IndyCar drivers, officials discuss safety in meeting

Autoracing Betting Lines

10/24/2011 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eight days after Dan Wheldon's fatal crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, several drivers and officials from the IZOD IndyCar Series convened for a three-hour, closed-door meeting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to discuss safety issues in the sport.

IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard scheduled the voluntary meeting on Monday, since many competitors were in Indianapolis to attend a public memorial service for Wheldon, held yesterday at Conseco Field.

Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan were among those drivers who met with Bernard, as well as Brian Barnhart, IndyCar's president of competition and racing operations, and Will Phillips, the series' vice president of technology.

Franchitti and Kanaan briefly met with reporters afterwards. Both drivers did not share much information about the contents of the meeting but said it was "positive" and "productive." Franchitti and Kanaan served as pallbearers for Wheldon during Saturday's funeral service in St. Petersburg, FL.

"We all got to talk a lot and listen a lot," four-time series champion Franchitti said. "We just looked at going forward and how do we improve things in all areas, so I think it was a very positive and productive meeting. That's the first step I think today."

IndyCar endured its darkest moment in the early going of the October 16 race at Las Vegas when a horrific 15-car crash claimed the life of Wheldon, a two- time Indianapolis 500 winner and former IndyCar champion. Wheldon's car went airborne into the catch fence along turn two before it erupted into flames during the lap 11 incident. The 33-year-old Englishman died of blunt head trauma.

"We're going to use this terrible thing that happened, and we're going to try to make things as safe as possible," Franchitti added.

Wheldon had recently served as test driver for IndyCar's new Dallara chassis at IMS, a car he thought was much safer than the current one.

"Everybody was in a very positive attitude and in a positive way, trying to makes things better than they are already," said Kanaan, the 2004 series titleholder. "We have a new opportunity with the new car, so it was a very productive meeting. It was everybody trying to get on the same page and brainstorming for the future."

Wheldon was the first IndyCar driver killed at a racetrack since Paul Dana's fatal crash during a practice session at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2006.

"What people need to understand is that we're not going to make motor racing a hundred percent safe," Kanaan noted. "That's the fact. As long as we can leave with the fact that what we do is very dangerous, we can keep making it better."

Hours after the meeting, IndyCar issued a news release, noting it will continue with its investigation into Las Vegas accident. IndyCar said it will conduct the investigation in two phases.

As part of the first phase, an internal team led by series safety and competition officials will evaluate data to make a factual determination of the circumstances surrounding the entire incident.

The team will utilize outside, independent experts and consultants for analysis of the data, and the results will then be turned over to an independent, third-party group for validation.

"We must continue to move forward with a thorough investigation," Bernard said in a statement. "Fortunately, that has already begun, and we have the protocols in place to get this done. This was a tragic accident, and IndyCar needs to understand everything possible about it."

IndyCar expects it will take several weeks for phase one to be completed. Phase two of the investigation will utilize information from the first one to minimize risks in the future.

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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.

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