It's official: Kentucky added to 2011 Sprint Cup schedule

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/10/2010 - Sparta, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is coming to the "Bluegrass State," starting in 2011.

After more than a decade of requesting a Cup date, Kentucky Speedway will be added to the 2011 schedule. Bruton Smith, the chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports Inc., the parent company of the speedway, confirmed on Tuesday the 1.5-mile oval, located roughly 40 miles south of downtown Cincinnati, will host a 400-mile night-time Cup race on July 9, 2011.

"You've been waiting 11 years," Smith said during a news conference held at the speedway.

SMI bought the speedway in 2008.

Last week, officials from Atlanta Motor Speedway announced the track will host only one Cup event, which will take place on Labor Day weekend, beginning next year. SMI moved its Atlanta spring race to Kentucky.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and officials from both NASCAR and the Kentucky Speedway, as well as former NASCAR driver and Kentucky native Darrell Waltrip and Joey Logano, who has won the last three Nationwide Series races at the track, were among those present for the announcement.

"I thought I've been to some exciting events, but I haven't been to one more exciting than the announcement that Bruton Smith just gave us," Governor Beshear said. "The addition of a 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in 2011 solidifies the speedway's status as a world-class motorsports venue in the nation's number-one spectator sport. In it's 11th year, the speedway has finally reached the pinnacle."

The track opened in 2000, with the Camping World Truck Series competing once each year since then. The Nationwide Series has been racing here once each season since 2001.

Nationwide will join Sprint Cup on the same weekend at Kentucky next year.

The current seating capacity at the speedway is 66,000, but Smith said he plans to add an additional 50,000 seats to the venue.

Kentucky becomes the first track added to the Cup schedule since Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway - both 1.5 miles in length -- in 2001.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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