Edwards wins pole at Homestead, Stewart starts 15th
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11/19/2011 -
Homestead, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Edwards gained a huge advantage over
Tony Stewart in their battle for the Sprint Cup Series championship by winning
the pole for Sunday's season-ending Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Tony Stewart qualified 15th with his lap at 173.332 mph. Stewart enters the
season-finale just three points behind Edwards.
Edwards, who was the second-to-last driver to make his qualifying run in the
48-car field, posted a lap at 175.467 mph for his third pole of the season and
the 10th of his Sprint Cup career. He also won the pole at this track in 2005.
With the pole victory, Edwards' No.99 team claimed the first pit selection,
which could play in favor for Edwards during his pit stops.
"That's huge," Edwards said. "That's just one lap, but that's a great start
for us. We were great in practice. My guys did a great job today. That's what
it's about, being able to come here and perform the best we can and not leave
anything on the table. This is a great Saturday for us."
Edwards is the defending race winner at Homestead.
In the Chase for the Sprint Cup era (2004-present), three eventual champions
have won the pole at Homestead. Kurt Busch did it '04, and Jimmie Johnson did
so in 2007 and '09.
Stewart is attempting to win his third championship in the series. He is also
trying to become the first driver/owner to win the title since Alan Kulwicki
accomplished the feat first in 1992.
"The qualifying deal isn't how a race is going to play out, so this is one lap
of 400 miles that we've got to go," Stewart said. "I'm glad that we spent more
time on race trim than qualifying trim. We'll see how it plays out."
Martin Truex Jr. earned the outside pole after turning a lap at 174.808 mph.
Kasey Kahne, who won last weekend at Phoenix, qualified third, while Kurt
Busch and his Penske Racing teammate, Brad Keselowski, rounded out the top-
five.
Matt Kenseth took the sixth spot, followed by Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Jimmie
Johnson and Denny Hamlin.
Scott Speed, Reed Sorenson, Mike Skinner, Scott Riggs and Grant Enfinger
failed to qualify.
The 400-mile race at Homestead is scheduled to start just after 3:00 p.m.
(et).
<< Inter edges Cagliari
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thiago Motta and Philippe Coutinho scored in a
6-minute span of the second half, and Inter Milan won for just the second time
in its last six Serie A games, 2-1 over Cagliari on Saturday at the San Siro.
Motta
<< PSV closes the gap in the Eredivisie
Doetinchem, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PSV Eindhoven placed some
additional pressure on Eredivisie leaders AZ Alkmaar on Saturday, edging De
Graafschap, 3-1, to close the gap at the top of the Dutch table.
With 28 points t
<< Park, Gal share lead at Grand Cypress
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hee Young Park birdied three of the last four
holes Saturday to join Sandra Gal in the lead after three rounds of the
season-ending CME Group Titleholders.
Gal managed a one-under 71. The duo finished 54 holes
<< No. 8 Louisville takes down Butler
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Kuric scored 17 points, Chris Smith
had 15 and No. 8 Louisville pulled away in the last 12 minutes of the game to
beat Butler, 69-53, on Saturday.
Louisville (3-0) didn't take its first lead un
<< Albany shares NEC title, but earns playoff bid
Albany, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan DiLella threw four touchdown passes on
Saturday as Albany beat Sacred Heart, 31-21, and earned its first FCS playoff
bid as the Northeast Conference co-champion.
Albany (8-3, 7-1) shared the title with Duque
North Dakota State gets Missouri Valley bid >>
Macomb, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - North Dakota State beat Western Illinois, 37-21,
on Saturday to earn a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title
and its automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
No. 5 North Dakota State (10-1, 7-1) share
McCarron, Richardson lead No. 3 Alabama over Georgia Southern >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AJ McCarron threw for three touchdowns and
Trent Richardson ran for two, leading No. 3 Alabama to a 45-21 victory over
Georgia Southern.
McCarron completed 14-of-19 passes for 190 yards, while Richardso
Montpellier edges Marseille to move into a tie for first >>
Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montpellier continued its run of good
form on Saturday with a 1-0 home win over Marseille to move into a tie for
first place in Ligue 1.
Extending its unbeaten streak in league play to six ga
OVC champ Tennessee Tech earns FCS bid >>
Cookeville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There will be no six-way tie for the Ohio
Valley Conference championship.
Tennessee Tech made sure of it.
The Golden Eagles ripped Austin Peay, 49-7, on Saturday to claim a share of
the OVC title and the
Syracuse wins in midst of Fine allegations >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Exactly one week after Penn State's football
team played a game with controversy swirling around the program, the Syracuse
men's basketball team took the floor Saturday facing a similar situation.
The fift
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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