IndyCar discloses findings of Wheldon's fatal crash

Autoracing Betting Lines

12/15/2011 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a near two-month investigation, IndyCar revealed a comprehensive review of the 15-car racing accident that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon in the early going of the October 16 season- ending race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

IndyCar officials stated that Wheldon, a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and former series champion, suffered a "non-survivable head injury" after his No.77 car went airborne and then made impact with a vertical post on the catch fence that's located in the turn-two area of the 1.5-mile racetrack. The pole intruded the cockpit of Wheldon's car, therefore producing life-ending blunt force trauma to his head.

The accident report noted that Wheldon's path on the lower portion of the racetrack was blocked by the multi-car crash he was approaching. Wheldon, who started from the rear of the 34-car field, was running 24th just before the incident occurred on lap 11.

"There are multiple factors that are not uncommon to racing that came together in a way that claimed Dan's life," Brian Barnhart, president of operations for IndyCar, said during a press conference held on Thursday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "It is a tragedy. Our thoughts and support will always be with Dan's family."

IndyCar analyzed data from the accident data recorders carried on board each race car involved in the crash, the on-board data acquisition system from teams, timing and scoring data, video, still photographs, physical evidence and eyewitness reports from participants.

Third-party experts with Indianapolis-based Wolf Technical Services provided independent assurance that the investigation protocol, evidence examined and reviewed, and the conclusions reached were consistent and appropriate to standard scientific and engineering investigation methods.

In what the accident report cited as a "perfect storm," Wheldon's fatal crash involved circumstances of location, direction and orientation on the track that were the chance result of previous car contact.

Examination of video of the incident demonstrated normal "pack racing" that was common on high-banked ovals, but there was almost unlimited movement on the track surface under race conditions not previously experienced that attributed to track geometry beyond banking. This widened the probability for car-to-car contact but made it more difficult for drivers to predict the movement of other competitors. The chances for a multi-car crash were therefore increased.

According to the report, the 34-car starting field was determined to be acceptable based on factors such as length and width of the racetrack and pit space capability. The incident that happened at Las Vegas could have occurred with any size starting field at any track.

Last week, IndyCar announced it would not compete at Las Vegas in 2012. The series was scheduled to run its season-finale there on October 14, but IndyCar and track officials have said considerable testing with the 2012 car is needed prior to returning to the track. Wheldon had been testing the new Dallara chassis prior to his accident.

"IndyCar's commitment to safety was enhanced by Dan Wheldon's testing throughout 2011 of the new car to be used by IndyCar in 2012," Randy Bernhard, the CEO of IndyCar, said. "The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season ushers in an era of a new race car and the opportunity for continued safety advancements.

"Dan Wheldon was instrumental in the testing and development of this new car and the safety innovations that it represents. We are thankful for his efforts and commitment to racing."

The 2012 schedule is expected to be released in the coming days. It's not known yet if Texas Motor Speedway -- a track similar to Las Vegas -- will be on next year's calendar.

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Super Bowl XLIII Betting - Super Bowl 2009

Super Bowl 2009, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.

MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.

Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.

Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.

After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.

Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.

Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.

If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.

Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.

Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.