Racing world mourns the death of Paul Newman

Autoracing Betting Lines

09/27/2008 - Westport, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Legendary actor, entrepreneur philanthropist and racer Paul Newman died Friday night at his home in Westport, CT after a long battle with cancer. He was 83.

Mostly known for his roles in such American film classics as "Cool Hand Luke," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, "The Sting" and "The Color of Money," for which he received the Academy Award for "Best Actor," Newman was also a major figure in the racing community.

Newman first took interest in motor racing while filming 1968's "Winning," in which he played the role of an Indy car driver. His racing career began in 1972 at Thompson, CT in a Lotus Elan. He earned his first Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) national title in 1976 in the D-production category, and followed up with a C-production class championship in 1979. Newman was a GT-1 champion in 1985 and '86.

Newman's first professional victory came in a SCCA Trans-Am series event at Brainerd, MN in 1982. His second career Trans-Am victory came in 1986 at his "home track" in Lime Rock, CT.

His last victory took place in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 1995 when he and his co-drivers won the GTS-class. He was 70 years old at the time.

Newman drove in the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing second in that race.

Newman competed in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona for the final time in 2006.

Before joining forces with Carl Haas for a Champ car team in 1983, Newman fielded cars for drivers Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser, Teo Fabi, Keke Rosberg and Elliott Forbes-Robinson in the Can-Am series for five years.

As co-owner of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, Newman became involved in the IndyCar Series when the two-car team joined the circuit after the unification of IndyCar and Champ car earlier this year.

"On behalf of my mother, Mari Hulman George, and the entire Hulman-George family at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series, our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and loved ones of Paul Newman," Tony George, CEO of the Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said. "To all his fans world-wide and those close to him in our racing community, we share a deep sense of loss, but cherish the many fond memories we will forever carry with us."

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing recorded two victories in its first IndyCar season with Graham Rahal picking up the winning in St. Petersburg, FL and Justin Wilson capturing the victory in Detroit.

"On behalf of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, my wife Bernadette and myself, I want to express our most sincere condolences to (wife) Joanne (Woodward) and the entire Newman family on the loss of a great human being," Haas said. "Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and above all, his generosity. Not just economic generosity, but generosity of spirit. His support of the team's drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him. We will truly miss him."

In 2006, Newman served as the voice of "Doc Hudson," a Hudson Hornet, in the Disney-Pixar blockbuster "Cars."

Newman was also the founder of the Hole in the Wall Camps, a place where children facing serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions come to experience the simple joys of childhood without jeopardizing their medical needs. There are currently 10 camps operating in six countries.

Since founding Newman's Own, an all-natural line of food products, in 1982, Newman has given away 100% of after tax profits to thousands of charitable and educational causes, totaling over $240 million.

Footballl365 Autoracing Betting News

<< Three tied at fog-delayed British Masters
West Midlands, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell was four-under through 15 holes Saturday and is one of three players tied for the lead when the third round of the British Masters suspended due to darknes

<< Liverpool topples Toffees as Torres nets two
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fernando Torres scored twice in the second half to lift Liverpool to a 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday. The win is Liverpool's seventh in the last nine Merseyside derbies, a

<< Harvick grabs pole for Nationwide race at Kansas
Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Harvick won the pole for Saturday's Kansas Lottery 300 Nationwide Series race at the Kansas Speedway. The No.33 Chevrolet driver circled the 1.5-mile oval in 31.354 seconds (172.227 m.p.h.). The

<< Celtic leaves it late against Aberdeen
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic secured a dramatic 3-2 win over Aberdeen at Celtic Park on Saturday when Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored in the 90th minute to give the Hoops all three points. Vennegoor of Hesselink opened

<< Bayern stumbles again; Bremen wins a thriller
Hannover, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champions Bayern Munich suffered a second straight defeat on Saturday as Szabolcs Huszti scored in the 23rd minute to give Hannover a 1-0 win. Werder Bremen, which beat Bayern last w

Pryor and Buckeyes handle Gophers >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrelle Pryor threw for one touchdown and ran for two others, as 14th-ranked Ohio State toppled Minnesota, 34-21, in the Big Ten opener for both teams at Ohio Stadium. Pryor finished with 97 yards rushing

Golden State signs C Williams >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors signed center Justin Williams on Saturday. Williams, 24, has played in 49 games over the past two seasons with the Kings and Rockets averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds over 9.3

Garcia three clear at Tour Championship >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergio Garcia fired a three-under 67 on Saturday to move atop the leaderboard after the third round of the Tour Championship. Garcia finished 54 holes at East Lake Golf Club at eight-under 2

Maryland tops 20th-ranked Clemson in Death Valley >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Turner completed 16-of-30 passes for 172 yards and a score, and the Maryland Terrapins rebounded from an early deficit to upset 20th-ranked Clemson, 20-17, in an early season ACC battle. Da'Rel Scott w

Santana cooks Fish to keep Mets in playoff picture >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the biggest game of the season Johan Santana proved his worth as one of the best pitchers in the game, tossing a three-hit shutout on three days' rest in a 2-0 Mets win over the Florida Marlins


Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.