Power sets IndyCar record with eighth pole of season

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08/21/2010 - Sonoma, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Power earned his record eighth IZOD IndyCar Series pole of the season after winning Saturday's qualifying for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway.

Power barely made it out of the second round of qualifying, but posted a quick lap around the 2.303-mile, 12-turn road course in one minute, 16.5282 seconds during the closing minutes of the "Fast Six" final session to surpass Helio Castroneves' series record, set in 2007, of seven poles for the season.

One year ago, Power's season came to an abrupt end at Sonoma, where he sustained multiple injuries during a practice crash. The Australian driver suffered two broken vertebrae and a concussion when his car hit the stalled car of Nelson Philippe, who spun exiting the blind, downhill corner. Philippe also suffered a concussion, along with an open fracture to his left foot.

"I'm very happy to get the pole after what happened here last year," Power said. "It was so close, and I didn't think I was going to get the pole today. I knew it was going to be tight, but I'm very happy."

Power edged his Penske Racing teammate Castroneves by 0.037 seconds.

"I was very consistent, and the car was very good," Castroneves said. "We made some incredible changes and great gains from yesterday's [practice]."

Dario Franchitti, the defending series champion and last year's race winner at Sonoma, qualified third.

"We'll definitely try to get [Power] tomorrow, but he's done a heck of a job," Franchitti said.

Power holds a 42-point lead over Franchitti heading into the ninth and final road/street course race of the season. The last four IndyCar races this year will be contested on 1.5-mile ovals.

Alex Tagliani will share the second row with Franchitti after qualifying fourth, while Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon will roll off from row three.

Justin Wilson will start seventh, followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan and Raphael Matos.

Danica Patrick had another disappointing qualifying session, as she will start 23rd in Sunday's race at Sonoma.

The 75-lap event will start around 5:45 p.m. (et).

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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