World Cup 2010 – Germany to End Spain’s Reign in 2010

I am not prone to praying but if there is a football god, can you please, please ensure that the World Cup 2010 match between Spain and Germany on Wednesday at Durban doesn’t go to a penalty shoot out as it would be a tragic end to what promises to be one of the most exciting thus far of the tournament.

Spain vs Germany World Cup 2010 betting odds:

Wednesday, July 7, 2.30pm (8.30pm Durban Stadium local time)

Moneyline

Spain +160

Draw +220

Germany +170

Handicap

Spain pk -115

Germany pk -105

Team total

Spain 1 O-140, U+120

Germany 1 O-125, U+105

As predicted the Germany and Argentina quarter final was an absolute cracker with the Die Nationalmannschaft proving there is no substitute for a team playing for each other rather than playing for personal glory.

Three of Germany’s four goals in that match came from unselfish passes to men in better position while Argentina failed to find the back of the net because their stars were too busy trying for miracle goals that look great in a highlights package that lead the 7pm news broadcast but are flagrantly pointless when they don’t find the net and allows an opportunity to go to waste.

Germany’s ‘no heroics’ policy heading into this tournament has paid dividends and they are just two wins away from cementing their place in the history books and coaching manuals as one of the most breathtakingly beautiful teams to ever grace the World Cup stage.

No one can argue that the Germans aren’t worthy title holders, three of their five matches have ended with the Die Nationalmannschaft smashing home four goals and while two of those victories – 4-0 against Australia in their opening pool match and the 4-1 win over England in the Round of 16 – could be considered victories over less than worthy opponents, the way they dismantled Diego Maradona’s side in the quarter finals is the best sign yet that Joachim Loew’s men will be this year’s world champions.

Forwards Lukas Podolski has continually peppered the goals while fellow striker Miroslav Klose and midfielder Thomas Mueller have been nigh unstoppable, both players scoring four goals each while Mesut Oezil is tied with Mueller for most goal assists with four. Podolski comes in tied second with tournament goal assists with two alongside Netherlands winger Dirk Kuyt.

It is here that Germany’s true strength lays – their ability to feed the ball forward with deft passes that allows their players to lead the defense.

Unlike many of the stagnated teams this tournament that follow a pass, stop, dribble, pass mentality, Germany has lifted their skill levels to such a point that they need not stop as their players run perfect angles and lines in behind their defenders who are consistently forced to turn on their heels and chase and in doing so causing doubt on whether to break off or stick with their man.

Germany is on their way to great things this tournament and world number two team Spain is about to find out just how football is meant to be played.

World Cup Betting Prediction: Germany 3-1

World Cup 2010 – Netherlands Prepare for South American Double against Uruguay

Going into this World Cup 2010 semi final a frontline striker down is going to make Uruguay’s task of a counterattack victory against the Netherlands on Tuesday at Cape Town hard but it doesn’t mean they can’t be victorious.

Netherlands vs Uruguay World Cup 2010 betting odds:
Tuesday, July 6, 2.30pm (8.30pm Green Point Stadium, Cape Town, local time)

Moneyline
Netherlands -145
Draw +250
Uruguay +425

Handicap
Netherlands -1 +140
Uruguay +1 -160

Team total
Netherlands 1½ O-105, U-115
Uruguay ½ O-120, U Even

 

Luis Suarez’s deliberate handball of a certain Ghanaian goal in the dying seconds of the quarterfinal earned him a red card and a match suspension and while he was heralded a hero to get his team into the semis legally or illegally, his absence will stifle what has been up until this point of the tournament a free-flowing and aggressive forward line.

Suarez has shared the goal scoring duties with one of World Cup 2010’s best finishers Diego Forlan, both South Americans notching a hat trick of goals each, but now all of the responsibility falls onto Forlan, who can expect to be double teamed by Netherlands defenders Johnny Heitinga and Joris Mathijsen.

