Mammoth Blog

Bruce Weber was hoping Saturday's basketball kickoff in Memorial Stadium would be popular. The coach believed staging a basketball practice immediately following Saturday's Homecoming football game might help raise more money for Coaches vs. Cancer than last year's "Pink Out" at Assembly Hall.

But the Illinois head coach was surprised The World's Biggest Basketball Practice garnered so much national attention.

Several college coaches became angered that Illinois, Kentucky, Marshall and West Virginia were given permission by the NCAA to hold public events a week ahead of the official start of practices. The National Association of Basketball Coaches said a jump start may give programs a significant recruiting advantage since it can lure recruits a weekend ahead of the other Division I teams.

"I got a call from Tom Izzo," Weber said. "He kind of joked, 'Are you sitting down? Because I'm going to chew your butt.' But once we explained what was going on, they understood."

Because of the uproar, the NCAA is expected to ban future public preseason events, like Saturday's practice, through emergency legislation on Oct. 29. Weber said the event was never meant to give the Illini a recruiting advantage. He said the program tried to host the practice on Sept. 13, but the proposal was rejected by the NCAA. Still, more than 15 highly touted recruits are expected be in attendance on Saturday.

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For months, armed thugs in one state of eastern India have been burning churches, rampaging through villages and subjecting terrified Christians to forcible conversion to Hinduism. The violence has been instigated by nationalist Hindu groups that are targeting poor and weak Christian communities in a campaign aimed at halting conversions, driving out "alien" influences and reasserting the political supremacy of India's majority religion.

The violence is concentrated in Orissa, a poor state on the eastern seaboard where Christian missionaries have long been active. But in recent weeks the attacks have spread. Since August 24, according to the Roman Catholic Church in India, 300 Christian villages have been destroyed in Orissa, 4,400 houses burnt, 50,000 people made homeless and 59 Christians killed and 18,000 injured. Churches and schools have been destroyed and in one particularly brutal attack a nun was seized and raped while local police stood by without intervening. Churches have also been attacked in six other states, largely in the south, but even in Delhi Christians have been threatened.

The violence is directly linked to Hindu nationalist groups determined to assert their power in the run-up to India's next general election, which must be held within the next seven months. Extremists have been steadily gaining power, with the oldest, the Rashtriya Swaytamsevak Sangh, (RSS) playing a shadowy role in rallying Hindu nationalist support behind its main political vehicle, the BJP party, the main national opposition to the ruling Congress-led coalition. Allied groups such as the VHP or Bajrang Dal preach the same intolerant message, with the ultimate aim of overthrowing India's secular Constitution and restricting or eliminating the rights of the large Muslim minority and of Christians, who account for 2.5 per cent of the population.

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The title of Ray Ratto's column on cbssports.com about Nascar drivers Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards scuffle caught my eye, "Adding cage to oval -- or ice -- makes sense in this angry world" I bet that this would be about MMA somehow. Sure enough I was correct.

"MMA is taking a huge beating over the allegations that the Seth Petruzelli-Kimbo Slice fight might not have been entirely on the up-and-up. Ultimately, of course, that will end the same way, with nothing happening because the MMA audience really doesn't care that much how genuine the sport is as long as someone's getting the viscera pounded from him."

This Ray Ratto guy, just like Michael Wilbon Pramit pointed out is a complete moron.

He continues:

"So why not have an MMA ring at every event and make a little extra scratch off the boys' tempers?"

"Let Edwards and Harvick strip to their skivvies, away from the gasoline stench, and go at it under recognized MMA rules (which are actual and verifiable, despite the evidence to the contrary) in front of a crowd of high rollers and VIPs who pay for the extra event as part of their NASCAR In Your Wallet ticket."

EliteXC gave the media ammo to attack MMA's credibility. Instead of giving reasons why it was dumb for the two Nascar drivers to be fighting, Ratto brings up the Kimbo Slice fight. Why didn't he write a column about EliteXC like so many other writers did, like SI.com's Ben Fowlkes http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/ben_fowlkes/10/10/elitexc....?

