Sprint Cup qualifying cancelled by rain

Autoracing Betting Lines

02/22/2008 - Fontana, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmie Johnson, the 2007 Sprint Cup Series champion will sit on the pole for Sunday's Auto Club 500 Sprint Cup race. The No.48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe's Chevrolet gets the top spot by virtue of his title after bad weather struck the two-mile newly named Auto Club Speedway at Southern California just before qualifying was scheduled to begin.

Most of the track activities had already been cancelled after an earlier storm hit the area. They tried to dry the track, but cracks in the surface allowed water to push up onto the oval.

Starting on the front row with Johnson will be teammate Jeff Gordon, who finished second last season.

It will likely be about the "bounce back" effort of Hendrick Motorsports who started their Florida week with a win in the Budweiser Shootout (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), a win in one of the two Gatorade Duels (Earnhardt Jr. again) and a pole win (Jimmie Johnson), but fell flat in the "Great American Race."

At Fontana, HMS has had a history of success. Johnson has two wins and six top-fives in 10 starts and Gordon made the turn to Victory Lane three times with seven top-fives in 15 starts.

On the other hand, Earnhardt Jr. has never had much success at the California Speedway. His statistics show no poles, no wins and just four top-10s in 12 starts. In 2002, he suffered a huge accident with Kevin Harvick while the No.29 Chevy was trying to get to pit lane and the resulting concussion stayed with him for much of the season.

Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth will start in row two.

Other drivers of note and their starting positions: Tony Stewart (sixth), Carl Edwards (ninth), Harvick (10th), Denny Hamlin (12th), 2008 Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman (13th), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15th), Kasey Kahne (20th), Juan Pablo Montoya (21st) and Kyle Busch (22nd).

After spending three weeks in Florida, the series travels across the country for race No.2. It will also be a completely different race now that the restrictor-plates are off the engines.

The race at Daytona was all about handling and being in the right place at the right time. Newman was in the right place - on the outside row with teammate Kurt Busch locked on his rear bumper. That resulted in Newman's first win at Daytona and the first win for owner Roger Penske in the Daytona 500.

Not only did "The Captain" get a one-two finish from his two stars, he got a surprising 15th-place finish from "rookie" Sam Hornish Jr., who struggled just to make the race in 2007 and had a best finish of 30th in two starts.

This week at the California Speedway in Fontana, CA it will be less about handling and more about making horsepower.

A.J. Allmendinger, Ken Schrader, Patrick Carpentier, Mike Skinner and Burney Lamar failed to make the field, because of the rain.

The teams will try to squeeze in some practice on Saturday and the race is scheduled to drop the green flag at 4 p.m. (et).

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Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

Bet NFL Sports Lines

Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

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