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11/24/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even though Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made the field for the 2008 "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship, his first year with Hendrick Motorsports did not live up to expectations.
After spending his first eight full years of NASCAR Cup competition at Dale Earnhardt Inc., Earnhardt, Jr. left the team his father started in 1996 to join the mighty organization of Hendrick as driver of the No.88 Chevrolet at the start of this season.
With a new team, car number and sponsors, the "Junior Nation" was revitalized.
Earnhardt, Jr.'s new ride also sparked a lot of hype in the pre-season.
In January, three-time Cup champion and Fox Sports analyst Darrell Waltrip predicted Earnhardt, Jr. would win six races, including the Daytona 500. Earnhardt, Jr.'s crew chief, Tony Eury, Jr., said he would be disappointed if his team didn't win at least four races this year.
Earnhardt, Jr. began the year by winning the Budweiser Shootout (pre-season, non-points race) at Daytona International Speedway and then a victory in the first Gatorade Duel at Daytona, giving him the third starting spot in the Daytona 500. He finished ninth in that race.
In June, Earnhardt, Jr. snapped a 71-race winless streak at Michigan, but it turned out to be his only points-paying victory of the year.
Two months later, he started the Chase in the fourth seed after recording 13 top-10 finishes during the 26-race "regular season."
While a consistent number of solid finishes put Earnhardt, Jr. into this year's Chase, a string of bad luck in the final 10 races led to a 12th-place finish in points.
"I'm disappointed," team owner Rick Hendrick said last week at a media luncheon at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I felt we were so good early on, and we just had tremendous little gremlins bite us from tire problems to things you just can't control."
"I think when we look back on the year and we look back at what he's accomplished, how he's fit into our organization and how happy he and Tony (Eury Jr.) are, we're going to make it better for next year."
Earnhardt, Jr., voted NASCAR's "Most Popular Driver" the past five years, will not attend next week's awards banquet in New York City as only the top-10 finishers in the Chase are honored.
"I was super excited about the way the season was going to start," Earnhardt, Jr. said. "I couldn't wait to get to work earlier this year. It was a long year, and we worked really hard. It went good at sometimes, and it went poorly other times. For the most part, I was real proud of just getting the season in the bank and getting done and looking forward to next year. I am really happy to be with Rick (Hendrick) and working with the guys I am working with."
Earnhardt, Jr. enjoyed his best Cup season with DEI in 2004 when he won six races, including the Daytona 500, and finished fifth in points.
While Earnhardt, Jr.'s teammate, Jimmie Johnson, aims for a record fourth- straight series championship, Mark Martin joins the Hendrick stables, replacing Casey Mears in the No.5 car.
With the addition of Martin, Hendrick has created a mega team with any one of his four drivers a strong possibility to win next year's title. But Hendrick thinks Martin's presence will help improve his organization. How that will effect Earnhardt, Jr. remains to be seen.
Though expectations might have been in his first year with Hendrick, Earnhardt, Jr. hopes next year he can return to his winning ways and finally capture his first Cup championship, joining his legendary father who won a record-tying seven titles.
<< Jaguars waive Kennedy, Brown
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars waived guard
Milford Brown and defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy on Monday.
Brown, in his seventh season out of Florida State, started four games this
season after injuries
<< Milwaukee forward Pihlstrom recalled by Nashville
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators recalled forward
Antti Pihlstrom from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee
Admirals, it was announced on Monday.
The 24-year-old Pihlstrom leads Milwaukee
<< RSL re-signs defender Olave through 2012
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake agreed to a contract with
Jamison Olave that will keep the Colombian defender a member of the Utah side
through the 2012 Major League Soccer season, it was announced on Monday.
"We are ex
<< Kings F Zeiler suspended three games
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League handed down a
three-game suspension to Los Angeles Kings forward John Zeiler on Monday for
his actions during Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to Colorado.
Zeiler, 26, was asses
Earnhardt Jr.'s 1st year with Hendrick ends on disappointing note >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even though Dale Earnhardt, Jr. made the
field for the 2008 "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship, his first year
with Hendrick Motorsports did not live up to expectations.
After spending his fir
No. 6 Texas makes short work of St. Joe's >>
Maui, HI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Abrams led all players with 17 points as
sixth-ranked Texas rolled past Saint Joseph's, 68-50, at the Maui Invitational
from the Lahaina Civic Center.
Gary Johnson notched 14 points and 10 rebounds fo
Canucks G Luongo week-to-week with groin injury >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo
has been termed week-to-week due to an adductor strain in his groin.
With 15:06 left in the first period in Saturday's victory over the Pittsburgh
Penguins, Luo
Around FCS: Putting the foot into football >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With its historical roots in rugby, there
has always been a strong element of kicking at the center of American
football.
But the early pioneers of the game couldn't have imagined the impact
MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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