It's official: Kentucky added to 2011 Sprint Cup schedule

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/10/2010 - Sparta, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is coming to the "Bluegrass State," starting in 2011.

After more than a decade of requesting a Cup date, Kentucky Speedway will be added to the 2011 schedule. Bruton Smith, the chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports Inc., the parent company of the speedway, confirmed on Tuesday the 1.5-mile oval, located roughly 40 miles south of downtown Cincinnati, will host a 400-mile night-time Cup race on July 9, 2011.

"You've been waiting 11 years," Smith said during a news conference held at the speedway.

SMI bought the speedway in 2008.

Last week, officials from Atlanta Motor Speedway announced the track will host only one Cup event, which will take place on Labor Day weekend, beginning next year. SMI moved its Atlanta spring race to Kentucky.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and officials from both NASCAR and the Kentucky Speedway, as well as former NASCAR driver and Kentucky native Darrell Waltrip and Joey Logano, who has won the last three Nationwide Series races at the track, were among those present for the announcement.

"I thought I've been to some exciting events, but I haven't been to one more exciting than the announcement that Bruton Smith just gave us," Governor Beshear said. "The addition of a 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in 2011 solidifies the speedway's status as a world-class motorsports venue in the nation's number-one spectator sport. In it's 11th year, the speedway has finally reached the pinnacle."

The track opened in 2000, with the Camping World Truck Series competing once each year since then. The Nationwide Series has been racing here once each season since 2001.

Nationwide will join Sprint Cup on the same weekend at Kentucky next year.

The current seating capacity at the speedway is 66,000, but Smith said he plans to add an additional 50,000 seats to the venue.

Kentucky becomes the first track added to the Cup schedule since Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway - both 1.5 miles in length -- in 2001.

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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.

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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

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