Stewart benefits from Gordon error

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/12/2007 - Watkins Glen, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Stewart watched as Jeff Gordon slid off the track with two laps to go and the No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver went on to capture Sunday's Centurion Boats at the Glen Nextel Cup race at the Watkins Glen International road course. The Home Depot Chevrolet took the checkered flag 2.460 seconds ahead of Denny Hamlin.

The victory was Stewart's third of the season, fourth at Watkins Glen and 32nd of his "Cup" career.

"Jeff and I by far had the best two cars," said Stewart. "We kept the pressure on Jeff and hoped he made a mistake and that's what happened."

After pole qualifying was rained out, Gordon was awarded the pole based on owner points and he brought the field to the green flag for 90 laps of racing. But Matt Kenseth beat him to the first corner and came out of it in first. Down the back straight, Gordon got it back and he completed the first lap as the leader.

Gordon continued to show the way with Hamlin and Stewart second and third, respectively. Kenseth's Ford was way too loose and he fell back through the top-10. Moving up into the top-10 were Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kurt Busch. Also charging forward was Juan Pablo Montoya who cracked the top-10 on lap eight.

Stewart got around Hamlin and took off after Gordon. Following a caution flag (David Ragan spin) Stewart easily beat Gordon into the first turn and the lead was his. The No.20 Home Depot Chevrolet quickly built the margin to two seconds.

Brian Vickers brought out the second caution flag on lap 24 and most of the leaders took advantage of the flag to make their first of two pit stops on the afternoon.

Seven cars had stopped earlier or were still waiting for their pit window and behind Jamie McMurray held the top seven spots. But Gordon and Stewart quickly knifed their way up the charts.

By lap 30 Gordon was third and Stewart fifth. A lap later they were second and third. They were both chasing Patrick Carpentier. Finally on lap 38 the Canadian pitted and it was Stewart, who got by Gordon, in control.

This time Stewart didn't run away and hide from Gordon and Earnhardt Jr. who was in third place. They could stay with Stewart, but was the No.20 Chevrolet just pacing himself for the end?

Inexplicably, Stewart made a mistake and spun on lap 45 in turn one, falling from first to 19th place. That gave the lead to Gordon once again. Gordon built his lead to one second on "Junior" and three seconds on Jimmie Johnson as the field passed the 50-lap mark.

Meanwhile, Stewart began the long trek back up the charts, trying to do it without abusing his Chevy for the final laps.

A caution flag on lap 52 (Reed Sorenson and Johnson spin) left 38 laps to the checkered flag.

Pit road was busy as Gordon led the parade down pit lane in which almost every car stopped. They would all take the gamble on fuel hoping to reach the end from there.

The four drivers who didn't stop, Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield, Kasey Kahne and Dave Blaney held the top positions.

Of those earlier leaders, Gordon edged Earnhardt Jr. and Hamlin off pit road. Looming big behind the leaders was Montoya.

Gordon was flying and by lap 60 only Mayfield was left in front of him. He passed Mayfield with ease, but Gordon couldn't relax. Behind him was Kurt Busch, "Junior" and Carl Edwards. Also in the top-10 were Montoya and "angry driver" by the name of Stewart.

By lap 63 Stewart was in seventh, just behind Montoya. Earnhardt Jr. came to the first turn on the same lap and suddenly slowed. He appeared to be coasting without power and the caution flag came out.

"It looks like the engine blew," said an unhappy crew chief Tony Eury Jr.

The result for Earnhardt Jr. was a 42nd-place finish and a disaster for his "Chase" hopes.

Kurt Busch took advantage of the Earnhardt problem and refueled to guarantee he could make it to the checkered flag. Smart "insurance" by a smart team.

Stewart made quick work of Montoya and was in fourth behind Gordon, Hamlin and Edwards. With 23 laps to go, Stewart made a spectacular pass, both on and off the course, of Edwards for third place.

But a caution flag when Kyle Petty blew his engine gave everyone a chance to catch their breath and set up the battle for the win.

The race restarted with 18 laps to go, but they couldn't get past the first turn before another caution flag. This one started when Truex Jr. got into the back of Montoya and sent him into the turn too fast hitting Harvick. The two got out of their cars and started pushing and yelling at each other.

Finally, Montoya got back in his car and drove away but only a few feet further and his day was essentially done. Others that suffered damage included Jeff Burton and Jamie McMurray.

The race was red-flagged for the multi-car cleanup and it gave everyone a chance to calm down for the final laps.

The restart came with 13 laps remaining. Somehow, despite one car spinning, they got through the first turn without a caution flag.

Gordon, Hamlin and Stewart were nose to tail. Stewart got side-by-side with Hamlin in turn 10 and beat him the start/finish line for second place.

Still, Gordon had about an eight-length lead, but that wasn't enough with still 12 laps to go.

The action was furious, but with 10 laps to go, P.J. Jones spun into the gravel trap and the yellow flew once again. He appeared to have help from Kurt Busch.

The green flag dropped with eight to go and Stewart was stuck on Gordon's rear bumper like glue.

Slowly, every so slowly, Gordon pulled away from Stewart. With five laps to go he held 0.523 seconds (four lengths). A lap later in was 0.590 seconds.

Then Gordon went too deep into turn one on lap 89 and the race was between Stewart and Edwards for the win.

"I just overdrove it into (turn) one, pretty much the same thing that happened to Tony," said Gordon on his way back to the garage. "We're right on the edge in the braking zone getting into one...just stupid. Tony was really good and I really wanted the win."

"I gave it away and got it back the same way I lost it," said Stewart.

On the final lap Edwards was about two lengths back going into turn 10 and went way too deep running through the gravel trap. Stewart cruised to the win and somehow Edwards still finished eighth.

Johnson, Ron Fellows and Robby Gordon completed the top-five while points leader Jeff Gordon finished ninth.

The next race is the series is set for Sunday, August 19th at the Michigan International Speedway.

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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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