Barnhart relieved of IndyCar race control duties

Autoracing Betting Lines

11/30/2011 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sanctioning body for the IZOD IndyCar Series revealed on Wednesday that Brian Barnhart will no longer serve as race director.

In restructuring its organization, IndyCar will split the responsibilities of president of operations and race director into separate positions. Barnhart will remain head of operations, overseeing the operational and logistical areas of the series. InyCar is reviewing candidates to fill the race director position.

"As our sport continues to grow and we prepare for our first new car in almost a decade, we feel that splitting these roles will help fully service our teams and venues as we prepare for the demands of the 2012 season," Barnhart said in a statement.

Barnhart has served as IndyCar's president of competition and racing operations since 2007. But Barnhart had been under immense criticism by competitors for some of his officiating calls during the 2011 season.

Several drivers in the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix complained about the start of the race when a safety truck was still on the track.

Barnhart came under fire in August at New Hampshire, where race officials determined after a brief rain shower that the track was dry enough to resume racing, but drivers, particularly Will Power, pleaded with officials not to restart since there was still moisture on the track. Power crashed on the final restart, and shortly after, he made an inappropriate gesture (finger) to the direction of race control. Days later, Power was fined and placed on probation for the remainder of the season for his gesture.

In the October race at Motegi, Japan, Helio Castroneves was furious with Barnhart after he received a penalty for passing under a local yellow during the final lap. Castroneves later posted on his Twitter account, "Brian Barnhart is inconsistent and even changes the rule book when it is convenient for him and his own personal interests...It is sad to see one person being responsible for bringing down an entire series." Castroneves was also fined and put on probation for his comments.

IndyCar also announced another organizational change. Terry Angstadt resigned his position as commercial division president. Angstadt, who had served in the role since 2007, was instrumental in IndyCar's partnership with series title sponsor IZOD, as well as securing races in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Qingdao, China. The series is scheduled to race in China for the first time next year.

Marc Koretzky will replace Angstadt. Koretzky joined IndyCar in May as director of corporate business development. Angstadt will assist with the transition.

"I'm confident that Brian and Marc will lead our company into a bigger and brighter future in these new roles," IndyCar Chief Executive Officer Randy Bernard said.

The 2012 IndyCar season is scheduled to begin on March 25 in St. Petersburg, FL.

Wwwbetgameday Autoracing Betting News

<< Bruce sacked by Sunderland
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland confirmed on Wednesday that the club has parted ways with manager Steve Bruce. Bruce joined the team from Wigan in the summer of 2009, but after winning just two of his first 13 games in

<< Brees, Hall, Peterson named NFC players of the week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall and Cardinals punt returner Patrick Peterson have been honored as the NFC's top players for Week 12 of the NFL season. Brees complete

<< Brest midfielder Culm to undergo hip operation
Brest, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jhon Jairo Culm could miss the next two months for Brest after undergoing hip surgery, the club announced. The midfielder has been bothered by pain in his hip for weeks and will have a procedure to rem

<< Johnson, Suggs and Janikowski earn AFC weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski have been selected as the AFC's top players for Week 12 of the NFL season.

<< Cubs reach deal with DeJesus
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have signed outfielder David DeJesus to a two-year deal with a club option for the 2014 season. Although financial terms were not released, the pact is believed to be worth $10 million. DeJe

Barca's Adriano out one week with thigh injury >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona midfielder Adriano will miss the next week because of a thigh injury, it was announced on Wednesday. The 27-year-old sustained the problem in Barca's 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday, wit

Is Valentine the right guy for Boston? >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At first glance Bobby Valentine becoming the new manager of the Boston Red Sox makes a ton of sense. He's a household name, he lives in Connecticut, has been an above-average manager in this game and absolutely has the abilit

Shoulder injury to keep Abbiati out two weeks >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati will miss the next two weeks of action due to a right shoulder injury. Abbiati sustained the problem in Milan's Champions League match with Barcelona last week and he

4-time Pro Bowl DL Chester McGlockton passes away >>
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former NFL defensive lineman and Stanford assistant coach Chester McGlockton died early Wednesday morning. He was 42. McGlockton was the 16th overall pick by the Raiders in the 1992 NFL Draft and was a member o

Civil suit filed against Sandusky >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A civil suit against Jerry Sandusky was filed Wednesday morning in Philadelphia, by a man alleging the former Penn State assistant coach sexually abused him more than 100 times over a perio

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards