FRIDAY ON THE TRACKS Auto racing roundup

NASCAR

Auto racing fans can get bets down at Dover International

DOVER, DEL.

Place your bets at Dover and let it ride: The track is ready to roll the dice on NASCAR betting.

NASCAR fans could skip blackjack tables and roulette wheels inside Dover Downs Hotel and Casino if they want to bet on their lucky numbers this weekend for races at Dover International Speedway.

Want to stay on 18? Good choice: Kyle Busch is a 3-1 favorite to win the Cup race at the Monster Mile.

Love the 48 at his best track? Jimmie Johnson has 15-1 odds to win at Dover for the 12th time.

And if you’re feeling lucky for a longshot, how about three-time Dover winner Matt Kenseth at 300-1?

Sports betting has come to Delaware and the track is set to throw open the betting windows and allow wagers on most of this weekend’s track activity. The NASCAR Cup race on Sunday is the main attraction, and fans can bet on the race winner, the first two stage winners, and a slew of prop bets that range from number of drivers to lead a lap to the average race speed.

“It just adds an element of interest to keep people tuned in to what’s going on,” Dover Motorsports CEO Denis McGlynn said.

Delaware launched full-scale sports betting in June, barely three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to implement wagering schemes.

Because of a failed sports lottery experiment in 1976, Delaware was partially exempt from the 1992 federal ban on sports gambling that was recently struck down by the Supreme Court. That exemption led to broader sports betting legislation passed in 2009, and Delaware enacted an NFL parlay wagering system, which combined to give the state a head start in offering full-scale sports gambling.

At Dover Downs and Dover International Speedway, single-game and championship wagering on professional baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, golf and auto racing are now offered, with betting lines supplied by William Hill. There are magazines that tout “Sports Betting: Vegas Style” in hotel rooms.

“They can do it all here,” McGlynn said.

Ryan Blaney, who won last week’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, said he wouldn’t tell his friends to bet on him to win Sunday’s playoff race. At 20-1 to win at Dover, that’s probably good advice.

“If I lose them money, I’m going to feel bad,” he said. “I’ll be watching the window that weekend. I’ll have to ask if people are constantly betting throughout the race. If you have people who really like to gamble and want to get into a new form of it, maybe they’ll come out and give it a shot. I don’t think it’s a bad thing. It’s a cool little deal that they’re allowing in that state.”

Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick to start 1-2 Sunday at Dover

DOVER, DEL.

Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick have been the drivers to beat all season.

They’ll be the ones to catch again at Dover.

Busch and Harvick, who each have seven wins, will start 1-2 on Sunday at Dover International Speedway to kick off the round-of-12 playoff race on the mile concrete track.

Rain washed out NASCAR Cup qualifying Friday, setting the lineup on points and giving the top dozen spots to the 12 playoff drivers.

Sports betting is legal in Delaware, and fans can now place bets on the race winner and other prop bets at Dover International Speedway. Busch and Harvick both have 3-1 odds to win Sunday’s race.

F-1

Lewis Hamilton dominates practice for Japanese GP

SUZUKA, JAPAN

Lewis Hamilton dominated practice for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday, an early indication that the Formula One championship leader will be tough to beat in Sunday’s race.

After leading the morning practice, Hamilton clocked a time of 1 minute, 28.217 seconds in Friday’s second practice session, finishing 0.461 seconds ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel was third fastest.

“Every time we come to Suzuka, particularly over the past few years, the cars just get faster and faster,” Hamilton said. “They don’t make tracks like this anymore — there is very little room for runoff, a little touch of the grass and you’re off in the wall.”

With five races to go, Hamilton would move a step closer to winning a fifth world championship with a win in Suzuka, a race he has dominated in recent years.

Hamilton has won five of the last Formula One races and three of the last four at the Japanese Grand Prix.

After winning the Russian GP last week, Hamilton leads Vettel by 50 points. Even if Vettel wins all five remaining races, he’s not guaranteed to beat Hamilton.

Associated Press