Maybe because it's easier to write columns that bash MMA than giving real insight on to what happened in the Kimbo/Seth fight. Maybe because he just hates MMA. Whatever the reason, MMA is once again being put into a bad light, but now not because they say it's barbaric or human cockfighting, or because it's a bloodsport, they are now saying MMA is fake. source>>>

Those waiting for UFC President Dana White's reaction to recent accusations that ProElite and EliteXC officials offered Seth Petruzelli a bonus not to take Kimbo Slice down to the ground during the main event of this past weekend's edition of Saturday Night Fights will be pleased to know he has broken his silence.

In an interview published in the Boston Herald, White did not hold back in regard to his feelings about the latest controversy involving EliteXC.

"It disgusts me," White told the Herald. "I've been busting my (expletive) for 10 years flying all over the planet to show everybody what a great sport this is and what amazing people are involved in it. Then CBS throws this guy who fights at people's barbecues on the main event because they're trying to compete with us, and he gets knocked out in (14) seconds by a guy who didn't win 'The Ultimate Fighter' and couldn't fight in the UFC. Then the guy turns around the next day and says, 'The promoters actually paid me to not go to the ground with this guy. They paid me to stand up,' which I'm pretty sure is illegal."

White didn't stop there, as he expressed scorn for a promotion that has built itself around a former YouTube street fighting sensation.

"(Slice is) a joke," the Herald quotes White as saying. "It was bound to happen. These guys have lost $60 million trying to get this thing off the ground. They're building their promotion around a guy who can't fight. It's kind of (expletive) stupid, isn't it? You're in the fight business and you're building your business around a guy who can't fight." source>>>

Okay, first off, I'd just like to state that this is my first article on B/R. I've been reading the posts here with some regularity over the last few weeks and decided it was time I added some of my own input.

Now, I know there are a lot of old-school, hardcore MMA fans who are tired of hearing (or reading) about Brock Lesnar, and I know that everyone's likely heard almost every defense of his having a title-shot imaginable. From "Brock's a beast who's gonna dethrone the champ," to "it makes good business sense," but I'm almost as new to the MMA game as I am to B/R, so bear with me.

My main concern, as evidenced by the title, is not Brock's eligibility for the heavyweight title, but rather his value to the sport.

Why do I think Brock Lesnar is good for the sport of MMA? Well, let's take a good look at the facts, as I, from my limited experience, know them to be. First fact, MMA is only starting to get it's taste of real mainstream acceptance, largely due to the UFC and Dana White.

The mainstream is fickle; it needs to have good reason, flashy effects, and big names to keep it's attention long enough for it to maintain an interest in anything. Hence the reason the WWE is so big (yes, I know any comparisons between WWE and MMA are anathema to the hardcore fans, but deal with it). Lesnar is a big name, the freakish, hulk-like build, and WWE-honed charisma brings an element of Hollywood action hero/villain into the mix. The man has everything, including (unlike the recently trumped Kimbo) talent. He possesses the perfect mix of qualities to be relevant to both the hardcore and the casual fan.

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Across the world, major stock indices have been ravaged over the past 30 days. In the United States, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted on Friday, briefly dipping below 8,000 points in early trading. The global economic struggle has taken its toll on the gambling market across the United States. The Nevada Gaming Control Board released its August monthly "win" figures this week. Of note was that statewide gambling win declined by 8% in August, 2008 in comparison to the same period in 2007.

In Las Vegas Strip casinos, revenue in August was $494 million, down 7.43% in comparison to August, 2007. Downtown Las Vegas casinos reported a dip of 9.53% to $43 million. North Las Vegas casinos were hit hard, with "win" dropping by 17.82% year over year. Laughlin's gambling "win" dropped 10.01% to $44 million and the Boulder Strip dove 22.43% to $52 million. The only salvation for gambling revenue was in Mesquite, where win increased 2.11% to $10.8 million. Mesquite casinos include the Eureka and Stateline.

For the fiscal year to date (which is July 1, 2008 through August 31, 2008), gaming win has dropped by 10.68% statewide. August marked the eighth consecutive month that gaming win has declined in Nevada. The last time the Gaming Control Board posted an increase in win was in December of 2007, when revenues increased by 3.06%.

Also released this week was revenue money from fee collections, which are derived from gambling revenues. Fees go to the State in the form of taxes. They declined by 6.16% in August to $46 million. Fees collected in August (from July's business cycle) were down over 24%.