Uruguay may also be without not one but two key defenders;  22-year-old Porto defender Jorge Fucile is suspended meaning his tight marking and great ball control will be missed and if captain Diego Lugano fails to recover in time from a bruised knee ligament then La Celeste will be in a world of trouble at the back.

Bench midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro is also out and while he had played just 108 minutes in three games; he will be sorely missed as a defensive option by manager Oscar Tabarez.

Tabarez has acknowledged the Netherlands deserve the favorites tag, the Dutch are much more skillful as a cohesive unit but therein lies their weakness, if La Celeste can breakdown Oranje  into individuals then they might be in with a chance meaning they will have to risk a man-on-man defensive strategy, which while extremely risky, will open up their defense.

Muck like Oranje will try to do through their own wingers in Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben and Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt, La Celeste in turn must attack from out wide as the midfield will be congested with the likes of 35-year-old Feyenoord defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Inter Milan star Wesley Sneijder in the midfield, who himself has notched four of Netherlands nine goals this tournament and helped his team onto a 100 per cent winning record since the start of this year with nine wins in nine matches and hopefully lengthening their 24-game unbeaten streak to 25.

Then of course there is the seemingly omnipotent Robin van Persie, who earlier this year helped Inter Milan to a Serie A and Champions League glory.

While van Persie’s tiffs with manager Bert van Marwijk are legendary, the hopes of a nation sit squarely with the former’s ability to keep his head in the game and for the latter to give his star some latitude much like Jose Mourinho does at Inter Milan

Van Marwijk is without suspended pair Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong which shouldn’t pose too much of an issue.

Prediction:

Uruguay 1-0

Furious MLB Free Picks – Cleveland Indians vs. Texas Rangers

Can The Rangers Grow Their Lead In The AL West?

The Texas Rangers are getting one helluva bloated moneyline against the Cleveland Indians, which is somewhat surprising given Cleveland’s 6-2 SU record over their past 8 games. What is hampering the MLB betting line for this game is the diverging road and home records for both teams. Cleveland is just 1-7 SU in their last 8 roadies, while Texas is 9-3 SU in their past 12 home stands.

What also makes this game a bit of a guess as a baseball free pick is Texas’s decision to send Omar Beltre to the mound. In just one start this season, Beltre has posted a 6.75 ERA with 5 hits and 3 runs in 4.0 innings. Not exactly the most encouraging numbers out of a right handed call-up.

Cleveland Indians (32-49) vs. Texas Rangers (48-33)
Monday, July 5th — Rangers Ballpark — 8:05pm EST

MLB Betting Lines:

CLE – Aaron Laffey (L) +1.5 -115 / +170 / O 10.5 -115
TEX – Omar Beltre (R) -1.5 -105 / -200 / U 10.5 -105

Cleveland will counter Aaron Laffey, a left handed youngster who has been used more as a bullpen guy. As a starter Laffey, is just 1-2 SU and has an overall ERA of 5.55 with a 1.63 WHIP and 21 strikeouts on the season. However, he’s shown promise since getting more starts. Against Toronto on the final day of June, he allowed just 5 hits and 1 earned run in 6.0 innings and the Indians won the game 3-1.

Where To Watch: STO, FSH

The Rangers have a 3.5 game lead in the AL West to protect and while Beltre certainly has the goods to earn a vote on a bewildering moneyline, I’m not so sure Texas will get that many cracks on Laffey. If he can survive against the Blue Jays, he can certainly give the Rangers fits at the plate.

I’m not as convinced by Texas as we hit the mid-point of the season. They already dropped a series to the White Sox over the weekend, and their hitting has been a sore spot for the team’s betting backers. That’s why my money’s on Cleveland until we see some more consistency at the plate, or out of their new found pitcher.

Furious MLB Free Pick – Cleveland RL and ML (UNDER)

In case that wasn’t enough for your baseball betting palette, we’re introducing a new feature right below! Along with your daily MLB free picks, I’m adding a parlay recommendation along with it. The following is not for the weak of heart. You’re getting two for the price of one now, might as well double up your pleasures in MLB betting too.

