After you make your UFC 98 odds picks for Saturday night, you can get in on the Indy 500 betting action Sunday afternoon for the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing,” which will begin at 1:00 PM ET. Scott Dixon is the defending race winner and favorite in your online sports book, but another former winner will take the checkered flag.

Dixon has Indy 500 odds of +350, and the defending series champion will roll off fifth, in the middle of the second row. Dixon hasn’t finished lower than sixth in his last three 500s. He also won the last IndyCar race at Kansas after two disappointing results at St. Petersburg and Long Beach, and another win would give him a lot of momentum heading into the summer months.

Ryan Briscoe isn’t the most well-known IndyCar driver, and he’s probably most recognized for tangling with Danica Patrick on pit road in last year’s 500, taking them both out of the race. Briscoe has Indy 500 odds of +600 after winning at St. Petersburg and coming in fourth at Kansas, and he ran fifth at the Brickyard in 2007. He starts in the middle on the front row.

Points leader Tony Kanaan, who starts on the outside of the middle row, and 2007 500 winner Dario Franchitti are rated at +700. Kanaan has a series title from 2004 and he’d love to add an Indy win to his resume with four top-10s in seven trips to the Brickyard. Franchitti returns after sponsorship problems ended his NASCAR stint, and he’ll be looking for a good run after an 18th-place result at Kansas. Franchitti also won Long Beach, and starts on the outside of the front row.

Of course, you have to mention Danica Patrick Indy 500 odds, which are set at +1000. She’s followed up a 19th-place run at St. Petersburg with two straight top-fives, and she’s good at Indy as well, racking up a pair of top-fives and an eighth-place result in three visits to the Brickyard. IndyCar’s most popular driver rolls off 10th, on the outside of the fourth row.

However, this year’s winner is accustomed to the tradition of drinking milk in Victory Lane at Indy, as Helio Castroneves is the last driver to win back-to-back 500s in 2001 and 2002. Castroneves thought he’d be watching this race from a jail cell, but he beat his tax-evasion case, and came back with a seventh-place and runner-up finish since then. No one is happier to be back in the driver’s seat than Castroneves, who is starting from the pole and rated at +400, and he gives you a solid chance to win. Take Helio Castroneves’ Indy 500 odds on Sunday.

And even more incredible is that he was completely fine afterwards – fine enough for life to imitate art, as Edwards gets out and runs to cross the finish line like he’s Ricky Bobby. Check it out:

Video of Carl Edwards crash at Talladega:

——————–

Video of Ricky Bobby (or is it Carl Edwards?) from Talladega Nights

Update: Here are a link to story about the crash, where 8 fans were injured:

• Carl Edwards crash at Talladega injures 8 fans — (NASCAR.com)

There are a number of items to discuss regarding this race, so lets take a few minutes to discuss some of the items that make this such a pivotal race in the schedule:

1) This is the race before the Indy 500. That means we are seeing a few drivers this weekend that are in it mainly to gain some seat time before transitioning the World’s Greatest Race Course, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Two drivers come to mind there, Milka Duno and Sarah Fisher. They will both be in the race this weekend and will transition some of their experience from this weekend to the month of May.

2) This weekend is the first oval of the season. The past two races have been on temporary street circuits. They are bumpy, curvy and not ideal for side by side racing. Now, we move over to the super smooth, super fast and super tight racing of a high speed oval. For a driver’s psychological preparation as well as the physical preparation, they must address this race much differently than the races so far in 2009. Rest assured, they are professionals and will have no problem adapting to those changes, but from a fan’s perspective it can be easy to look pass some of the subtle nuances of what impacts the drivers of the IndyCar Series.

3) We have a shot at a three-peat. Dan Wheldon won this race both in 2007 and 2008 with Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Now, with his move to Panther it should make it more interesting. It will be tough to pull it off given the first oval race with a new team. Panther has been very successful in the past on ovals and given another year I think Dan could win at Kansas. My gut tells me not this year. But, just in case you wanted another reason to watch…there you go.

Recap and Prediction:

This is a great racetrack. 1.5 miles in length and a 200 lap race. The first oval of the season and a couple of drivers who are far less than full time that are entered into the mix. I expect it be a very close race and that it will come down to Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti. Who will take the checkered? Watch and find out.

