Grubb named Hamlin's new crew chief

Autoracing Betting Lines

12/09/2011 - Huntersville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darian Grubb has joined Joe Gibbs Racing to serve as crew chief for Denny Hamlin's No.11 Toyota team in the Sprint Cup Series, the team announced Friday.

JGR's announcement of Grubb comes three days after Mike Ford was released from his crew chief duties with the team. Ford had served as Hamlin's crew chief since his rookie season in 2006. They made the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in each of the past six seasons.

Hamlin finished the 2010 season second in points and scored a series-high eight wins. He had only one victory this year, placing ninth in the Chase.

Grubb guided Tony Stewart to his third championship in NASCAR's premier series this season. Stewart won five of the 10 Chase races to capture the title. Halfway through the Chase, Grubb was informed that he would not be back with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2012.

"I'm thrilled to join Joe Gibbs Racing," Grubb said in a team statement. "The chance to work with Denny is something I'm excited about. When you sit down with Joe and J.D. Gibbs, you can't help but be excited about this opportunity and the team aspects of JGR. There is no question about the level of support you get here, and I'm looking forward to working with everyone across the entire organization."

Grubb, who became a first-time championship-winning crew chief, had been with Stewart's No.14 Chevrolet team since the inception of SHR in 2009. He helped the team to 11 wins and 59 top-10 finishes over that time.

Prior to his role with Stewart's team, Grubb worked for Hendrick Motorsports from 2001-08. He served as interim crew chief for Jimmie Johnson during the first four races of the 2006 season, winning two of those races -- including the Daytona 500.

"Darian is a great addition to our organization and person to lead our No.11 FedEx team," team owner Joe Gibbs said. "Obviously, he has proven the ability to guide a team to a championship, and we are excited to have him working with Denny toward achieving that goal here at Joe Gibbs Racing."

Wwclassifieds2000 Autoracing Betting News

<< Velez Sarsfield edges Tigre to move into fourth
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Boca Juniors having already secured the Apertura title, Velez Sarsfield took the chance to move into fourth place in the Argentine top flight with a 3-1 win over Tigre on Thursda

<< United captain Vidic to miss rest of season
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic will miss the remainder of the season with a ruptured ACL, the English Premier League side announced Friday. "We thought it was a bad one," United coach Sir Alex

<< Bayern wants 'happy and peaceful Christmas'
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich shrugged off its defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, but the last two matches before the Bundesliga break are top priority for the record German champions. Bayer

<< Pronger, Schenn out indefinitely
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger will be out indefinitely with concussion-like symptoms. "While Chris' knee is improving, he has struggled with other issues that are concussion-like sy

<< Japan catches Dominguez' fancy
Ozone Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't his first time in the Land of the Rising Sun and it probably won't be the last time jockey Ramon Dominguez makes the trek across the Pacific. Dominguez and fellow rider John Velazquez are both b

Newcastle's Guthrie suffers groin injury >>
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle midfielder Danny Guthrie will likely be sidelined four to six weeks with a groin injury, the English Premier League club announced Friday. Guthrie, 24, suffered the injury in a 3-0 loss to Che

Lyon hopes CL miracle sparks Ligue 1 run >>
Lorient, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon needed a miracle Wednesday to advance in the Champions League, but it's no longer odd to see the French side in the last 16 of Europe's elite club event. Finishing atop Ligue 1 is another matter.

Sutton returns to Montreal >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Impact announced the return of legendary goalkeeper Greg Sutton on Friday, as the Canadian stopper signed on to become the club's third 'keeper on the books. Per club and Major League Soccer

Tigers sign RHP Dotel >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers bolstered their bullpen on Friday, agreeing to a one-year deal with right-hander Octavio Dotel. The pact also includes a club option for 2013. "We are pleased to add an established rel

Stern: No outside influence in Paul decision >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NBA commissioner David Stern said Friday there was no "influence" from other owners in the league's decision to block Thursday's proposed three-team trade that would have sent Chris Paul from New Orleans

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.


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

To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.

For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.