Minor changes to Vegas odds under new Chase rules

Who has edge in new Chase format?

While the Super Bowl line movement around town has been rather boring, Salmons got a boost of excitement thrown his way as the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Chase rules were announced on Thursday. The new format emphasizes wins and has a bracket-type tournament for the final 10 races, with a championship game of sorts between four drivers in the final race at Homestead.

"I like the changes. It just makes sense," said Salmons, who sets the NASCAR odds for the LVH and has a great passion for the sport. "This is like a true playoffs now. There isn't really anything I don't like about the moves other than not including a road course in the final 10 races. Road course racing is the absolute best type of racing there is in NASCAR."

At first glance, it may appear that some of six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson’s advantage may have been mitigated with the new rules. But Johnson's odds to win his seventh title were not adjusted too much.

"We moved him from 2-to-1 up to 5-to-2, but really, because he gets so much write to win anyway, there is not much reason to adjust. I think the key in this format, the real wild card, is that second stretch of races at Kansas, Talladega and Charlotte. That's going to be the key, and if Johnson is one of the eight drivers then, that next stretch features tracks such as Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix, where no one is better than Johnson."

If he makes the final race, Johnson will be forced to go for the win for the first time at Homestead, a track he's only had to coast at over the years because he’s entered the race with a substantial lead in the points race.

The LVH didn't adjust any other divers, but will do its standard weekly updating on Monday morning. With wins being the focal point now, the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers appear to have an edge. Kyle Busch may be in a great spot to use his talents to the fullest and win a championship. Denny Hamlin should benefit, too.

Read More Here......

Changes to 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rules during Chase

NASCAR Announces Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup

Championship Format Change

16-Driver Chase Grid Introduced; First-To-The-Finish Finale Unveiled

 

Helton and France chilled like it's just any other day

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 30, 2014) – NASCAR announced a new championship format today that will put greater emphasis on winning races all season long, expands the current Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field to 16 drivers, and implements a new round-by-round advancement format that ultimately will reward a battle-tested, worthy champion.

 

“We have arrived at a format that makes every race matter even more, diminishes points racing, puts a premium on winning races and concludes with a best-of-the-best, first-to-the-finish line showdown race – all of which is exactly what fans want,” said Brian France, NASCAR chairman and CEO. “We have looked at a number of concepts for the last three years through fan research, models and simulations, and also maintained extensive dialogue with our drivers, teams and partners. The new Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will be thrilling, easy to understand and help drive our sport’s competition to a whole new level.”

 

Changes announced by France to the championship format include:

-       A victory in the first 26 races all but guarantees a berth in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup – a change that will put an unprecedented importance on winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race all season long

-       Expanding the Chase field from 12 to 16 drivers, with those drivers advancing to what now will be known as the NASCAR Chase Grid

-       The number of championship drivers in contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship will decrease after every three Chase races, from 16 to start in the Chase Grid; 12 after Chase race No. 3; eight after Chase race No. 6; and four after Chase race No. 9

-       The first three races of the Chase (27-29) will be known as the Challenger Round; races 30-32 will be known as the Contender Round; races 33-35 will be the Eliminator Round and race No. 36 will be the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship

-       A win by a championship-eligible driver in any Chase race automatically clinches the winning driver a spot in the next Chase round

-       Four drivers will enter the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship with a chance at the title, with the highest finisher among those four capturing the prestigious NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

 

Eligibility for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

The top 15 drivers with the most wins over the first 26 races will earn a spot in the NASCAR Chase Grid – provided they have finished in the top 30 in points and attempted to qualify for every race (except in rare instances). The 16th Chase position will go to the points leader after race No. 26, if he/she does not have a victory. In the event that there are 16 or more different winners over 26 races, the only winless driver who can earn a Chase Grid spot would be the points leader after 26 races.

 

If there are fewer than 16 different winners in the first 26 races, the remaining Chase Grid positions will go to those winless drivers highest in points. If there are 16 or more winners in the first 26 races, the ties will first be broken by number of wins, followed by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver points.

 

As was implemented in 2011, prior to the start of the Chase, all Chase Grid drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000, with three additional bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 26 races.

