Wheldon opens IndyCar season with pole win

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03/24/2007 - Homestead, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Wheldon captured the rain-delayed pole for Saturday's XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 race. The No.10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver circled the 1.5-mile oval in 24.9438 seconds (214.322 m.p.h.).

The pole speed was less than last year's winning pole speed of 218.539 set by Sam Hornish Jr. last year. The victory was the fifth of Wheldon's IndyCar career.

"It was good (his pole run)," said Wheldon. "Everybody at Target Chip Ganassi Racing has been working very hard over the winter."

Starting on the front row with Wheldon will be Sam Hornish Jr. who posted a second-best time of 24.9466 seconds.

Dario Franchitti (25.0147) and Tony Kanaan (25.1276) make up row two. Marco Andretti (25.1276) and Wheldon's teammate Scott Dixon (25.1301) will be just behind them.

Hornish Jr. won the 2006 title by the thinnest of margins - a tiebreaker over Wheldon. Both drivers finished the season with 475 points, but the Defiance, OH native took the title by virtue of his four wins to Wheldon's two.

Hornish Jr. has spent some of his off-season testing the NASCAR waters. So far this season the three-time IndyCar Series champion has run three times in the Busch Series finishing 31st at Daytona, 35th at California and a solid 15th in Atlanta.

"I think we had a top-10 car, but to be able to go a lap down, come back late in the race, get back on the lead lap and give ourselves an opportunity to move up in the top-15 was good," said Hornish Jr. after Atlanta. "It's the best finish we've had so far, so we can't be too disappointed."

He has also announced that he would like to run the Nextel Cup race at Indianapolis. But his first priority in 2007 is defending his championship.

"I'm really excited about getting going in the IndyCar Series and for the kickoff this year," said Hornish Jr. in a recent teleconference interview.

Hornish Jr. will again have to fend off teammate Helio Castroneves (finished third just two points back) along with Wheldon and his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dixon. Wheldon won the title in 2005 with Andretti Green Racing and Dixon won the championship in 2003.

All four should be right there again in 2007.

Another big question in 2007 is can AGR rebound from an off-year to compete for the championship? The team has plenty of talent in 2004 IndyCar champion Kanaan, Andretti, Danica Patrick and Franchitti.

The race will begin on Saturday at 8 p.m. (et).

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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