WARNING: for tough guys only!

Tough Guy Parlay Pick – and Boston +135 ML

MLB Betting Lines:

BOS – Daisuke Matsuzaka (R) +135
TB – Matt Garza (R) -155

Game Time: Tropicana Field — 7:10pm EST

MLB Betting Trends:

• Boston is 5-2 SU in last 7 games
• Boston is 12-6 SU in last 18 road games
• Boston is 5-1 SU in last 6 road games against Tampa
• Tampa is 4-1 SU in last 5 games
• Tampa is 1-4 SU in last 5 overall against Boston
• Tampa is 2-5 SU last 7 games at home

Some of the Hottest Teams in the Majors are Stacking the MLB Odds for “Unders”

The low scoring games in the bigs are still trendy as we come up towards the All-Star Break. Some of the hottest teams in the majors are stacking the MLB odds for ‘unders’.

Season Standings

1: St. Louis Cardinals (49-31-2) – The Cardinals still aren’t getting the offensive output they need in order to move in front of the Reds and take the initiative in the NL Central, but the pitching staff still has an incredible 3.23 ERA as a unit. Pitching two shutouts this week was fantastic and helped get RHP Adam Wainwright on the All-Star team.

2: Chicago Cubs (44-30-8) – Manager Lou Piniella inevitably won’t be overly thrilled about this… His offense is scoring less than four runs per game now (3.90 to be exact) and is batting just .253 as a team for the season. In a seven game home stand against the Pirates and Reds, Chicago scored just 12 runs and got shut out twice. We’d say that this team needs to make a move, but we tend to believe that the squad just needs to be imploded and started over instead.

3: Washington Nationals (47-33-3) – We can thank RHP Stephen Strasburg and his 5-1 record for ‘under’ bettors this year for helping get the Nats on this list. Though Washington still only has 38 quality starts for the season, 26th in the majors, the fact that the squad’s ERA is down to 4.14 after last season’s abortion of a year is impressive. The Nationals have fallen out of the race for the playoffs, but at least the team has something to look forward to.

Who’s Hot?

1: Atlanta Braves (4-0-2) – Does anyone realize that the Braves have suddenly gotten their team ERA down to 3.67 on the year? Not bad for a squad that had a starting pitcher get his first win of the season two weeks ago after nine losses. This week, Atlanta only conceded more than three runs in a game once, and though the offense didn’t light the world on fire, four runs in three straight games was more than enough for three wins.

2: Chicago White Sox (5-1) – If manager Ozzie Guillen can keep his pitching staff together, the White Sox are going to be a dangerous team down the stretch of the 2010 campaign. Guys like Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, and Jake Peavy shouldn’t all have ERAs of between 4.50 and 4.70, but that’s where the Sox find themselves right now. The staff came together this week and only allowed an average of 3.67 runs per game.

3: Cleveland Indians (5-1-1) – Cleveland swept four games from the Blue Jays at Progressive Field to start this week, and though the offense wasn’t fantastic in any game, the pitching staff allowed just seven runs in four days. Things stayed solid against the A’s as well, and in spite of the fact that the Tribe lost two out of three, there is no shame in conceding just ten runs.

MLB Betting – Hernandez Will Dominate Royals

With Felix Hernandez hitting in full rhythm, the Seattle Mariners are the play on Monday.

MLB Betting Odds:

Kansas City Royals +175
Brian Bannister –(R)

Seattle Mariners -210
Felix Hernandez –(R)

Run Line:

Royals +1.5 -120

Mariners -1.5 EVEN

Total:

7 O -110

7 U -110

• Location: Safeco Field – Seattle, WA
• Game Time: Monday, July 5th, 2010 – 10:10 PM EST
• TV: FSKC, FSNW

The Week That Was: Royals

The Royals, fresh off a rare series win against the St. Louis Cardinals, took that momentum into a series against Chicago and came out on top. Kansas City won two of three from their division rival, with no game being decided by more than two runs.