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International investors are looking carefully at online casino stocks as a new and potentially rewarding market sector.

The current global capitalization of the online gambling market sector is around 10 billion USD. Conservative estimates have provided a projection of 100 billion USD for this sector within the next ten years. These companies normally trade at around 15 to 20 times their earnings. This suggests that this market sector, excluding others that will come to the market in that time, could end up valued at around 2 trillion USD. This represents a 200 times increase in market share compared to today's levels.

Stocks of online gambling companies and their associated businesses such as online gambling software companies fell dramatically at the end of 2006. This market decline saw most companies drop to around 50% of their original pre-2006 capitalized values. This collapse was specifically due to an American witch hunt against companies and in particular against online payment systems that were associated with Internet gambling.

Since 2006, stocks in online gambling companies have recovered and continue to climb even during the dramatic stock market declines seen in 2008.

This suggests that online gambling stocks should be considered as an investment oasis, and a sector that will continue to benefit those looking for long-term visionary investment.

With the double blow to the economy of a housing crisis and credit crunch, wily investors should consider the online gambling sector as a safe haven for their cash. source>>>

If Led Zeppelin fans ever wonder about Memphis Minnie, the pioneering blueswoman who recorded "When the Levee Breaks" four decades before the British supergroup made the song famous, none bothered to visit her grave on this hot September day. Fifteen minutes north of Tunica, the mid-South's gaming magnet, Minnie is buried in a dusty churchyard where the dragonflies are as big as your hand and King Cotton has surrendered his crown to corn and soybeans. As any Delta farmer can tell you, cotton prices are down, and it's just as easy to turn a dollar planting something else.

With nine casinos to choose from -- including Harrah's Tunica, self-billed as the "largest casino resort between Las Vegas and Atlantic City" -- Tunica's 10 million yearly visitors ain't got time to get the blues. This once-depressed boomtown's riverboat roll-call features familiar names transported from the Nevada desert to the Delta.

Bally's, Resorts, the Horseshoe, Sam's Town: Each gambling floor celebrates the shotgun marriage of Vegas casino action and the uniquely American Mississippi River culture that Mark Twain made famous. If that culture's on display only in Southern-fried casino buffets, so what? Poker is poker, no matter the theme of the window-less, clock-less, air-conditioned room in which one plunks down his blinds. Sure, this isn't the Bellagio: Harrah's, where the self-parking is free and "nonsmoking" is an exotic linguistic construction, cannot boast of jumping fountains or Cirque du Soleil. Tunica's unwalkable collection of isolated properties doesn't aim to reverse-engineer the full Sin City experience: the Strip, the food, the limousines and whatever else happens in Vegas that's supposed to stay in Vegas.

Instead, riverboat casinos -- that is, immobile pontoons that float in man-made moats beside the Mississippi without a view of the river itself -- offer decent rooms and great golf while enabling citizens of Flyover America to place their bets without expensive trips to the Pacific time zone, and a low-cost escape for any gambler trying not to break the budget for blowing the budget. After all, a casino reality-break is a casino reality-break: As Hurricane Ike overwhelmed the Gulf of Mexico barely six hours to the south, a floor manager changed a television from CNN to ESPN at a gambler's request.

For lovers of turnip greens, William Faulkner and Son House, the whir and buzz of riverboat gambling floors distract from Tunica's real attraction, rural Mississippi itself. Any English teacher can guide a 10th-grader through "Huckleberry Finn," but reading Samuel Clemens's masterpiece before taking a ride on the Mighty Mississip' is like learning to ride a bike by reading Wikipedia.

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Lake Reba Recreational Complex will come alive Saturday with the sounds of several local and nationally known bands at "Christian Rock Fest," which was orchestrated by Richmond Christian punk rock band "Decking Ceasar."

The concert will feature Day of Fire, 7eventh Time Down, Decking Ceasar, The Great Transparency, Delorean Grey, Live Fish, Nineball, Revolution, David Smith, Bruce & Ian Osborne, Katy Howard, Crashing Gericho and Messenger.

An inspirational message will be delivered along with the music.

The event is free and open to the public. Gates will open at 1 p.m. and the first music act will begin at 2 p.m. There will be a raffle drawing for a $400 guitar from Currier's Music World.

