08/25/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards sparked NASCAR's next great rivalry Saturday night at the Bristol Motor Speedway, and while the two are currently first and second in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, the feud could escalate heading into the championship "Chase."
After leading 415 laps, Busch appeared to be on the way to his ninth Sprint Cup victory of the year, but Edwards nudged him aside with 31 laps to go as he won the Sharpie 500 at Bristol for the second year in a row.
A frustrated Busch retaliated at the conclusion of the race by intentionally bumping Edwards. But Edwards responded by driving into the right side of Busch's car, spinning him around. While Edwards celebrated his sixth Cup win of the season, Busch was summoned to the NASCAR hauler for a discussion with officials.
A feud between Busch and Edwards has been developing throughout the season and apparently reached its boiling point at Bristol. And this tug of war could continue on.
"We'll race him that way in the Chase if that's the way he wants to race," Busch said.
But Edwards wasn't apologetic for what he did at Bristol.
"I feel like I was extremely justified to do what I did," Edwards said. "I needed to do it, and that's the way it went. Let's make it real clear. I'm not apologizing for it, and that's it. The score's even, and it just cost him more than it cost me at the time, and that's the way it is."
Edwards recalled an incident he had with Busch in May at Richmond.
"Earlier in the year we had a Nationwide race and Kyle was a lot faster than me and he went ahead," Edwards said. "He got to my back bumper and just smoked the back bumper of my car and sent me up the racetrack, and after that said, 'Sorry, man, my car was just faster.'"
Busch, in his first year driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, is enjoying his best season. However, it's not without his own share of controversy, particularly in the Cup race at Richmond where he spun out fan favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in final stages of the event.
NASCAR has seen its great share of feuds in its 60-year history, particularly Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison in the 1979 Daytona 500, Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt in 1986 at Richmond and Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick in the 2002 Nationwide race at Bristol.
But Busch vs. Edwards comes with just two races to go before the "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship begins September 14th at New Hampshire. Busch has secured the top seed in the "Chase" by virtue of his eight victories. Edwards, who has won three of the last four races, clinched the second seed.
With the two-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA the next stop on the schedule later this week, how long this feud remains is yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure, it will create a lot of hype for the upcoming "Chase."
<< Dallas Cowboys 2008 Season Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2008 season hoping that their
expected rise back to the top of the National Football Conference heap was
only one year too late.
Dallas appeared primed to seize its first NFC crown since 1995 a
<< Broncos release WR Parker
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos released wide receiver
Samie Parker on Monday.
Parker joined the club as an unrestricted free agent on April 15 after spending
the first four seasons of his career playing for division
<< Giants place Umenyiora on IR
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Giants defensive end Osi was
placed on injured reserve Monday and will miss the entire 2008 season after
injuring his left knee in Saturday's 10-7 preseason loss to the New York
Jets.
<< Fletcher leads United to win over Portsmouth
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Fletcher's 32nd-minute goal was
enough to give Manchester United its first win of the season as the Red Devils
downed Portsmouth 1-0 at Fratton Park on Monday.
Fletcher scored his second goal
New York Giants 2008 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2007 New York Giants relished the opportunity to prove
doubters wrong.
Told prior to the season there would be little chance the team would be able
to match the prolific production of retired running back Tiki Barber,
Mets place P Maine on DL, activate 2B Castillo >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets placed pitcher John
Maine on the 15-day disabled list with a bone spur in his right shoulder.
Maine hopes rest will lessen the pain. The right-hander will refrain from
exercisin
Philadelphia Eagles 2008 Season Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After coming painfully close to earning a return trip to
the playoffs in 2007, the Philadelphia Eagles wasted no time in attempting to
close the gap between themselves and the NFC's elite once the 2008 season
officially opene
Chargers sign Tucker and Gregory to extensions >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers have signed linebacker
Jyles Tucker and safety Keith Gregory to contract extensions.
Tucker inked a five-year deal that will take him through the 2012 season,
while Gregory's four-
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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