The INDYCAR SERIES ROADRUNNER TURBO 300 AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY IS APRIL 26th at 4pm Eastern and is only on VERSUS! Tune in…

We will have a race recap on Monday to discuss the results.

Also be sure to check back throughout the Month of May with updates live from INDY!!!

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Team Penske will announce today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that it has signed Australian driver Will Power to fill in for the troubled brazillian star. Whether Power will actually drive a car for Penske in an IndyCar Series race is left up to the Federal Court system. If Helio isn’t able to answer the bell due to his court case, then the reigns of the #3 will be handed over to the Aussie.

Will Power has a successful record on road courses, and was a rising star in the now defunct Champ Car World Series. He was with PKV racing last year and found himself with no seat heading into 2009. This is a bit of gamble for Will Power, considering he may not even get to race in a Team Penske car, but I think it sets clear the state of the economy. Why would he take a gamble on being used as a test driver, while Helio fights his battles? Because there is nothing else out there.

It does make the mind wonder what the end game will be. Will Penske bring over enough sponsorship to adopt a third car in the 2009 season? Is Will Power going to be used for a few weeks in testing the 2009 car, then thrown off the team when HCN comes back?

Or is this maybe the clearest sign yet, that Helio Castroneves is in a world of trouble, and there is very little chance of him escaping the wrath of our Government.

Stay tuned, its gonna be an incredible year in the IndyCar Series… Bring on the warm weather…and lets go racing!

Felipe Massa needed a host of things to happen to win the championship. If his plan was to win the race, all that had to happen was for Hamilton to finish anywhere from Sixth place on back. Half of his plan worked, as Felipe Massa won his home grand prix in Brazil. The other half just didn’t pan out.

Lewis Hamilton ran an incredibly disciplined race strategy, and ran just fast enough to finish 5th in the race; therefore sealing the deal and being able to be the youngest driver to win a Formula 1 world championship. Amazingly, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

Lewis Hamilton was in 6th place heading into the final corner on the final lap. The rain had started and Timo Glock had crept into the top 5 by staying on dry tires with so few laps to go. It was a gamble that cost Glock a top 5 finish and cost Felipe Massa the World Championship.

To become the first ever black Formula 1 Champ, Hamilton swept by Glock who was slipping on the dry tires. As he crossed the finish line in 5th place, the world could see it’s new world champ. Lewis Hamilton won the Championship at the age of 23 years, 8 months, 26 days, previously held by Fernando Alonso with 24 years and 58 days.

Midwest Sports Fans would like to congratulate the world’s new Formula 1 Champion! Bravo Lewis!

[tags]formula one, lewis hamilton, auto racing[/tags]

A dynasty takes a normal man, say the driver of the number 48 Lowe’s machine, and at first turns him into a Champion. Then the next year, the pressure is really on. Can this guy do it all over again? Is there anything left in the tank, or will the pinnacle of his chosen sport be enough of a reward to make him rethink doing it all over again? Yet, the #48 with Jimmie Johnson behind the wheel did in fact have enough left. In 2007, he won the Cup just like he did the year before.

And now, for the third year in a row, Jimmie Johnson stands on the verge of cementing his greatness at the top of his sport. Cale Yarborough won the Cup in 1976, 77, and 78. To date, Cale is the only driver to ever have three consecutive Cup championships. That small part of NASCAR history may get a bit more crowded this year.

It’s been exactly 30 years since NASCAR fans have had this rare opportunity to watch a dynasty happen right before their eyes. Arguably, Petty (7), Earnhardt (7), and Gordon (4) have their place in history for the grasp they held on the sport. Yet this year, the 33 year old from California is set to permanently mark his spot in history.

In Martinsville on Sunday, Jimmie Johnson was given the pole by rain, the first pit stall by points, and the win by the same disciplined driving that has gotten him on the brink of back-to-back-to-back NASCAR Sprint Cup championships. He led over 339 of the 500 laps, and not even the green-white-checkered finish was enough to make it close. Jimmie Johnson simply had too much power.