 

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Structure

After the third Chase race, the Chase Grid will be left with 12 drivers. After the sixth Chase race, the field will drop to eight drivers, and following the ninth Chase race, only four drivers will remain in championship contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title.

 

The first round (races 27-29) will be called the Challenger Round. If a driver in the Chase Grid wins a Challenger Round race, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions 1-12 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each will then have their points reset to 3,000.

 

The second round (races 30-32) will be called the Contender Round. Likewise, if a driver in the top 12 in points wins a race in the Contender Round, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions 1-8 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each will then have their points reset to 4,000.

 

The third round (races 33-35) will be called the Eliminator Round. If a driver in the top eight in points wins a race in the Eliminator Round, the driver automatically advances to the next round. The remaining available positions 1-4 that have not been filled based upon wins will be based on points. Each will then have their points reset to 5,000.

 

Additionally, drivers who are eliminated in the Contender and Eliminator Rounds will have their points readjusted. Each eliminated driver will return to the Chase-start base of 2,000 (plus any regular season wins bonus points), with their accumulated points starting with race No. 27 added. This will allow all drivers not in contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title to continue to race for the best possible season-long standing, with final positions fifth-through-16th still up for grabs.

 

Four Drivers, First-to-the-Finish Championship Finale

The 36th and final race of the season will be the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. Simply stated, the highest finisher in that race among the remaining four eligible drivers will win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title.

 

Bonus points for laps led will not apply in the season finale, so the official finishing position alone will decide the champion.

 

Note: All rules outlined above also apply to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner championship structure.

 

For more details on the new championship format, please visit NASCARMedia.com for a Fact Sheet / FAQs or visit NASCAR.com.

 

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) governs the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information, visit www.nascar.com and follow NASCAR at www.facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.

NASCAR changes Chase procedures

NASCAR chairman Brian France

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR chairman Brian France has said for the past few years that he wants more emphasis on drivers trying to win races.

He got his wish Thursday by implementing one of the most drastic changes the sport has seen to its Sprint Cup Series and the way it determines its champion.

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In a move that overhauls the 10-year-old Chase for the Sprint Cup , NASCAR announced sweeping changes that forces drivers to win races to make and advance in the Chase and that will guarantee that four drivers will have an equal chance to win the Sprint Cup title in the season’s final race.

The changes
Race winners automatically make Chase field
Field expands to 16 drivers, including points leader
Points used as tiebreaker if more than 16
Points reset to start Chase; winners get three bonus points
Field reset after Chase race three, six and nine
Competitors will be eliminated during Chase
Final four will compete for title at season's final race
Highest finisher among those at Homestead wins Cup

"This will make every race matter, produce compelling competition and award a worthy champion," France said.

“You’ve got to admire NASCAR. This took guts, this is a big deal,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “You’ve to admire their courage. They went throughout all the scenarios ... and I think they have done their homework.”

The new Chase rules are the most drastic changes NASCAR has made since it implemented the Chase in 2004. Since then it has tweaked the Chase format, expanding the field and adding two wild-card drivers, and changed its points system in recent years, but this is a major move that could change the way drivers and teams race each week and set the sport up for a dramatic Game 7 moment in the season's final race.

Read More Here.....

2014 Daytona 500 Odds: Why not take a chance on Austin Dillon to win at 45/1?

Austin Dillon is being offered at 45/1 odds 

LAS VEGAS -- Mother Nature took away the first of two scheduled NASCAR Sprint Cup testing days at Daytona International Speedway, but the lone day they did test was enough to satisfy the hunger fans and bettors have felt since the 2013 season ended November at Homestead. That also left us all with only one day to decipher what we really saw out of the Richard Childress Racing cars, which posted the top three speeds of the lone January 10 session.

The leader of the pack was Childress’ grandson, rookie Austin Dillon, who already has championships in the Nationwide and Craftsman Truck series. One more thing- Dillon will be the first driver to pilot the famed No. 3 black Chevrolet since Dale Earnhardt passed at Daytona 13 years ago. That’s a heavy responsibility to carry for a rookie, but it’s apparent that Childress has put forth, at least initially, a swing for the fences approach to be the best, if not only for the legacy of the No. 3 and Earnhardt, but also for his grandson.

