Franchitti takes pole for season-opener in Brazil

Autoracing Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti will start on the pole for the Sao Paulo Indy 300 after posting the fastest time in Sunday's qualifying on the streets of Sao Paulo.

One day after qualifying was delayed due to poor track conditions, Franchitti lapped the 2.6-mile, 11-turn street circuit in one minute, 27.7354 seconds. Qualifying took place on the same day as the race -- a first for the series.

"I was a little surprised to get into (the Firestone Fast Six)," Franchitti said. "I didn't have a very good day yesterday. We struggled to get my car the way I wanted it to work."

IRL officials postponed Saturday's scheduled qualifying after slippery concrete and very bumpy conditions along the front straightaway portion of the track presented safety concerns. Part of the straight rests on an area referred to as the Anbembi Sambodromo, which is one-third of a mile in length. The track surface in that section recently was painted for an annual spring carnival in Sao Paulo.

Track officials brought in grinding equipment and added grooves to the track overnight. Drivers participated in a 30-minute warm-up session during the morning, and track conditions significantly improved.

Franchitti was among several drivers who spun and crashed during the first two practice sessions.

Alex Tagliani, making his debut with the FAZZT Race Team, grabbed the outside pole after finishing 0.322 seconds behind Franchitti.

Justin Wilson, in his first run with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, qualified third. Ryan Hunter-Reay and Will Power rounded out the top-five.

Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, who was fastest in two of the three practice sessions, Ryan Briscoe, Brazilian Helio Castroneves and rookie Takuma Sato will start sixth through 10th, respectively.

Danica Patrick, fresh off a three-race NASCAR Nationwide Series stint, will start 13th.

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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