Kenseth wins Phoenix pole; Stewart, Edwards are 8th, 9th

Autoracing Betting Lines

11/12/2011 - Avondale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Kenseth won the pole for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500, while Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards, the top-two drivers in Sprint Cup Series points, grabbed the eighth and ninth starting positions, respectively, in qualifying at Phoenix International Raceway.

Kenseth, the second-to-last driver to make his qualifying attempt in the 46- car field, turned a lap at 137.101 mph around the newly repaved and reconfigured one-mile track. The Roush Fenway Racing driver claimed his third pole of the season and the seventh of his Sprint Cup career.

"The car had a lot of grip, and I thought it was really good in [turns] three and four," Kenseth said. "These guys have done a great job. I'm certainly not known for being a good qualifier. My cars have been really fast. [Crew chief] Jimmy [Fennig] and this whole team have done a really good job giving me fast race cars this year."

A.J. Allmendinger earned the outside pole with his lap at 136.446 mph. It's the third front row appearance for Allmendinger in four races at Phoenix. His Richard Petty Motorsports teammate, Marcos Ambrose, qualified third.

Mark Martin and Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top-five.

The new racing surface at Phoenix has made it very challenging for teams so far this weekend. In practices and qualifying, drivers have dealt with loose race cars, and track conditions have rapidly changed throughout the day.

"I hope it stays like it is right now to be honest," Stewart said. "I feel like we're better in this scenario than the other guys. It is a fine line, but at the same time, it makes the drivers do their job, and that's what I like."

Jamie McMurray took the sixth spot, followed by David Reutimann. Kasey Kahne qualified tenth.

Edwards enters the season's penultimate race with just a three-point lead over Stewart, who has won the last two races -- Martinsville and Phoenix. Edwards won last year's fall event at Phoenix.

Kevin Harvick will start 27th. Harvick is currently 33 points behind Edwards. Kenseth trails his Roush Fenway teammate by 38 points.

In his first race back since being suspended from last Sunday's event at Texas, Kyle Busch qualified 34th -- the worst among the 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup field. Busch will have to start from the rear of the field in the 312-lap race due to an engine change his team made during Friday's practice sessions.

The race is scheduled to start just after 3:00 p.m. (et).

Skyvook Autoracing Betting News

<< Missouri upsets No. 21 Texas
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kendial Lawrence and James Franklin each ran for a score as Missouri upended 21st-ranked Texas, 17-5, at Faurot Field. Lawrence ran for 106 yards on 18 carries while Franklin had 33 yards on 13 rushes f

<< Defense comes up big as West Virginia tops No.23 Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geno Smith passed for 372 yards and a touchdown, and West Virginia used two big defensive plays to earn a 24-21 victory against No. 23 Cincinnati. Julian Miller recovered a fumble in the end zon

<< Weeden throws 5 TD passes as Cowboys roll over Red Raiders
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Weeden completed 31-of-37 passes for 423 yards and five touchdowns, as the second-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys stayed perfect with a 66-6 rout of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Joseph Randle carri

<< Cousins leads No. 13 Michigan State past Iowa
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kirk Cousins had three touchdowns passes, all in the first half, as No. 13 Michigan State built a big lead Saturday on the way to defeating Iowa, 37-21. Cousins threw touchdown passes to B.J. Cunningham a

<< No.15 South Carolina runs past Florida
Columbia, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Connor Shaw ran for 88 yards and two touchdowns, as 15th-ranked South Carolina used a strong ground game to beat Florida, 17-12, in an SEC Eastern contest at Williams-Brice Stadium. Shaw attempted

Matthew leads by 3 in Mexico >>
Guadalajara, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Catriona Matthew matched the low round of the day Saturday as her four-under 68 gave her a three-stroke lead after three rounds of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Matthew, whose last tour win was at the

No. 5 Syracuse opens season with win over Fordham >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kris Joseph had 16 points, Dion Waiters scored 14 and the fifth-ranked Syracuse Orange opened the 2011-12 campaign with a 78-53 victory over the Fordham Rams at the Carrier Dome. Brandon Triche finished wi

In the FCS Huddle: Georgetown can see the next step >>
Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For now, Dan Lenihan's weight lifting belt will have to suffice for Georgetown football. It's not too bad of a prize considering what it means to Hoyas players on a daily basis. But when Lehigh hea

Michigan QB Robinson leaves game >>
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson left Saturday's game against Illinois in the third quarter after taking a pair of hard hits on back-to-back plays. He was thrown out of bounds following an 11-yard r

Ball sets record, Wisconsin rolls past Minnesota >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montee Ball scored three touchdowns to set the Big Ten single-season record, and No. 16 Wisconsin had no trouble Saturday in a 42-13 victory over Minnesota. Ball cut left through the line and broke a tac

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.