Gatorade Duels: Who's in and who's not in the Daytona 500?

Autoracing Betting Lines

02/22/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Thursday, February 23. Race: Gatorade Duel twin-qualifying races. Site: Daytona International Speedway. Track: 2.5-mile tri-oval. Start time: 2:00 p.m. (et). Laps: 60 (each race). Miles: 150. 2011 Winners: Kurt Busch (race 1). Jeff Burton (race 2). Television: SPEED. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Satellite.

Thursday's Gatorade Duel at Daytona -- the twin 150-mile qualifying races -- will set the starting field for the Daytona 500. With 49 teams entered in "The Great American Race," six of them will not make it into Sunday's big show.

Last weekend in Daytona 500 time trials, Carl Edwards won the pole, while his teammate, Greg Biffle, secured the outside pole to give Roush Fenway Racing and Ford the front starting row. These are the only drivers who have locked down their starting positions in the 500-mile race. Edwards will lead a field of 25 cars to the green flag in the first qualifying race. Biffle will start first in the 24-car field for the second event.

The top 35 in last year's owner points are guaranteed a starting spot in the Daytona 500. Three drivers -- David Stremme, Tony Raines and last year's race winner, Trevor Bayne -- finished outside the top 35 last season, but they are warranted a position in the Daytona 500 based on their qualifying speeds. Terry Labonte, the 1984 and 1996 Cup champion, also is assured a spot if he has to use a champion's provisional.

Therefore, 10 drivers will vie for the four final positions in the Daytona 500.

Michael Waltrip, Michael McDowell, Mike Wallace and Robby Gordon will attempt to make it into the Daytona 500 when they compete in the first qualifying race. Waltrip has competed in the Daytona 500 each year since 1987 (25 consecutive races). He won it in 2001 and '03.

Kenny Wallace, Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, Bill Elliott, Robert Richardson Jr. and J.J. Yeley will try to race their way in during the second qualifying event. If Labonte races his way into the Daytona 500 during the qualifiers, then Elliott, the 1988 series champion, is assured a starting spot with at least the champion's provisional.

Elliott has 28 Daytona 500 starts to his credit.

The odd-number starting positions for the Daytona 500 will be based on the finishing order of the first qualifying race, and the even-number starting spots will be determined by the outcome of the final qualifier.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.