Martin comes up big both on track and off
Autoracing Betting Lines
02/20/2007 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Martin won the 2007 Daytona 500.
Sure, he didn't get the trophy, the huge check or drenched by champagne in
Victory Lane, but that doesn't change the fact that he won the race.
In typical NASCAR fashion, the rules were not applied consistently and this
time it cost Martin the biggest prize of his career.
To set the scene we must turn back the clock to Sunday - lap 202 of the
Daytona 500. Martin has held off the field and is just a short distance from
his first Daytona 500 win in 23 attempts. Harvick is flying on the outside
with help from Matt Kenseth and is close to catching Martin. Through turn
three they go and Kyle Busch gets too low on the track, the rear wheels break
loose and he slids up into Kenseth. All hell breaks loose behind the two
leaders.
Had it been any other lap in the race, the caution flag would have come out
immediately.
But NASCAR is gun-shy to throw the caution flag on the final lap of a race
ever since Gordon was declared the winner over Dale Earnhardt Jr, at Talladega
in the summer of 2004. The fans almost started a riot after the race, throwing
bottles and cans at Gordon as he tried to take his victory lap.
So they let Martin and Harvick decide it on the track. They held the flag
behind their back while Clint Bowyer was sliding upside down with flames
leaping from the engine.
Harvick edged Martin by 0.020 seconds - about three feet.
"I have no idea what happened behind me," Martin said after the race. "From
what my spotter said, I was ahead when they started wrecking."
About two hours after the race had ended, NASCAR changed the ruling saying:
"When the No.07 car (Bowyer) went sideways - the No.29 (Harvick) was ahead of
the No.01 (Martin) and was declared the winner."
Ten minutes later they reversed that statement by saying the race "ended under
the green flag."
Still, Martin is a "gentlemen racer" and he didn't complain about the decision
and what might have been. He said in the post-race press conference that he
"thought NASCAR made the right decision." Martin is the kind of guy who wants
to win the Daytona 500 fair and square. He didn't want to win the Daytona
500 by caution flag, he wanted to be the first driver to the checkered flag.
You may not respect NASCAR for its decision but you MUST respect the driver.
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Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
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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."
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