Allmendinger, Michael Shank Racing win Rolex 24 at Daytona
Autoracing Betting Lines
01/29/2012 -
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Shank Racing pulled off a
stunning win in Sunday's Rolex 24 at Daytona, with NASCAR driver A.J.
Allmendinger behind the wheel of the team's No.60 Ford-Riley during the final
stint.
Allmendinger shared driving duties with Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series
regulars Ozz Negri and John Pew, as well as IndyCar Series driver Justin
Wilson in the 50th anniversary of the 24-hour endurance race at Daytona
International Speedway. The 30-year-old Allmendinger crossed the finish line
5.2 seconds ahead of Starworks Motorsports' No.8 Ford-Riley, which was driven
by Ryan Dalziel during the last hours of the event.
With a little more than one hour to go, Allmendinger put the No.60 car in the
lead for good. However, Allmendinger had to swerve wide in turn one to avoid
hitting a GT car during the closing laps. He went at least 20 feet off surface
onto the paved skid pad.
"I'm so worn out," Allmendinger said in Daytona's victory lane. "We wanted to
win this for Shank. The motor was so fast. I am so drained.
"I knew those last three hours I was going to have to go flat out. It was fun.
When Dalziel got in the car...I knew I was going to have to drive my (rear
end) off. I pushed really hard to build up a gap and take those last 10 laps
to manage that gap."
It's the first time in nine attempts that team owner Michael Shank has claimed
the victory in one of the world's most prestigious sports car races. The No.60
team completed 761 laps around the 3.560-mile Daytona road course for a total
of 2,709 miles. It was one lap shy of tying the event's all time record, set
in 1962.
"I feel like we deserved [a win], to be honest, because we've worked hard, and
I don't make any excuses for that, and we've paid our dues for sure," Shank
said. "I hope it can take us to new, cool places in Daytona Prototype in the
coming years."
Last month, Allmendinger signed with Penske Racing to drive the No.22 car in
NASCAR's premier series this season. He drove for Richard Petty's team the
past three years. Allmendinger has yet to win a race in any one of NASCAR's
three national touring series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World
Truck).
"I look at this year as being my best opportunity to win a Cup race, but
that's easier said than done," he said. "Right now, I'm just going to take
this for what it's worth and not think about anything for a couple of days and
enjoy it. Right now, it's the biggest win I've ever had, because we've worked
for seven years to get to this point with Mike Shank, and we've been so close
so many times."
Wilson competed for the first time since last August when he suffered a back
injury during a practice crash at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which curtailed
his 2011 IndyCar season.
"We all managed to comprise enough to get by between all four of us in being
comfortable and being able to push the limit every single lap, because this
was a tough race," Wilson said.
Dalziel partnered with Allan McNish, Alex Popow, Enzo Potolicchio and Lucas
Luhr in the No.8 car.
Brazilian Felipe Nasr finished third in a second Shank car, the No.6 Ford-
Riley.
NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished fourth overall -- one lap down -- in
the No.02 Chip Ganassi Racing BMW-Riley. It's the first time since 2005 that a
Ganassi car was not on the podium for the 24-hour Daytona race. Montoya teamed
up with fellow Sprint Cup driver Jamie McMurray and IndyCar champions Dario
Franchitti and Scott Dixon.
"It was a great race - an epic 50th Rolex 24," Ganassi said. "My
congratulations to Mike Shank and Ford for a fantastic race, but I don't want
them to get too comfortable in victory circle."
Defending race and Grand Am champion Scott Pruett finished sixth in Ganassi's
No.01 BMW-Riley. A transmission problem that occurred late in the race put
Pruett four laps behind.
The GT class victory went to Andy Lally, John Potter, Richard Lietz and Rene
Rast in the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche. The team finished 11th overall in the
race.
Lally has returned to Grand Am after capturing the rookie-of-the-year title in
Sprint Cup last year.
"I absolutely knew we had the potential to do it," Lally said. "It was a
pleasure to be able to join the team. It was absolutely epic to come home."
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Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
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To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
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