The rain location for the event will be Church on the Rock, 1049 Richmond Road (US 25).

Preparing for the event was not easy, but eventually fell into place, said bassist Phill Taylor. He, along with his brother Dave (vocal, guitar and piano) and Jason Amon (drums), make up the band "Decking Ceasar."

"We started putting things in motion, and it just sort of happened," Taylor said. "It takes a lot of work. We have to plan it, organize it, fund-raise and advertise."

Taylor refers to the concert as " ... an awesome outreach event where you don't have to worry about what's going on or what you're listening to."

"I hope they walk away encouraged and inspired to not just sit on the sidelines, but be proactive, get involved, reach out to people and share the love that's inside of them with the world," he said.

The band Decking Ceasar joined about two years ago and was not formed for fame and fortune.

"We have one passion, loving Jesus with all our hearts," Taylor said. "As we got older, we found that this passion was leading us down a musical road."

"We have goals we want to achieve, but in the end the only thing that matters to us is that we live a life worthy of our savior Jesus Christ," Dave Taylor said. "It's safe to say that sums up Decking Ceasar."

The band's MySpace page refers to their music as a Christian alternative to the bands Green Day and Blink 182.

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The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival will present a free concert of American music at Central Park in downtown Fernandina Beach at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.

The Atlanta Woodwind Quintet, featuring the principal winds of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, will perform music composed by such American greats as Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, John Philip Sousa, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and Scott Joplin.

"Our free Concert in the Park was originally scheduled for June 1 as part of the festival's seventh season but had to be postponed due to inclement weather," said Christopher Rex, artistic and general director of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. "We are delighted that the renowned Atlanta Woodwind Quintet has agreed to return to Amelia Island for this performance of spirited works by great American composers. This exciting and entertaining program has been designed to appeal to a wide range of musical tastes and interests."

The concert, part of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival's community outreach, is supported by a $7,200 grant from the Rayonier Foundation, a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that also supported other concerts of American music at this year's festival, and a $2,500 donation from First Coast Community Bank.

"We deeply appreciate the financial support of the Rayonier Foundation, the NEA and First Coast Community Bank. These gifts are furthering our mission of providing community residents with access to world-renowned artists and promoting the appreciation of chamber music to audiences of all ages, interests, and backgrounds," said Rex. "The generous support of these community-minded organizations, which is a clear indication that our festival has significantly broadened its base of support, signals the growing recognition of the national stature of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival."

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There's an old saying that you can write what you like about a person, as long as you spell the name right.
THE CARDINALS FEATURING RYAN ADAMS
When: 8:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: Bama Theatre, downtown Tuscaloosa

How much: $35, all seats reserved. Buy tickets at www.ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at 800-277-1700, or visit a Ticketmaster outlet

But the point is even thornier with Ryan Adams. As a musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter, he has the misfortune to bear a name that sounds somewhat like that of an earlier generation rocker, the Canadian fellow with spiky blonde hair and hits that, well, cut like a knife.

At least, if you're Ryan Adams, it's a cut. He reportedly has had a little problem with fans, at times, including those for whom the accidental name resemblance is amusing.

Last year's Alabama Theatre date ended 'abruptly,' according to many, after exchanges between the North Carolina-born Adams and the Birmingham audience (although reports differ on what the discussions were about).

In the past, Adams even sought help for his concert issues.

'They come to my shows just to provoke me,' he said in an interview with Spin. 'I had to go into therapy because of the whole Bryan Adams 'Summer Of '69' thing.'

Folks who either had it in for him or didn't enjoy his rambling on-stage presence or just think they're cute would go to shows and shout out for that song, the way some will shriek 'Free Bird' at every band except Lynyrd Skynyrd, then go back to their parents' basement wondering why no girl wants to be friends with them.

So let's be crystal clear: Thursday's concert at the Bama is Ryan Adams, with his band The Cardinals, featuring Neal Casal, Chris Feinstein, Jon Graboff and Brad Pemberton. The name's even an issue again; Adams prefers that the billing go to The Cardinals, featuring Ryan Adams, if you must. Probably because Cardinals featuring Chris Feinstein just wouldn't see tickets. Nothing against Chris. But it's the former frontman for Whiskeytown that people are coming to see.

