.068 mph.

23. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 126.040 mph.

24. (9) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 125.995 mph.

25. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 125.923 mph.

26. (20) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 125.890 mph.

27. (83) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 125.849 mph.

28. (27) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 125.781 mph.

29. (13) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 125.775 mph.

30. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 125.616 mph.

31. (95) Michael McDowell, Ford, 125.573 mph.

32. (34) Chris Buescher(i), Ford, 125.452 mph.

33. (35) Cole Whitt, Ford, 125.217 mph.

34. (6) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 124.744 mph.

35. (33) Alex Kennedy #, Chevrolet, 124.615 mph.

36. (40) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 124.068 mph.

37. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, Owner Points

38. (32) Boris Said(i), Chevrolet, Owner Points

39. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Owner Points

40. (46) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, Owner Points

41. (26) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, Owner Points

42. (23) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, Owner Points

43. (98) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Owner Points

1 drivers failed to qualify.

44. (62) TJ Bell(i), Chevrolet, 123.607 mph.

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

A.J. Allmendinger favored in the Cheez-It 355
By JUSTIN HARTLING

A.J. Allmendinger edged out Martin Truex Jr. to take the pole at the Watkins Glen International Sunday. With the pole, Allmendinger also landed the top odds to win the Cheez-It 355.

This is only the second pole of the season for Allmendinger who finished last race seventh, which is one of his three Top 10's this season.

Below is the complete list of odds for the field at the Cheez-It 355 courtesy of the Westgate LV Superbook:

AJ ALLMENDINGER 9/1
KEVIN HARVICK 5/1
KYLE BUSCH 6/1
BRAD KESELOWSKI 8/1
MARTIN TRUEX JR 8/1
JEFF GORDON 8/1
KURT BUSCH 10/1
JOEY LOGANO 15/1
JIMMIE JOHNSON 15/1
TONY STEWART 15/1
CARL EDWARDS 20/1
DALE EARNHARDT JR 20/1
KYLE LARSON 25/1
CLINT BOWYER 35/1
JAMIE McMURRAY 60/1
SAM HORNISH JR 60/1
MATT KENSETH 60/1
KASEY KAHNE 75/1
DENNY HAMLIN 75/1
GREG BIFFLE 100/1
RYAN NEWMAN 100/1
PAUL MENARD 100/1
AUSTIN DILLON 100/1
JUSTIN ALLGAIER 100/1
ARIC ALMIROLA 300/1
DANICA PATRICK 300/1
CASEY MEARS 300/1
BORIS SAID 500/1
RICKY STENHOUSE JR 500/1
FIELD 500/1

 

[Can'tPickaWinner2]

WNBA Betting Recap - 7/27-8/2
By Joe Williams

League Betting Notes (from Monday, July 27 through Sunday, Aug. 2)

-- Favorites went 16-1 straight up
-- Favorites went 9-8 against the spread (ATS)
-- Home teams posted a 10-7 SU record
-- Road teams posted a 9-8 ATS record
-- The 'over' went 10-7

Team Betting Notes

-- Los Angeles (5-14) has won back-to-back games for the second straight time this season, and they're 2-0 SU/ATS in their past two road outings. Overall the Sparks have covered three straight, and four of the past five while the 'over' has hit in three in a row.

-- Indiana (11-8) has won three straight games after dumping Connecticut (9-9). The Fever have covered three in a row after an 0-3-1 ATS run. Indiana plays at Chicago (12-8) Tuesday. The Fever is 0-3 SU/ATS against the Sky this season.

-- The 'under' hit for the Sky Sunday, but the 'over' has been the play going 13-8, including 2-1 against the Fever, including their home game June 5 against Indiana.

-- New York (13-6) got back on track Sunday afternoon with a win over Seattle (5-16). The Liberty has won six of their past seven, but they have failed to cover three of the past four.

-- After a pre-All-Star break hiccup, Phoenix (12-7) has won three straight, including each of their past two on the road. The Mercury failed to cover for the sixth time in the past seven outings heading into their game Tuesday against Tulsa (10-11). They're 2-0 SU/ATS against the Shock this season.

-- The Shock are in quite the tailspin, losers of six in a row, and they have posted an 0-5-1 ATS mark during the stretch after covering their first eight.

-- San Antonio (6-14) dropped a second straight Sunday, and they have failed to cover in two in a row after a four-game cover streak. The Stars have been up and down all season, and they travel to Connecticut Tuesday.

-- Washington (11-7) lost Sunday in Chicago for the first time in six games, but they have covered in a season-high six straight. They host the Stars Wednesday, a team they rolled 88-53 in San Antonio July 31.