Nationwide Series heads to Iowa

Autoracing Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Newton, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Saturday, July 31. Race: U.S. Cellular 250. Site: Iowa Speedway. Track: 0.875-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 250. Miles: 218.75. 2009 winner: Brad Keselowski. Television: ESPN 2. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.

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.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.