So who is Ryan Adams? Some facts:

An eclectically talented singer/songwriter/guitarist who's been labeled variously alt-country, rock and folkie, although he doesn't care for labels, and would probably just prefer musician.

You might have seen or heard him performing Hank Williams' 'Move It On Over' with Willie Nelson in a Gap commercial, or with Elton John on CMT's 'Crossroads,' on the soundtrack to the movie 'Elizabethtown' or in his music video for 'New York, New York,' which was released just days before 9/11; it went into heavy MTV rotation after that day.

Literary influences on his writing are so numerous as to defy listing, but here's a partial: Edgar Allen Poe, Jack Kerouac, Sylvia Plath, Henry Miller and Hubert Selby Jr. (his mom was an English teacher who encouraged young Adams' reading habits).

Musically, he's often been compared to alt-country pioneer Gram Parsons; on his 2000 solo debut 'Heartbreaker,' Adams harmonized with Parsons' former singing partner Emmylou Harris.

On The Cardinals Web site, www. ryan-adams.com, there's a listing for other bands you might like if you like The Cardinals. They include Oasis, The Clash, Eric B and Rakim, Sonic Youth, The Lemonheads, Hawkwind, The Feelies, The Smiths, Blake Babies, Voivod, The Grateful Dead, X, Black Sabbath and Black Flag.

His 2001 album 'Gold' is his best-seller so far, with about 400,000 units; it earned two Grammy Award nominations for best male rock vocal ('New York, New York') and best rock album. He also had a Grammy nomination that year for best male country vocal, for his cover of Williams' 'Lovesick Blues' from the tribute album 'Timeless.'

Although a prolific songwriter, Adams isn't above recording covers, including a haunting version of Oasis' 'Wonderwall,' the Williams cut, and songs by the Strokes.

Along with Nelson and Harris, some of Adams' other famous collaborators include Gillian Welch, Norah Jones, Phil Lesh and Billie Joe Armstrong.

His song 'When the Stars Go Blue' has been covered by Bono, The Corrs, Tyler Hilton and Tim McGraw.

He and the Cardinals teamed in 2005, and have since released 'Cold Roses,' 'Jacksonville City Lights,' 'Follow the Lights,' 'Easy Tiger' and the new 'Cardinology.'

He's apparently cleaned up from 'an extended period of substance abuse,' including heroine, cocaine, alcohol and pills, with the help of Valium therapy and meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous. Adams indicated that he routinely snorted heroin mixed with cocaine, and abused alcohol and pills.

Stephen King is a fan. Of the Cardinals' 2007 record, King wrote: 'I think there are really only two kinds of pop music CDs these days. There are the ones you listen to only once or twice, maybe downloading the single good song to your iPod or computer; then there are others that grow stronger, sweeter, and more necessary each time you play them. 'Gold' was that way; 'Cold Roses' was that way; so was 'Jacksonville City Nights.'

'I won't say Adams is the best North American singer-songwriter since Neil Young ... but I won't say he isn't, either. What I know is there has never been a Ryan Adams record quite as strong and together as 'Easy Tiger;' it's got enough blue-eyed, blue-steel soul (with the faintest country tinge) to make me think of both Marvin Gaye and the Righteous Brothers. Probably ridiculous, but true. And the songs themselves are beautiful -- the lyrics tightly focused and brief, the feeling one of melancholy calm that will probably be a revelation to fans that remember the old, sometimes angry Ryan Adams. source>>>

Lowe's Motor Speedway is the second of five 1.5-mile racetracks on the Chase for the Sprint Cup schedule.

The battle is on

Meet the Chasers:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Carl Edwards
3. Greg Biffle
4. Jeff Burton
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Kevin Harvick
7. Tony Stewart
8. Jeff Gordon
9. Matt Kenseth
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11. Kyle Busch
12. Denny Hamlin

When we were there during Memorial Day weekend, we talked a lot about keeping up with the track. This weekend, almost all of the action will be under the lights so the track won't be as weather sensitive. From that standpoint, it's maybe not as challenging a venue, but this is still a tricky racetrack.