Dillon’s odds posted at the LVH SuperBook to win the 2014 Daytona 500 are 30-to-1. That number has the scent of doubt attached to it- though perhaps there should be for a rookie. Only 15 drivers have lower odds at the LVH than Dillon for the February 23 race. Danica Patrick is listed at 40-to-1, and this is her best track, while Trevor Bayne (75-to-1) won the 2011 Daytona 500 at 125-to-1 odds. Overall, the lowest odds on Dillon are 20-to-1 at Aliante and the highest are 45-to-1 at MGM Resorts.

So far, we know the kid can drive and hasn’t let the Cup guys push him around too much when mixing it up in the Nationwide series. But this is the Cup series, and it figures it get much rougher than he ever imagined. A huge bonus is that the departed Kevin Harvick won four races and finished second in points last season. Dillon now inherits all those fast cars, which can do wonders for a rookie's confidence. Harvick also won the 2007 Daytona 500 for Childress.

The Harvick angle also has to motivate Childress to put out his best product ever. Last year they were on the upswing, ahead of the curve with the Gen-6 car, and Harvick was given great cars. Childress showed his character in that lame duck situation by giving Harvick’s No. 29 the best engines and chassis’ in the RCR stable. Thus, it wouldn‘t be a surprise to watch Dillon compete well as a rookie. Being fast makes the transition go much smoother.

As for Daytona next month, taking 45-to-1 on him at the MGM books is a great offering. He’ll likely be starting from the pole, which will theoretically keep him out front for a while and out of trouble like we saw Danica Patrick do last season when she finished eighth. If you think he’ll have a good car, and has a good chance of being in the race at the end, isn’t 45-to-1 pretty solid?

We've seen stranger things happen, and some have been associated with the No. 3, like when a Dale Earnhardt Inc. car driven by Michael Waltrip won the 2001 Daytona 500. Or how about when another DEI car driven by Steve Park won the following week at Rockingham? Or how about Harvick winning at Atlanta by .006 seconds in only his second career Cup start? And then the story became even more supernatural when Earnhardt Jr. won the next race at Daytona in the summer for a fitting tribute.

It takes skill to win at Daytona, but the best cars don’t necessarily win because otherwise we would have seen at least one Joe Gibbs Racing car win a restrictor-plate race last season. The best driver on the planet did win in 2013 as Jimmie Johnson swept the season, something that had not been done at Daytona since Bobby Allison in 1982. Despite that domination, Johnson can be found as high as 12-to-1 odds at William Hill books. It will be the longest odds offered on him all season other than Talladega, which will be around the same.

This is a crap shoot, so it serves well to think outside the box when betting and roll the dice. Casey Mears had the sixth fastest lap during testing (most of the top times were all single-car times with no drafting help) and he can be found at 100-to-1. David Ragan is 75-to-1 and his only two Cup wins came in plate races, including last season at Talladega with the same No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford. Ragan and FRM did not participate in the testing.

Rookie Kyle Larson takes over the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Chevrolet for Juan Pablo Montoya and came away with the fifth fastest lap in testing. He was one of the few drivers that ran in the draft. The Ganassi cars have been at their best in plate races. Jamie McMurray won at Talladega last season and also won the 2010 Daytona 500. Larson can be found at 60-to-1 odds at William Hill while McMurray’s best price is 30-to-1.

Test session times at plate tracks don’t tell as much as a 1.5-mile cookie cutter track session might for those type of races, but it is all we have to chew on until we see them practice Feb. 14 for the Sprint Unlimited.

We’ll update the odds chart each week and add more properties as their numbers start popping up.

Read More here.......Odds from 5 different LV Sports Books

Las Vegas Sports Books Post Their 2014 Daytona 500 Odds

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is consensus favorite to win 2014 Daytona 500

LAS VEGAS-- The first day of Daytona preseason testing was rained out Thursday, but it’s as good time as any to see what a some sports books in Las Vegas are thinking about the 2014 Daytona 500 as we all get our juices flowing again for the upcoming season. A few books have had odds posted for the past month and several others are just starting through the process for NASCAR’s Super Bowl, scheduled for February 23.

