NASCAR Hall of Fame inducts its third class

Autoracing Betting Lines

01/21/2012 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough's long- awaited arrival to the NASCAR Hall of Fame is over, as both three-time champions in NASCAR's premier series were among those inducted during a ceremony held on Friday night.

Glen Wood, the legendary car owner whose team has raced in seven decades, Dale Inman, an eight-time crew chief champion, and the late-Richie Evans, a nine- time NASCAR Modified champion, were also enshrined in the NASCAR HofF.

The inaugural class -- Bill France Sr., Richard Petty, Bill France Jr., Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson -- were inducted when the NASCAR HofF opened in May 2010. Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson and Lee Petty made up the Hall's second class last year.

Many of NASCAR's dignitaries, as well as active and former drivers, crew chiefs and team owners were among those in attendance for the ceremony, which was held at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Waltrip was the first person to be inducted.

During his 29-year driving career in the NASCAR Cup Series, Waltrip won 84 races in 809 starts, ranking him fourth on the all-time race winners list. His championships came in 1981, '82 and '85. Waltrip has served as an analyst for FOX Sports and Speed television's coverage of NASCAR since his retirement at the end of the 2000 season.

He was inducted by his television colleague and former crew chief Jeff Hammond.

"You know, before the night started, and I was talking to [wife] Stevie, and I said, 'Boy, honey, I just hope I don't get emotional and break down somewhere along the way and tear up,' and she said, 'DW, when you talk about something you're passionate about, you're going to get a little emotional'." Waltrip said. "Well, I'm passionate about a lot of things. I'm passionate about what I've done. I'm passionate about my career, but I'm most passionate about my family."

Yarborough was inducted by Ken Squier, a longtime radio and television announcer in motorsports.

With 83 race wins to his credit, Yarborough made history in NASCAR's top circuit in 1978 when he claimed his third consecutive championship -- a record that stood until Jimmie Johnson captured his fourth title in a row in 2009. Four of Yarborough's wins came in the Daytona 500.

"Racing is kind of like a big, tall ladder," he said. "When you begin, you start off on the bottom step of that ladder, and it's a long, hard climb to the top. But I feel like tonight I'm finally standing on the top step. It's been tough, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of hard times, but there are five of us here tonight, and I congratulate each one of them."

Evans, the only deceased member of the third class, was enshrined by Billy Nacewicz, who was Evans crew chief in modifieds. Evans widow, Lynn, accepted the induction on his behalf.

"I'd especially like to thank the Hall of Fame voting panel for stepping outside the box and making Rich the first driver inductee not to have raced in NASCAR's top series full-time," she said. "You have now given hope to thousands of NASCAR competitors throughout the country to maybe someday reach their dream."

Evans is the first of the 15 inductees without a connection to NASCAR's top- tier series. He was killed in an accident while practicing for a modified race at Martinsville Speedway in October 1985

Wood, a four-time race winner, left the driver's seat to own the Wood Brothers team. With his four brothers, including NASCAR HofF nominee and crew chief Leonard Wood, the team has recorded 98 victories, including its fifth Daytona 500 win with 20-year-old driver Trevor Bayne in 2011. Pearson and Yarborough were among some of the sport's greatest names to drive for the team.

"This is a long way from the cornfield," Wood said. "First of all, I'd like to thank the voters that voted for me and thank NASCAR and the France family and the Wood Brothers, all the employees at the Wood Brothers and crew members and drivers. We've had so many great drivers, but David and Cale were most successful, so I'm proud to join them in the NASCAR Hall of Fame."

Leonard Wood inducted his brother.

Inman, who is Richard Petty's cousin, is generally credited with inventing the modern role of crew chief. He won seven championships with Petty Enterprises and an eighth with car owner Billy Hagan and driver Terry Labonte in 1984. Inman won 193 times before retiring in 1998.

"What an honor it's been to work with the different drivers over the years but most of them with Richard," Inman said. "They used the term eight championships, but it's in a different league from what the drivers are, and I give that respect. But to be the first crew chief to come in, I'm sure there will be more after this, is quite an honor."

Before Petty inducted Inman, ceremony host Mike Joy noted, "Tonight, Dale Inman and Richard are together again, as NASCAR Hall of Fame members."

Special congratulatory videos opened each inductee's segment, with a NASCAR legend starring in each. Those involved: Jerry Cook for Evans; Leonard Wood for Inman; Bobby Allison for Waltrip; Junior Johnson for Wood; and Donnie Allison for Yarborough.

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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.