A common question we get asked is whether or not success at 2-mile racetracks like Auto Club Speedway and Michigan International Speedway translates to 1.5-milers like Lowe's. Not that the two types of tracks are completely different, but the two sizes of tracks have different requirements. So if you are looking to do an apples to apples comparison, I would compare Lowe's to its sister tracks Texas Motor Speedway or Atlanta Motor Speedway. Having said that, if you ask any crew chief, driver or engineer, they will all tell you that the 1.5-mile tracks may all look the same but they all have their own nuances.

When I think of Lowe's Motor Speedway, I instinctively think of Jimmie Johnson and some of the dominant performances he and his team have had there. Last week's winner, Tony Stewart, has run well there off and on, so keep an eye on him. Carl Edwards has had success at 1.5-mile tracks, winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year as well as Atlanta Motor Speedway in years past. I think he is poised to put up some big numbers in the coming weeks starting this weekend. source>>>

When Regan Smith passed Tony Stewart on the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway, he was certain he'd just earned his first Sprint Cup Series victory.

When NASCAR ruled the pass illegal, Smith figured he was for sure a career-best second. Still unhappy with his runner-up finish, he went to argue his case in the NASCAR office following Sunday's finish.

So imagine his surprise, while waiting for top NASCAR officials, Smith saw himself dropped to an 18th-place finish.

"I thought I was going to plead my case about if I was first or second," Smith said Thursday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. "I was sitting in the (NASCAR) hauler, literally sitting there, and it flashed up on the screen and it went from second down to 18th.

"And I said 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, what just happened there?' I was like 'Man, that's even worse yet.'"

And so went the saga of the rookie who appeared to use a gutsy move to beat a two-time series champion in a thrilling Talladega finish. Instead, Smith's pass of Stewart under the yellow out-of-bounds line at the bottom of the track was disqualified and his penalty was being dropped to the tail end of the lead lap.

He was adamant that he believed the rule was "anything goes" on the last lap of a restrictor-plate race, and passing below the line was allowed so long as the driver could see the flagstand. Several other drivers, including two-time champion Jimmie Johnson, said they also interpreted the rule that way.

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Sprint Cup drivers Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick were involved in an altercation Thursday in the Nationwide Series garage at Lowe's Motor Speedway, multiple witnesses confirmed.

Witnesses said Edwards approached Harvick in the garage stall housing Harvick's No. 33 Chevrolet and engaged in conversation. Following what a witness called a heated discussion, Harvick turned to walk away and Edwards grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.

According to reports Harvick then shoved Edwards in retaliation, forcing Edwards onto the hood of the No. 33 Chevy. No. 33 crew chief Rick Ren pointed to a dent in the hood where he said Edwards landed. Others on site then proceeded to separate the drivers, and witnesses said Edwards was grabbed around the neck in a headlock by Harvick's motor-home driver, Jeff Smith.

I was really trying to screw up everyone's day. Love, Carl.

-- Carl Edwards, from a note sent to Kevin Harvick after the AMP Energy 500 last weekend

No punches were thrown, witnesses said.

Edwards didn't deny the two argued, but wouldn't discuss the incident.

"The deal with me and Harvick is between me and him and there's nothing else to talk about," he said. "I'm not talking about that. That's just what it is. We know where each other stand and that's it."

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It should be no surprise to NASCAR bettors that Jimmie Johnson will be the favorite to win this weekend's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Johnson, the two time defending Sprint Cup Series Champion and current points leader opened betting as a 4/1 odds to win favorite to win the 2008 Bank of America 500 this Saturday according to oddsmakers at SBG Global and Sportsbook.com.

Bet on the 2008 Bank of America 500

After Thursday night's pole qualifying session was rained out, Johnson was quickly downgraded to a 3/1 odds to win favorite. Johnson will start from the Pole Position Saturday night under the lights.

Johnson is tough to beat at the track that carries the name of his primary sponsor. In 14 career races at Lowes's, Johnson has five wins, eight top 5's, 11 top 10's and an average finish of 9.1.

Right behind Johnson in odds and the points is Carl Edwards. Edwards is a 4.5/1 favorite to win the 2008 Bank of America 500. In seven career starts at Lowe's Edwards has three top 5's, six top 10's and an average finish of 7.6. Edwards was involved in a physical altercation Thursday with Kevin Harvick (20/1) in the Nationwide Series Garage area, which stemmed from Edwards crash last weekend at Talladega.

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