And this is precisely why I have sort of, kind of, maybe, perhaps changed my mind about dynasty drivers. Let’s just say that Jimmie Johnson, golden boy of NASCAR, wins three Cups in a row. With each victory he racks up, there are legions of NASCAR fans getting bored with the #48 car winning every damn race. And sooner or later, the same people who jeered Jeff Gordon, those same fans who hated #3, the same fans that wished Petty would just shave that ’stache and retire, will be turning on you too Jimmie. Ride the golden boy parachute as long as you can…they’re coming for you.

As with all sports dynastys…at first they are nice and shiny..but soon they rust and the world wants something new. As with politics, the incumbent will get beat eventually.

As Dwight Schrute said in an episode of The Office, “One day, we all will fall.”

Stay tuned later in the week for my preview of the next stop on the NASCAR calendar in Atlanta! Exclusively on www.midwestsportsfans.com

[tags]jimmie johnson, nascar, auto racing[/tags]

Lewis Hamilton won the pole giving himself the best shot at the championship he could have asked for. More importantly, he won last nights Chinese Grand Prix. Yet he isn’t champion. Here’s why.

As I mentioned in my pre-race report last night, Felipe Massa was trailing him by 5 points in the championship. The running order showed Lewis in 1st, Kimi Raikkonen in 2nd, and Felipe in 3rd. If the race had ended this way, Lewis would be World Champion. Yet the two Ferrari driver’s were given “team orders” to switch places and Raikkonen let Massa slip past. With Massa in 2nd place, and not having the horses to catch the McLaren driven by Hamilton, he had assured himself of keeping the hopes of a world championship alive.

Lewis Hamilton needs just a 5th place finish in Brazil to win the Championship. This has to give him a bit of confidence going into the final GP of the season. Massa, even with a win, would be unable to surpass the point lead Lewis currently holds over the Ferrari driver.

Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari (3rd):
“Today I had a good car, but it was not quick enough to beat our main competitor. At the start and after every tyre change, Hamilton managed to pull away, while when it got near to the pit stops I was able to go a bit quicker, but it was always too late. On top of that, three times, I came up behind backmarkers who cost me valuable time. We secured a very good result for the Constructors’ classification. Now we go to Brazil where we must try and get a one-two finish and then we can see where we stand in both Championships. Felipe passing me? I am part of a team and I am well aware what they expect of me. I am out of the title fight and have to do the maximum because Ferrari can achieve both its objectives. It’s a simple as that.”

Kimi Raikkonen won the Championship last year and certainly had some help from his teammate. This time he had a debt to pay. As he says in the qoute, he knows what’s expected of him.

“Team Orders” is certainly something Americans have a hard time digesting. The fight for your life mentality of our great nation is what makes us great. However, it is also one of the biggest reasons why F1 hasn’t caught on in this Country. In IndyCar and NASCAR, though there may be some silent team orders given certain situations, Formula 1 is very open about their orders. The driver ordered to slow down so his teammate will pass doesn’t even try to make it look like a valid pass, they just slow it down…and let them by. This fundamentally goes into the face of our entire fabric as a nation. Our constant challenge of “tell me something I cannot do, and I will prove you wrong”, wouldn’t work in the mainly European racing series.

I have always viewed Formula 1 as a game of Chess with million dollar pieces and precision placement. Formula 1 is not the sort of racing we are used to seeing. As with anything, it’s often easy to brush off that which we don’t understand.

I encourage you to tune into the final GP of the 2008 campaign. The Brazilian Grand Prix is on at a more normal time than 3am…so that excuse won’t be there. Besides, just because Lewis Hamilton didn’t become the first black Formula 1 champion last night doesn’t mean he won’t in two weeks.

Being part of history, and watching it unfold is worth waiting for.

Check back here at midwestsportsfans.com for more on the world’s most watched racing series.

[tags]auto racing, formula 1, chinese grand prix, lewis hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen[/tags]

In the closing rounds of the 2007 Formula 1 World Championship, rookie McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of clinching the championship. It was this race, the Chinese Grand Prix, that ended his hopes of being a World champion. Instead through mistakes in the race the title slipped out of reach and it landed with Kimi Raikkonen.

365 days later we are once again faced with an historic Grand Prix.

