Team orders put NASCAR into disrepute at Talladega

Autoracing Betting Lines

10/24/2011 - Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR's latest shindig at Talladega Superspeedway turned out to be as big of a political circus as the one in Washington these days. Don't blame NASCAR officials for the latest mess in restrictor-plate racing. Point the finger at the drivers, team owners and car manufacturers this time.

It was neither compromise nor common ground with opposing teams and manufacturers on Sunday at Talladega -- the sixth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. A Chevrolet pairing up with a Ford or visa-versa during the 500-mile race at Talladega was along the lines of Democrats and Republicans agreeing on a political issue. It was out of the question.

Thanks to team orders, finding a partner in NASCAR's latest episode of "Dancing With the Cars" had its limits. And that cost many drivers, including several in the Chase field, an opportunity to win the race...and perhaps a championship.

Jeff Gordon was one of the championship contenders left hanging in the final laps. Gordon, in a Chevrolet, had partnered with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Mark Martin, in a two-car tandem throughout the race, but Martin was one of five drivers caught up in a wreck with eight laps remaining.

Prior to the final restart with two laps to go, Gordon was hoping to tango with Ford driver and Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne. The two had worked well together in previous restrictor-plate races (Daytona and Talladega) this season. But when it came crunch time in this race, Bayne bailed on Gordon and hooked up with Ford driver and title hopeful Matt Kenseth.

"We worked together pretty well in February [Daytona 500]; him pushing me and me pushing him," Gordon said. "But I think everybody knew coming into the weekend, the Fords made it very clear about what they were doing in working with one another and helping one another out and all those things. So I didn't expect him to commit to me on the radio. I expected him to say, 'Man, I'm sorry; I can't.' And when he said, 'Yeah, I'm pushing you; we're good.' I believed him, but I think they had a different plan."

Gordon finished 27th and saw his hopes of winning a fifth Sprint Cup Series title begin to fade away. He is now 82 points behind leader Carl Edwards.

Bayne wound up finishing 15th, four positions ahead of Kenseth.

"Trevor came over to me [after the race in the garage] and said, 'Hey, it wasn't me; it wasn't me. That's what I'm being told to do'," Gordon noted. "But I'm surprised that somebody didn't come back over [the radio]. I just think it could have been handled better.

"If somebody is going to screw you, you'd like them to say it to your face you know? Or at least on the radio. I would have been fine with that."

Bayne had no comment at the track but later responded on his Twitter account.

"I'm not happy about what this has become... It's too premeditated," Bayne tweeted. "We should be able to go with whoever is around [us]."

He also posted on his account, "I would have rather pulled over and finished last than tell [Jeff Gordon] I would work with him and then be strong armed into bailing."

In what's should be every man for himself in each NASCAR race, restrictor- plate racing has become every team and every manufacturer for itself.

"The plan was that we should stick together as Roush Fenway and as the Ford group and try to help one another as best we can," said Edwards, who partnered with teammate Greg Biffle. "I thought we did a good job with that, and I saw other teams doing the same thing.

"You never know what is going to happen. We didn't think that plan would go through to the end. We thought that some of us would be crashed or have trouble or something like that, and then people would mix up partners and stuff."

It's a shame that politics played a major role in this race. It has no business on the racetrack. And NASCAR needs to address it.

You know who really got screwed the most in this race?

The fans.

"These fans pay a ton of money to watch these races, and we owe it to them to put a show on them from rag to rag," race winner Clint Bowyer said.

Talladega is supposed to be a real barnburner. This time, it was a real bummer.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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