The feel-good story came in the first game when career minor-leaguer Anthony Lerew picked up his first MLB win after 10 years in the minors. Lerew pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out four.

The Royals would lose the next game, but hold off a furious White Sox rally in the rubber-match to win the three game set. In the finale, Chicago scored five runs in the eighth, but couldn’t get any closer in the 7-6 loss.

A weekend series against the LA Angels followed, and KC was able to carry their winning ways to Southern California.

The Royals took the first two games in low-scoring affairs, riding the back of strong pitching performances by Kyle Davies and Bruce Chen. However, KC couldn’t complete the sweep as they were hammered 11-0 by the Angels in the series finale.

The aforementioned Lerew was the goat, allowing six runs in five innings.

The Week That Was: Mariners

Seattle started the week with their two best pitchers starting back-to-back (Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez); not surprisingly, they won both. Lee and Hernandez pitched back-to-back complete games in wins against the Yankees, taking the first two of a three-game set.

The offense awoke as well, scoring seven runs in each contest. However the Yankees would recover, winning the final game 4-2 and avoiding the sweep.

The Mariners then travelled to Detroit for a weekend set and were crushed in the first two games of the series. Seattle was outscored 13-2 in the first two games, as Doug Fister and Jason Vargas were peppered by the strong Tigers offense.

However, Lee was able to stop the bleeding the finale, throwing eight innings of one-run ball, striking out 11 and walking only one. Lee was this close to becoming the first pitcher in two years to throw four straight complete games.

The Matchup

After a string of five-straight wins, Brian Bannister has fallen on hard times. The right-hander is 1-3 in his last four starts, and has given up a combined 18 runs in his past 17 innings pitched.

He’s not a power pitcher (only 55 K’s in 89 IP); he relies on finesse and control to be successful. Lately neither has been present for Bannister, and it’s unknown when he’ll bounce back.

Felix can do in this game what his ace-counterpart Cliff Lee could not; throw his fourth straight complete game. Hernandez has gone the distance in three straight contests, going 2-0 in that span and striking out 28 batters in the process.

He’s clearly hit his stride, and has proven he is virtually unhittable when everything is clicking. For an inconsistent team like the Royals, it shouldn’t be too difficult to continue his effectiveness.

MLB Betting Pick: Mariners

NFL Betting Expert Predictions: NFL Week 1 – Are You Ready For Some Football?!

For those NFL football bettors itching for the 2010-2011 season to begin, BetOnline has some intriguing Week 1 lines for the experienced bettor to take advantage of.

NFL Football Season Schedule

NFL Week 1 Begins Thursday, September, 9, 2010

The best Sports Betting fans know the importance of timing when buying in on a favorable line.

The first few weeks of NFL Football present an excellent opportunity to take advantage of great odds.

With the unpredictable nature of the sport and constant offseason personnel changes, it takes some time for the odds makers to develop the best lines early in the season.

I am here to present you with some Week 1 NFL bets that will help you get off to a great start in this upcoming NFL betting season.

NFL Betting Odds:

Miami vs. Buffalo

• Miami Dolphins -3 (-120)
• Buffalo Bills +3 (-110)

A great line for Buffalo in this game. Notoriously good in home openers, the Bills dominated Tampa Bay last year 33-20 and trounced the Seattle Seahawks 34-10 in 2008.

Look for a heavy dose of the running game for the Bills, which will hope to wear down Miami with a three-headed backfield led by Marshawn Lynch, veteran Fred Jackson, and first round pick C.J. Spiller.

Take Bills +3 (-110)

Atlanta vs. Pittsburgh

• Atlanta Falcons pk (-115)
• Pittsburgh Steelers pk (-115)

2009 was a disappointing season for the Falcons, who saw pretty much their whole offense go down with injuries midway through the season.

The Falcons will look to QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner to return to their ’08 form and take the aging Steelers down in Pittsburgh.