Maybe.

Lewis Hamilton ran a clean qualifying session overnight to end up in P1 for tonight/tomorrow’s start. Ferrari teammates Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa line up behind him for the start. The Grand Prix starts at 3am Eastern Time and is being televised on Speed TV. Now, because of my disgustingly high salary from midwestsportsfans.com, I will be wide awake when the lights go out to signal the start. However, for most sane race fans, the race is going to be shown again at 4pm on Speed on Sunday afternoon.

Why so historic? Lewis Hamilton is one win away (there are actually several scenarios that could play out where he is World Champion even if he doesn’t win) from being the Formula 1 World Champion. No big deal right? I mean they have a Champion every year don’t they? Yes they do… but never in the histroy of the worlds second most watched sport (only behind soccer) has the FIA ever crowned a black man as their world champion. Truly, what Tiger Woods has done for golf, Lewis is doing for Formula 1 racing.

As a long time fan of Formula 1 racing, dating to the Prost/Senna battles, let me say I am rooting for Lewis to seal the deal tonight…and become F1’s champion. He hasn’t been given a bit of it, he has worked as hard as anyone else, and he has the talent that is worthy of a World Champion. Give ‘em Hell LEWIS!!!

If the question ever comes up…most likely in a bar bet situation…and probably in Indianapolis, Lewis Hamilton is not the first black man to ever drive a Formula 1 car. That honor goes to the American Willy T. Ribbs back in 1986. Ribbs, an Indy 500 veteran, never got a full ride in the mainly European series but had his name permanently etched in history with that testing session.

Here is the starting lineup for the Chinese Grand Prix:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Britain, McLaren.

2. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari.

3. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari. (trails Haimlton by 5 points)

4. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Renault.

5. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, McLaren.

6. Nick Heidfeld, Germany, BMW.

7. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Toro Rosso.

8. Jarno Trulli, Italy, Toyota.

9. Sebastien Bourdais, France, Toro Rosso.

10. Nelson Piquet Jnr., Brazil, Renault.

11. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW.

12. Timo Glock, Germany, Toyota.

13. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda.

14. Nico Rosberg, Germany, Williams.

15. David Coulthard, Britain, Red Bull.

16. Mark Webber, Australia, Red Bull.

14. Kazuki Nakajima, Japan, Williams.

18. Jenson Button, Britain, Honda.

19. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Force India.

20. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Force India.

Stay tuned to midwestsportsfans.com for more on this historic possibility!

[tags]formula 1, lewis hamilton, auto racing[/tags]

PLUS

EQUALS

Therefore….

For the second time in as many weeks, the NASCAR Sprint Cup cars will line up from points this weekend at Martinsville. The oval track, which is just over a half mile in length, has one of the tightest pit lanes on the circuit. Jimmie Johnson, current leader in the NASCAR standings, will get the first pit stall for the TUMS QuikPak 500.

On a short track with a tight pitlane, it’s a driver’s dream to be able to fire out of his pit stall without worry of what’s happening ahead of him. With the Chase at its halfway point and just 69 points separating Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Burton, this couldn’t come at a better time for the back to back Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.

It is the 9th time this year that qualifying has been washed out for the “Cup” cars.

Here is the top five for 1pm Green Flag on Sunday. TV : ABC

[tags]nascar, auto racing, martinsville, jimmie johnson, jeff burton[/tags]

It’s the economy, stupid.

The World of Motorsports feels a bit like Joe The Plumber today. The economic crisis has taken it’s toll on our 401(k)s and investment accounts and today it has officially affected the 2009 Schedule for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The French GP at Magny Cours has had its promoters pull its backing for the 2009 event. The Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile is currently in talks with Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to relocate the GP to a different venue.

Bernie Ecclestone has been openly against the French GP at it’s current location of Magny Cours, mainly due to its geographic location. Wanting the circus to have three rings, as opposed to one, is a main concern for Ecclestone. He has expressed interest in having the GP closer to Paris. For teams and fans, having a Grand Prix close to a major metropolitan area can provide days of entertainment over and above the race itself.

So for right now, France is without a Grand Prix in 2009…if the situation changes, midwestsportsfans.com will keep you up to date.