Because the Daytona 500 odds have such a long shelf life, books can leave them on the board longer than any other race of the season. And because of that, the Daytona 500 generates the second-most action of all the races. The phenomenal Las Vegas NASCAR weekend that dwarfs write from the other tracks roughly doubles the Daytona 500 handle.

If looking at the odds chart below, you can see one of the favorites is Dale Earnhardt Jr (10/1), a driver who hasn’t won a Superspeedway race since 2004, when he won the Daytona 500 and the fall Talladega race. However, he’s been darn close. Since winning the 2004 Daytona 500, a span of 20 races, no driver has a better average (12.9) at Daytona. Last February he was runner-up.

Because of the restrictor-plates and several drivers having a better chance of winning than they do without them on other tracks, the top drivers are getting substantially higher odds. At Las Vegas, Jimmie Johnson will be 7-to-2 and then bet down to 3-to-1. But at Daytona, a place he swept last season, a bettor can get 12-to-1 on him at William Hill bet shops. That is a pretty fat number, but also very telling.

Last season, the Joe Gibbs Racing team looked to have the best cars coming out of preseason testing. While they ran very well in the races, they didn’t come away with any wins in the four plate races. The best car rarely wins here and in some cases the best drivers don’t always win. We can all agree that Tony Stewart (15/1) is an elite all-timer, but he still hasn’t won the Daytona 500.

Jamie McMurray (30/1), the 2010 Daytona 500 winner, got the fourth plate win of his career last season at Talladega. David Ragan (75/1) won at the spring Talladega race for his second career win - the other coming at Daytona (2011) - so he’s got to be considered. At Las Vegas, there's no chance of considering a bet on Ragan, even at 7,500-to-1 odds. But 75/1 at Daytona, sure, why not?

Each of the odds available around town offer a little something different, which makes a walk down the strip to these books worthwhile. A nice little triangle to hit all three at the same time is walking from the LVH to the Riviera (William Hill) and Circus Circus (MGM). It’s an old-school walk, but also fun reflecting on some Las Vegas history. And there is a lot of it there between Elvis (Happy Birthday), Liberace, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

For whatever it’s worth, after each of his championship seasons, Dale Earnhardt was a regular guest of Mel Larson’s in the penthouse suite at Circus Circus. There is no record or markings commemorating it, but the suite is available for booking and still has that look of early Las Vegas charm and glamour.

After the preseason testing concludes, we’ll review what we saw and how it reflects the odds for Speedweeks events.

Read More Here......Daytona 500 odds from LVH, MGM & William Hill

2014 NASCAR Preseason Testing Schedule at Daytona

2014 WINTER TESTING SCHEDULE
DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

Thursday, January 9
7:00 AM NSCS HAULERS ENTER
7:30 AM NSCS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM 12:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
1:00 PM 5:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
5:30 PM 9:30 PM NSCS FAN FEST
6:00 PM NSCS GARAGE CLOSES

Friday, January 10
7:30 AM NSCS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM 12:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
1:00 PM 5:00 PM NSCS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
6:00 PM NSCS GARAGE CLOSES

Saturday, January 11TH
7:00 AM NNS HAULERS ENTER
7:30 AM NNS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM 12:00 PM NNS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
1:00 PM 5:00 PM NNS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
5:30 PM 9:30 PM NNS FAN FEST
6:00 PM NNS GARAGE CLOSES

Sunday, January 12TH
7:30 AM NNS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM 12:00 PM NNS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
1:00 PM 5:00 PM NNS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
6:00 PM NNS GARAGE CLOSES

Monday, January 13TH
7:00 AM NCWTS HAULERS ENTER
7:30 AM NCWTS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM 12:00 PM NCWTS PRACTICE
1:00 PM 5:00 PM NCWTS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
6:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE CLOSES

Tuesday, January 14TH
7:30 AM NCWTS GARAGE OPENS
9:00 AM 12:00 PM NCWTS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
1:00 PM 5:00 PM NCWTS PRACTICE-DRAFTING
6:00 PM NCWTS GARAGE CLOSES

ALL TIMES ARE LISTED IN LOCAL / EASTERN TIME ZONE