Take Falcons pk (-115)

Indianapolis vs. Houston

• Indianapolis Colts -3 (-110)
• Houston Texans +3 (-120)

Peyton Manning is angry and you won’t like Peyton when he’s angry. After his interception resulted in the Colts losing the Super Bowl, what do you think Manning has been doing all offseason? He has been preparing to demolish his week 1 opponent in the name of Indi’s 2009 Super Bowl loss.

Manning is also 4-1 in Week 1 games over the past 5 years.

Take Indianapolis -3 (-110)

Oakland vs. Tennessee

• Oakland Raiders +7 (-110)
• Tennessee Titans -7 (-120)

It will be pretty difficult for the Raiders to reproduce how bad they were last year, but they look poised to be one of the worst teams in the NFL again in 2010.

The Titans, meanwhile, have locked in on Vince Young as their starter. Vince won eight of the ten games he started in 2009.

Oh, and 2,000 yard rusher Chris Johnson will torment the Raiders defense.

Take Tennessee -7 (-120)

Stay tuned for more NFL expert betting picks and analysis as the season approaches.

Uruguay vs. Holland – Which Team Has the Edge?

The first semifinal of the World Cup will come this Tuesday as Uruguay and Holland meet at Green Point Stadium. To get a little bit more into this match, I am bringing you the usual breakdown for the big games.

Let’s take a look at every position.

World Cup Odds:

Holland -165
Draw +265
Uruguay +500
O/U 2

Goalkeeper: Uruguay’s goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was outstanding during the penalty shots against Ghana, and he has only allowed two goals in the World Cup so far, but his inexperience seems to be his only problem.

Marteen Stekelenburg, to me, is best goalie so far in the competition. He took several scoring chances from Brazil, including an amazing shot by Kaka that was going right to the angle of the goal.

Edge: Holland

Defense: The defense is the best argument that Uruguay will have in this game, as they have been so disciplined that it is scary.

Ghana‘s goal by Sulayh Muntari was long ball shot that had nothing to do with the defense.

For Holland, their defense is their weakness. It is not as bad as the defense of Argentina, but still it is slow and has some real trouble in the center.

Edge: Uruguay.

Midfield: Uruguay’s midfield zone is a pretty good one, but it can’t compare to the three great players of Holland.

So far Wesley Sneijder, –my personal nominee for the 2010 FIFA World Player- Mark Van Bommel, and Nigel De Jong combine great marking skills and amazing creativity up front.

Despite the fact that Uruguay can fight really hard in the midfield, it is hard to believe they can win a battle like this one, against one of the best teams in the tournament.

De Jong won’t be able to play against Uruguay due to a suspension, so Rafael Van Der Vaart will probably occupy his spot, giving Holland another dimension offensively.

Edge: Holland

Offense: Uruguay’s three headed monster –Forlan, Suarez, Cavani- can be compared to the three up-front for Holland –Robben, Kuyt, Van Persie.

The problem for the South Americans is that Luis Suarez won’t play in this game due to a suspension after being expelled for stopping a direct shot with his hands in the game against Ghana.

With Suarez out, Uruguay definitely will look weaker on offense.

Edge: Holland

Sunday Horse Betting – Canada Puts on Their Version of the Kentucky Derby

Out of all of the stakes races this July 4th weekend, the Grade I Queen’s Plate is the most lucrative.  What’s awesome about that fact is that the Queen’s Plate is held at Woodbine Racetrack in Ontario, Canada.

It’s also a race for 3-year-olds that were foaled exclusively in Canada. 13 horses, that’s right, 13 horses have decided to enter for the Grade I Queen’s Plate.

Who do I think will win Canada’s version of the Kentucky Derby?