Be on the lookout for our preview editions for the F1 and NASCAR races this weekend!!!

[tags]bernie ecclestone, formula one, auto racing[/tags]

This weekend the eyes of NASCAR fans are focused on Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Qualifying was rained out on Thursday so the lineup has been set based off of owners points. The top ten for the Bank of America 500 is as follows:

For tonight’s race ( 7pm EDT/ ABC ) the forecast calls for a high of 74 degrees with a 20% chance of rain.

The World will be watching the closely contested Formula 1 World Championship as the circus heads to Fuji Speedway in Japan. After Timo Glock and Fernando Alonso dominated the practice sessions the qualifying sessions showed once again what a game of cat and mouse Formula 1 has always been.

The Japanese Grand Prix is shown in the United States on Speed TV and begins at Midnight tonight! So if you’re a die hard F1 fan like myself…buy some Red Bull and stay up, it will be a heckuva show! For those unable to make it through the night, there will be a replay tomorrow afternoon on Speed. Check local listings for the time.

Here is your top ten for tonights (tomorrows) race in JAPAN!

The IndyCar Series is off until 10/26 when the IndyCars take on Surfers Paradise in Australia.

The United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis was left off the 2008 calendar and in 2009 that continues. There are rumors about a potential return for the World’s most watched racing series to the United States. If anything, I feel this has become even less likely with the new schedule for Formula 1. In 2007 and the years prior, it made some sense to have a US date when there was a Canadian date. Logistically, this made the trip overseas much more viable. With the removal of Canada from the Grand Prix season, the only thing that could bring the Formula 1 circus back to America is an awful lot of dough.

Tony George has made it clear he would welcome back a Formula 1 race to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 2000, he spent millions of dollars to revamp the inside of “The Worlds Greatest Racecourse”, so more F1 races would certainly help to pay for those improvements. The most recent news we have there is that they are searching for a “big league” corporate sponsor to help with the dollars requested by Formula 1 to host an event.

What will ultimately happen? No one really knows. We do know that for fans of Formula 1 here in North America, it could be a long time until we hear those beautiful engines again in person.

2009 Schedule Released on 10/07/2008:

2009 FIA Formula One World Championship:
29 March Australia
5 April Malaysia
19 April Bahrain
10 May Spain
24 May Monaco
7 June Turkey
21 June Great Britain
28 June France
12 July Germany
26 July Hungary
23 August Europe (Valencia)
30 August Belgium
13 September Italy
27 September Singapore
11 October Japan
18 October China
1 November Brazil
15 November Abu Dhabi

[tags]auto racing, formula 1, tony george, indianapolis motor speedway[/tags]

Two time Indianapolis 500 winner, Helio Castroneves is facing some tough competition. Unfortunately for him, this competition isn’t in a sleek IndyCar racing into turn one. This is a battle against the big boys. The Internal Revenue Service has indicted him on 6 counts of financial wrongdoing. The Brazilian star was allegedly using off-shore bank accounts and shell corporations to hide his millions. The end of the story is long to be written, but in the short term there are many questions left unanswered. Here’s two of them:

1) Will The Captain, Roger Penske, allow a driver in his stable with a tarnished name? Roger Penske has longed for and only hired the cleanest cut drivers. I find it hard for him to continue Castroneves’ employment if he ends up a Federally Convicted criminal.

2) Is Helio Castroneves really a criminal? I have followed his career since the CART days and there has never been one minute of it where he came across as anything other than legendary; a personality big enough to match the talent. Now, I definitely believe he has made some very bad choices. I think the first bad choice is those who were giving him advice on what to do with his money. We may never truly know to what extent he was involved, but I know there are thousands of HC fans hoping this is a case of bad advice.

If he was doing something wrong, he will be punished. The system has to work that way regardless of who you are. It’s what keeps the scales of justice as even as possible. Let’s just all hope that Helio comes through this having paid his penalty, but relatively unscathed. I find it awfully difficult to believe that he was the mastermind behind this situation. I just hope I am proven right.

And for Helio’s sake…so does he.

[tags]helio castroneves, IndyCar, auto racing, IRS, tax fraud, sports[/tags]