Happy days are here again for Harvick

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/16/2010 - Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick was enduring a miserable season at this point in 2009, as he sat 23rd in the Sprint Cup Series point standings. One year later, "Happy Harvick" is smiling more than ever after winning his third race of the season and becoming the first driver to lock down one of the 12 positions for this year's championship Chase.

Harvick's win at Michigan on Sunday was his first on a non-restrictor plate track since November 2006. Harvick was winless in NASCAR's top-tier series during the 2008 and '09 seasons before his 115-race drought came to an end in April at Talladega. He also won in July at Daytona.

With three races remaining before the Chase begins next month at New Hampshire, Harvick and his Richard Childress Racing teammates, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton, are in the top-12 in points. Bowyer finished 13th at Michigan and reclaimed the coveted 12th spot. After his disappointing 28th-place run, Mark Martin is 13th and trails Bowyer by 35 points. Burton holds the seventh position.

Harvick has been the points leader since the spring race at Richmond. He now is 680 points ahead of Bowyer, a margin that allowed him to clinch a spot in the Chase after Michigan. The points margin between Harvick and second-place Jeff Gordon is 293.

Harvick's phenomenal season has been the highlight of Richard Childress Racing's resurrection in 2010.

"I think the reason for it is we were so damn bad last year," Harvick said of the resurgence. "I think it's just a matter of everybody was embarrassed last year. We've really been running pretty well since probably the last six or eight weeks of last year. It didn't just happen today.

"One of the best things that we all went through last year was the fact that we I realized everybody didn't like losing as much as I did, and we all wanted to achieve the same goals. We were headed in the right direction to do those things. I think it's just coincidental timing."

Team owner Richard Childress would agree.

"We got way off last year, started coming back towards the end of the year," Childress said. "Kevin and I talked. We knew a lot of things we wanted to change, work on, fix. We fixed a lot of them. I'm just happy to have him back here for three more years. We're gonna be contenders, for sure."

After a disappointing 19th-place finish in points last year, it looked like Harvick was on his way out of RCR at the conclusion of this season, when his contract with the team was set to expire.

Harvick, who has driven the No.29 car for RCR in Cup since replacing Dale Earnhardt after Earnhardt's fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, signed a contract extension with Childress in May.

Childress and Harvick have scheduled a press conference at their race shop in Welcome, NC on Tuesday. The duo reportedly will announce that Budweiser will sponsor Harvick's No.29 team, starting in 2011. His present sponsor, Shell/Pennzoil, is leaving RCR at season's end and taking its sponsorship to Kurt Busch's new No.22 ride at Penske Racing next year.

As good as he's been, Harvick has not cornered the market on winning, and his main goal right now is to pick up wins and additional bonus points before the start of the Chase. Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin lead the series with five victories each, though Johnson has not won since the last weekend in June at New Hampshire, and Hamlin hasn't driven into Victory Lane since two months ago at Michigan. Harvick is next in line with his three wins.

"Do you think it would go over well if we went on vacation? Probably not," Harvick said. "Right now, we're in a fortunate position to be doing what we're doing. I've been in that 12th, 13th-place battle and it sucks, to be honest with you. You can't sleep at night, and you can't do anything to get your mind off of that.

"We're going to enjoy it. We're going to go and race hard, and we're going to try to gain 30 more bonus points. Hopefully we can have a couple things that we can try. For sure now, whether it's engines, parts, pieces, over the next three weeks, try to get a little bit better."

Hamlin and Johnson could clinch their spots in the Chase after next Saturday night's race at Bristol.

Harvick has emerged as the favorite to win this year's Chase in some circles, but that's a dangerous line of thinking based on recent events.

Last year, Tony Stewart won three races and held a sizeable points lead heading into the regular season-ending race at Michigan. But Johnson dominated the Chase by winning four races and easily capturing his record fourth consecutive Cup title. Stewart finished sixth in points, with one win in the Chase at Kansas.

In 2008, Kyle Busch won eight races before entering the Chase, but Busch's title hopes quickly went up in smoke after he experienced engine trouble in the first two races of the playoffs.

Harvick has a firm grasp on that history.

"I think over the last four years, you can look at the 48 [Johnson's team], and they've done the same thing and won the championship," he said. "Until you beat the guy that's won the last four championships, we're fast enough to beat them, but the circumstances and all the things have to go your way over the last 10 weeks. It's not about a whole season anymore; it's about 10 weeks."

Harvick winning his first Cup championship is by no means out of the realm of possibility, but it would be a stunning upset if he dethrones Johnson's dynasty.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your basketball sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

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.