Biffle, Bowyer looking to clinch last two Chase spots at Richmond

Autoracing Betting Lines

09/08/2010 - Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Saturday, September 11. Race: Air Guard 400. Site: Richmond International Raceway. Track:0.75-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 400. Miles: 300. 2009 winner: Denny Hamlin. Television: ABC. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN) /SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.

Heading into Saturday's regular season-ending race at Richmond International Raceway, 10 drivers have already secured a spot in the 12-man field for the championship Chase.

The last two Chase berths technically remain up for grabs, but Greg Biffle is almost assured he will make the playoffs. Biffle, currently 11th in points, is 161 points ahead of 13th-place Ryan Newman and needs only a 42nd-place finish or better, regardless of where Newman finishes, to lock down his position.

"We basically just have to start the race in Richmond to lock in our Chase spot, but I won't breathe easy until we finish that race," Biffle said.

Clint Bowyer, presently 12th in the standings, holds a comfortable 117-point advantage over Newman, but anything can happen, especially on the three- quarter-mile Richmond track.

"I need to make sure I don't screw up, first and foremost," Bowyer said. "In the end, you need to make sure you don't beat yourself. I've been in this situation before. Even though there is a lot of pressure, we need to go out there and do what we've been doing all year long."

If Bowyer finishes 28th or better, he will qualify for the Chase. Bowyer has performed well at Richmond during his Cup career, finishing no worse than 18th in nine races here.

"Richmond is definitely the place I feel the most comfortable laying it out on the line," Bowyer added. "It's one of my favorite race tracks where I've won at in the past, so it gives us an extra boost of confidence."

Bowyer's second and most recent Cup victory came in May 2008 at Richmond.

Three drivers -- Newman, Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin -- are outside the top-12 and have a very slim chance of making the Chase. Anyone within 161 points of 12th place mathematically remains in contention with one race to go before the Chase begins.

"Mathematically, we have a chance, and for an engineering guy, I guess that means something," Newman said. "But I can only try my hardest, and I did that [last Sunday at Atlanta]. We can't expect to make it all up in one shot."

Despite winning the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 earlier this season, McMurray sits 128 points behind Bowyer in 14th place.

Martin is 147 points out in 15th. Martin, in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports last year, recorded five wins and finished second to champion and teammate Jimmie Johnson in points. The 51-year-old has yet to post a victory in 2010.

"These next 11 races are going to put me in a different position, and that might be interesting to me, because I can race each race with not so much to lose and everything to gain," Martin said.

When the 12-driver field for the Chase is determined, all qualifiers will have their point totals reset to 5,000. Each driver will then have 10 bonus points added for every race he won during the regular season.

Johnson, the four-time defending series champion, and Denny Hamlin have the most wins so far this season with five each. Kevin Harvick, the current points leader, and Kyle Busch are next in line with three victories apiece.

Hamlin won last year's fall race at Richmond. Hamlin, from nearby Chesterfield, VA, led 299 of 400 laps and held off Kurt Busch after a late- race restart to win a Cup race at his home track for the first time.

"I love coming back here, and I love the race track and seeing friends and family," Hamlin said. "I don't think that will ever wear off. Winning here was something I'll never forget, but I enjoy just being at that track."

Forty-eight teams are on the preliminary entry list for the Air Guard 400.

Mattias Ekstrom will drive the No.83 Red Bull Racing Toyota in place of Reed Sorenson. The Swedish driver made his NASCAR debut with Red Bull in June at Sonoma, CA, where he finished 21st. Ekstrom, Reed Sorenson and Casey Mears have been sharing driving duties in the No.83 car since Brian Vickers had to curtail his season in May due to treatment for blood clots.

Wwwplayrio Autoracing Betting News

<< Djokovic reaches fourth straight U.S. Open semi
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former runner-up Novak Djokovic was an easy quarterfinal winner Wednesday at the U.S. Open. The third-seeded Djokovic handled 17th-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, 6-2 at the USTA Billi

<< Yanks' Posada hurt, may have concussion
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada did not play in Wednesday's 3-2 victory over Baltimore, and may have a concussion after a foul ball struck him during Tuesday's game. "He got a foul tip, somewhat,

<< This Week in Auto Racing September 10 - 12
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sprint Cup Series' "Chase cut-off race" at Richmond International Raceway headlines this week in motorsports. The Nationwide Series also will be at Richmond, and Formula One concludes its "European schedule"

<< Jyles to replace injured Bombers QB Pierce
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Jyles will replace injured Winnipeg quarterback Buck Pierce for the foreseeable future, and possibly the remainder of the season. Pierce dislocated his right elbow during Sunday's 27-23 loss at Sas

<< Eskimos sign WR Mitchell among numerous roster moves
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Eskimos on Wednesday added a former NFL wide receiver to their roster by signing Marko Mitchell. A seventh round pick of the Redskins in the 2009 NFL draft. The 6-foot-3, 218- pounder record

New Nationwide car running its first short-track race >>
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Friday, September 10. Race: Virginia 529 College Savings 250. Site: Richmond International Raceway. Track: 0.75-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 250. Miles: 187.5. 200

City's Balotelli faces six-week injury absence >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City announced on Wednesday that new signing Mario Balotelli will undergo knee surgery that could keep him out for up to six weeks. Balotelli moved to City from Inter Milan in August, but

Kosier, Colombo held out of Wednesday's practice >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys could be without two key members of their offensive line for the season-opener, as left guard Kyle Kosier and right tackle Marc Colombo both missed practice Wednesday. Colombo was

Houllier takes charge at Villa >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa confirmed on Wednesday that Gerard Houllier has been hired as the club's new manager. The 63-year-old Houllier was the technical director of French football, but after stepping down from

Shanahan says DT Haynesworth will be with Redskins come Sunday >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington coach Mike Shanahan wouldn't address rumors surrounding a possible trade of defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and said the veteran will be with the Redskins for Sunday's season opener against Dallas.

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.