Horse Bet of the Day – Sunday

Where:  Woodbine Racetrack – Race 10

When:  July 4th, 2010 at 5:38 pm EST

TV:  TVG

$1,000,000 Grade I Queen’s Plate Stakes

For Three-year-Olds, Foaled In Canada

1 ¼ miles over Polytrack

10-Roan Innish – - 9/2 morning line horse betting odds

Since coming over from the Curragh in Ireland, Roan Innish has been nothing but impressive.  The daughter of Elusive Quality has finished 1st twice and 2nd twice in 4 races at Woodbine.  Yes, she’s a filly but filliles can beat colts in 3-year-old restricted races.  Roan Innish has the ability to track and close from the pace in a race that figures to have a lot of speed.  She’s the pick in a wide-open Queen’s Plate.

9-Mobilizer – - 7/2 morning line horse betting odds

The lightly raced Mobilizer has never finished off the board in 4 lifetime races.  He’s gotten better with every race and could be ready for a top effort after getting outworked by Big Red Mike and losing by ½ a length in the $150,000 Plate Trial.  Mobilizer finished 2nd that day but with other speed signed on to give Big Red Mike a run for his money on the front end, Mobilizer should be able to take back a couple of more lengths than he usually would before turning it on towards the top of the stretch.  This guy is formidable in the Queen’s Plate.

4-Dark Cloud Dancer – - 15/1 morning line horse betting odds

Local Woodbine trainer Mark Frostad is winning at a 35% clip at this meet.  Frostad might have a serious, serious horse in this son of Storm Cat.  Dark Cloud Dancer has run only 3 times but already has a victory and 2-second place finishes.  More importantly, he’s stretching out to a distance where he should absolutely excel.  Jockey JJ Castellano might be a better fit for this guy than Patrick Husbands was.  Husbands takes the call on the other Frostad trainee, and likely favorite, Hotep.  I prefer Dark Cloud Dancer much more than I prefer Hotep in the Queen’s Plate.  Dark Cloud Dancer has a good shot of lighting up the tote board. 
 

Horse Wagering Strategy

Roan Innish will get lost in the betting because she’s a filly.  The race really sets up for her style.  I will bet her to win and place.  I will put a win and place saver bet on Dark Cloud Dancer.  I will bet an exacta box with Dark Cloud Dancer, Roan Innish and Mobilizer. 

Good luck!

Log onto the top horse racing sportsbook on the Internet and bet the ponies!

World Cup Betting – Will Both Teams Score in the Holland/Uruguay Match?

The first of two semifinal duels at the 2010 World Cup will take place between Holland and Uruguay on Tuesday at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. Both of these teams have put together impressive resumes at this point in the tournament, as the two have combined to post nine wins and a draw in their ten matches. However, the proposition at hand in Tuesday’s match is whether or not both teams will score a goal in the match or not. Find out if our World Cup betting analysis calls for goals or not.

World Cup Odds

Both Teams Score +135
One or Both Teams Don’t Score -175

As the favored side in this match by quite a comfortable margin, the Dutch are certainly expected to find the back of the Uruguayan net over the course of the 90 minutes. And why not? Holland has tallied at least once in all of its matches in this tournament, and Uruguay has conceded once in both knockout rounds after going through the first three matches of the tournament unscathed.

La Oranje have an attacking style that will feature three forwards and several advancing midfielders on every advance. F Wesley Sneijder has been fantastic in this tournament, scoring four times, including twice against the Brazilians. Neither F Robin Van Persie nor F Arjen Robben have had a huge impact on the tournament as of yet, but the Uruguayans will be fully aware of where each are on the pitch at any given moment.

The far more interesting question is whether or not Uruguay will score. First instinct suggests not. Three of the goals scored by the last South American side of this tournament have come from F Luis Suarez, who will sit out this match due to a suspension.

Suarez earned his match on the bench in the dying moments of the win over Ghana, as he used both of his hands to pop a shot that was heading for the back of the net over the bar, which calls for an immediate dismissal and a suspension.

That is going to leave all the pressure in the world on F Diego Forlan, as he has been the only other consistent form of offense for the Uruguayans all tournament long.

