Almirola surprise winner of Busch pole

Autoracing Betting Lines

02/16/2007 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In 2006 Aric Almirola won a pole as a substitute for Denny Hamlin. Hamlin drove the car in the race to a second- place finish. This time the 22-year-old Almirola will get to drive the car from the pole himself. He captured the pole for Saturday's Orbitz 300 Busch Series season opener at the Daytona International Speedway. The No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet driver circled the 2.5-mile oval in 48.982 seconds (183.741 m.p.h.).

The pole victory was Almirola's first of the season and second of his Busch career.

"This means a lot of all the guys back at the shop," said Almirola. "They prepared an awesome race car. I'm thankful for the opportunity they gave me."

Starting alongside Almirola will be Jason Leffler in the No.38 Toyota who posted a second-best time of 49.023 seconds.

Jon Wood (49.038) and 2005 Busch Series champion Martin Truex Jr. (49.068) will start in row two.

In 2006, there was only one story in NASCAR's Busch Series - Kevin Harvick. Harvick led the series in wins (9), top-5s (23), top-10s (32) and money earned ($1,345,380). He beat second-place Carl Edwards by a record 824 points. Harvick will begin 31st in 43-car field.

Two interesting names also in the field include: 2006 IndyCar Series champion Sam Hornish Jr (27th) and former Formula One star Juan Montoya (16th).

Last year's season opener was won by Tony Stewart. Stewart will once again be in the field, but will have to come from 40th if he is to repeat.

The race is scheduled to drop the green flag on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. (et).

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.