Allmendinger, Michael Shank Racing win Rolex 24 at Daytona

Autoracing Betting Lines

01/29/2012 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Shank Racing pulled off a stunning win in Sunday's Rolex 24 at Daytona, with NASCAR driver A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel of the team's No.60 Ford-Riley during the final stint.

Allmendinger shared driving duties with Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series regulars Ozz Negri and John Pew, as well as IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson in the 50th anniversary of the 24-hour endurance race at Daytona International Speedway. The 30-year-old Allmendinger crossed the finish line 5.2 seconds ahead of Starworks Motorsports' No.8 Ford-Riley, which was driven by Ryan Dalziel during the last hours of the event.

With a little more than one hour to go, Allmendinger put the No.60 car in the lead for good. However, Allmendinger had to swerve wide in turn one to avoid hitting a GT car during the closing laps. He went at least 20 feet off surface onto the paved skid pad.

"I'm so worn out," Allmendinger said in Daytona's victory lane. "We wanted to win this for Shank. The motor was so fast. I am so drained.

"I knew those last three hours I was going to have to go flat out. It was fun. When Dalziel got in the car...I knew I was going to have to drive my (rear end) off. I pushed really hard to build up a gap and take those last 10 laps to manage that gap."

It's the first time in nine attempts that team owner Michael Shank has claimed the victory in one of the world's most prestigious sports car races. The No.60 team completed 761 laps around the 3.560-mile Daytona road course for a total of 2,709 miles. It was one lap shy of tying the event's all time record, set in 1962.

"I feel like we deserved [a win], to be honest, because we've worked hard, and I don't make any excuses for that, and we've paid our dues for sure," Shank said. "I hope it can take us to new, cool places in Daytona Prototype in the coming years."

Last month, Allmendinger signed with Penske Racing to drive the No.22 car in NASCAR's premier series this season. He drove for Richard Petty's team the past three years. Allmendinger has yet to win a race in any one of NASCAR's three national touring series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck).

"I look at this year as being my best opportunity to win a Cup race, but that's easier said than done," he said. "Right now, I'm just going to take this for what it's worth and not think about anything for a couple of days and enjoy it. Right now, it's the biggest win I've ever had, because we've worked for seven years to get to this point with Mike Shank, and we've been so close so many times."

Wilson competed for the first time since last August when he suffered a back injury during a practice crash at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which curtailed his 2011 IndyCar season.

"We all managed to comprise enough to get by between all four of us in being comfortable and being able to push the limit every single lap, because this was a tough race," Wilson said.

Dalziel partnered with Allan McNish, Alex Popow, Enzo Potolicchio and Lucas Luhr in the No.8 car.

Brazilian Felipe Nasr finished third in a second Shank car, the No.6 Ford- Riley.

NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya finished fourth overall -- one lap down -- in the No.02 Chip Ganassi Racing BMW-Riley. It's the first time since 2005 that a Ganassi car was not on the podium for the 24-hour Daytona race. Montoya teamed up with fellow Sprint Cup driver Jamie McMurray and IndyCar champions Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon.

"It was a great race - an epic 50th Rolex 24," Ganassi said. "My congratulations to Mike Shank and Ford for a fantastic race, but I don't want them to get too comfortable in victory circle."

Defending race and Grand Am champion Scott Pruett finished sixth in Ganassi's No.01 BMW-Riley. A transmission problem that occurred late in the race put Pruett four laps behind.

The GT class victory went to Andy Lally, John Potter, Richard Lietz and Rene Rast in the No.44 Magnus Racing Porsche. The team finished 11th overall in the race.

Lally has returned to Grand Am after capturing the rookie-of-the-year title in Sprint Cup last year.

"I absolutely knew we had the potential to do it," Lally said. "It was a pleasure to be able to join the team. It was absolutely epic to come home."

Wwwhangame Autoracing Betting News

<< Heat hold off Bulls
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James ended with 35 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat held off the Chicago Bulls, 97-93, in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference Finals. Miami was up by eight with 2 1/2 minute

<< Gaborik's hat trick gives Team Chara the win at NHL All Star Game
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Gaborik notched a hat trick and an assist as Team Chara exploded in the third period to take a 12-9 victory in the 2012 All Star Game from Scotiabank Place. Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa and Phil Kessel al

<< Mavericks' Kidd out at least a week
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Kidd will miss at least one week of action due to a strained right calf. Kidd suffered the injury early in Friday's game against Utah. Head coach Rick Carlisle said before Su

<< Algorithms finds winning formula for Holy Bull Stakes
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Algorithms, ridden by Javier Castellano, overtook a tiring Hansen down the stretch to capture Sunday's $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The 5-2 second choice covered the mil

<< Malaga holds off Sevilla to snap skid
Malaga, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Malaga held off Sevilla on Sunday to snap its six-game winless skid, even though Isco was sent off 11 minutes from time in a 2-1 win at the Estadio La Rosaleda in Spain's La Liga. Weligton and Sebastian Fer

Tennessee uses big second half to beat Georgia >>
Athens, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shekinna Stricklen had 24 points, seven rebounds and two steals, as the seventh-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols used a big second half to beat the 17th-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs, 67-50. Ariel Massengale added

No. 10 Miami routs Boston College >>
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shenise Johnson netted a game-high 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds as 10th-ranked Miami-Florida thumped Boston College, 88-57, on Sunday. Riquna Williams had 18 points and eight rebou

Barnes helps North Carolina down Georgia Tech >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 23 points, as No. 7 North Carolina cruised to a 93-81 win over Georgia Tech on Sunday. The Tar Heels (18-3, 5-1 ACC) had lost four straight to Georgia Tech, but

No. 16 Indiana rolls past Iowa >>
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cody Zeller scored 26 points on 11-of-12 shooting as No. 16 Indiana rolled past Iowa, 103-89, at Assembly Hall. Christian Watford added 15 points, Verdell Jones III had 14 and Victor Oladipo dropped in

Snedeker stuns Stanley in playoff >>
La Jolla, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandt Snedeker stunned Kyle Stanley with a par on the second playoff hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open on Sunday. Snedeker fired a five-under 67 to finish at 16-under-par 272. He seemingly was headed

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.