NASCAR suspends two-time Nationwide champ LaJoie for drug use

Autoracing Betting Lines

06/22/2010 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Tuesday indefinitely suspended Randy LaJoie, a crew member for Joe Gibbs Racing's No.18 team in the Nationwide Series, for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy.

During an interview with Sirius NASCAR Radio earlier in the day, LaJoie, a two-time Nationwide driver champion, admitted to smoking marijuana once following the May 30 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. On June 11, LaJoie was found to have violated NASCAR's substance abuse policy after he took a random drug test in order to become a spotter for Gibbs' team.

"I screwed up," LaJoie told Sirius Speedway host Dave Moody during the interview. "NASCAR tested me the day when I wanted to go spot for someone at Nashville. I already have two NASCAR licenses, but they said I needed a spotter's license, and that included taking a drug test. I took the test, and got a call a few days later, saying I had tested positive for marijuana."

LaJoie competed in all three of NASCAR's national touring series, including 44 starts in the Cup Series. He won his Nationwide titles back-to-back from 1996-97. LaJoie has not raced in a NASCAR event since November 2006 at Texas Motor Speedway.

He had been serving as an analyst for ESPN's coverage of NASCAR.

Diamondclubcasinio Autoracing Betting News

<< Rangers welcome back Cruz from DL
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers activated outfielder Nelson Cruz from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Cruz went on the disabled list for the second time this season on May 30 when he strained his left hamstring. He

<< Astros tweak roster, call up Castro
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros have recalled top prospect Jason Castro, one of six transactions the club made on Tuesday. Castro, a catcher the Astros selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 draft, had his c

<< Alouettes sign former UNH quarterback Santos
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Walter Payton Award winner Ricky Santos signed a contract Tuesday with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. Santos, the former University of New Hampshire quarterback who was named the FCS' outstanding

<< NHL raises salary cap for 2010-11 season, extends CBA
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League on Tuesday announced a salary cap increase of five percent for the 2010-11 season, while also announcing the extension of the current collective bargaining agreement. The

<< Serena, Wozniacki, Sharapova roll; Stosur exits Wimbledon
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams began her quest for a fourth Wimbledon title with an easy straight-set win over Portugal's Michelle Larcher De Brito, while third-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and former champion Maria

College Football HOFer Cloud passes away at 85 >>
Williamsburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jack Cloud, who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990, has passed away at the age of 85. Cloud was a three-time All-American fullback for William and Mary between 1947-49 an

Jets sign McKnight, waive three others >>
Florham Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets signed running back Joe McKnight, their fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft, to an undisclosed contract on Tuesday. McKnight was a highly-touted recruit out of high school and

Bucks acquire Maggette from Golden State >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks have acquired forward Corey Maggette from the Golden State Warriors for guard Charlie Bell and center Dan Gadzuric. The Bucks also picked up the 44th selection in the 2010 draf

Sharks part ways with longtime goaltender Nabokov >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks announced on Tuesday that the club will not offer a contract to veteran netminder Evgeni Nabokov once the free-agent signing period begins on July 1. Nabokov, who is an unrestri

Colorado reinstates closer Street for first time all season >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies announced today the reinstatement of closer Huston Street to the active roster. Street, who has spent the entire season on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation,

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.