The good news is that Forlan has looked like a man possessed, as he not only is taking the best chances for Uruguay in this tournament, but he is setting up a ton of other shots as well, particularly off of free kicks.

The Dutch made have the best defense in the world right now, but two cogs in that back line likely won’t be in the lineup. Both D Nigel de Jong (suspension) and D Joris Mathijsen (knee injury) aren’t likely suitors for the Dutch starting 11.

That defense for La Oranje looked questionable at best against the Brazilians, particularly early on. As a result, we love Forlan’s chances of creating something out of nothing for the Uruguayans, and we feel as though there is a better than 50/50 chance that both teams will find the back of the net at some point during this match.

My World Cup Predictions: Both Teams Score +135

NASCAR Power Rankings – Harvick Makes a Move to the Top

A green-white checkered finish at Daytona in the Coke Zero 400 led a victory for Sprint Cup Standings’ leader Kevin Harvick.

Harvick leapfrogs his way up to 2nd on the NASCAR Power Rankings.

Who’s still on top? JJ, my friends! Jimmie’s Coke Zero finish wasn’t all that great, but he’s still Jimmie Johnson.

NASCAR Betting Power Rankings

1. Jimmie Johnson +200- – JJ got into an accident at Daytona and ended up finishing in 31st place. Oh, that’s bad, but it’s not bad enough for me to drop him in the power rankings.

2. Kevin Harvick +1000 – - Harvick not only won the Coke Zero 400 but he increased his lead over Jeff Gordon in the Sprint Cup Standings to 212 points.

His consistent driving, and the consistent calls from his crew, paid off at Daytona with not only a Top 5 finish but with a victory as well.

3. Denny Hamlin +400 – - Hamlin’s 24th place finish at Daytona wasn’t great, but he, along with Harvick and JJ, have sort of dominated the Sprint Cup Circuit in 2010. 5 victories on the year will do that.

4. Jeff Gordon +600 – - Gordo moved up 3 spots in the Sprint Cup Standings after a 3rd place finish at Daytona. He doesn’t move up in my power rankings because…well, do you know who deserves to be dropped out of the Top 3 in place of Gordon? Yeah…me neither!

5. Kyle Busch +400- - I’m not going to knock Kyle too much for getting into that accident before the 104th lap and “finishing” in 40th place at Daytona. He’ll bounce back with a nice finish at Chicagoland.

6. Kurt Busch +1200 – - Kurt recorded another great finish at Daytona but couldn’t get into the Top 5. This time he finished 7th. He’s not having a bad year, though, and deserves to remain in the Top 10 in the power rankings.

7. Jeff Burton +1500 – - Burton moves up in the rankings after finishing 5th at the Coke Zero 400. He’s also 8th in the Sprint Cup Standings meaning that he’s having a sneaky good year.

8. Matt Kenseth +3000 – - Kenseth failed to crack the Top 10 at Daytona but he did finish 15th. That’s not too bad and he’s still 7th in the Sprint Cup Standings. No reason to drop him too far in power rankings.

9. Dal Earnhardt Jr. +3500 – - Jr. finished 4th at the Coke Zero 400. He also won the Nationwide race in his daddy’s #3 car. It was a good weekend for Jr.

10. Carl Edwards +3000 – - Carl is back into the power rankings after a nice 6th place finish at Daytona. Edwards is now clearly Roush Fenway’s best hope for a championship.

Dropped-out: Tony Stewart +1500

Just when I thought Smoke was coming around, he blows it again. I thought Tony was going to win the Coke Zero 400 or at least finish in the Top 10. I was wrong. He finished 25th.

On the Verge: Kasey Kahne +5000

Kahne secured another Top 5 finish in a Sprint Cup race. This time, Kasey finished 2nd. That’s 5 Top 5 finishes for Kasey in 2010. Who knows? Maybe, he stays hot in Chicago this weekend.

This weekend drivers head to the Chicagoland Speedway for the Lifelock.com 400! Log onto the NASCAR sportsbook and bet the Lifelock.com 400!