Jeff Gordon became driver enemy number one at Sonoma

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06/21/2010 - Sonoma, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Gordon is a four-time NASCAR Cup champion and a five-time race winner at Infineon Raceway, but at the conclusion of Sunday's race at the Northern California road course, Gordon was a marked man in the garage.

Several drivers, particularly Martin Truex Jr., were furious with Gordon's aggressive driving throughout the 110-lap race. Following the second restart on lap 61, Truex was running among the top-10, but Gordon slammed into the back of him and turned him around.

Truex fell back to the middle of the field, but shortly after, the Michael Waltrip Racing driver was caught in a five-car pileup, which ended his day prematurely.

"We got put in by Jeff Gordon, and getting spun out there on that restart is what got us in the back there," an angry Truex said. "I guess Jeff figured he couldn't catch us on the race track, so he was going to spin us out on the restart."

Truex felt there was no excuse for Gordon's actions.

"Now I know he's going to say Juan [Pablo Montoya] was trying to pass me, and I was trying to block him," Truex said. "I don't care. Just because he's trying to pass you, it's all right for you to spin me out? No. Let him pass you then. I would have let Juan pass me. If it was either get passed or spin out Jeff Gordon, I would have lifted and get passed. That's the difference between me and him. That's why I'm here, that's why he's out there and that's why I'm [ticked] off."

Truex wound up finishing 42nd, which put a serious dent in his bid to qualify for this year's championship Chase. He fell three spots in the standings to 19th, and trails current 12th-place driver Carl Edwards by 157 points, as 10 races remain before the cutoff for the Chase. Truex held the 12th spot in points one month ago.

After finishing fifth, Gordon, whose hometown is in nearby Vallejo, CA, admitted his carelessness on the track and understood that Truex should be irate with him.

"I certainly owe Martin Truex and apology," Gordon said. "He was just racing as clean as he could, and I was racing with [Montoya], and I just got in there and took him straight out. I feel awful about that."

But has Gordon's apology resolved the issue, or does Truex plan on future payback?

"It's all right; we'll get him," Truex said.

And Gordon knows it maybe happen soon.

"Whatever is coming back to me, I understand," he said.

Truex was not the only driver who had a run-in with Gordon at Sonoma. Gordon also tangled with Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and road-racing expert Mattias Ekstrom before spoiling Elliott Sadler's strong run late in the race.

Gordon turned Sadler around while he was running inside the top-10 with 11 laps remaining. Sadler approached Gordon and had a few words with him at the conclusion of the race.

"We got taken out by Gordon, and it's just frustrating," said Sadler, who finished 17th. "This is one of the best tracks for us and one of the good chances we had this year for a top 10. It's a shame. He took out Martin Truex for no reason."

Gordon has been the center of other on-track skirmishes this season, particularly with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, who won at Sonoma for the first time. Johnson and Gordon were disappointed in each other after they made contact while battling for Tony Stewart for the lead late in the April 19 race at Texas. One week later, disappointment turned into anger between the teammates when they banged into each other again in the closing laps at Talladega.

In March, Gordon and Matt Kenseth renewed their ongoing rivalry when Gordon shoved Kenseth up the track and into the wall with less than two laps remaining at Martinsville. Kenseth was leading before the incident, but wound up finishing 18th, while Gordon came in third.

It's not even halfway through the season, and Gordon has adapted well to NASCAR's "boys, have at it" theme this year.

For a driver looking to snap a winless streak that stretches back to April 2009, perhaps Gordon should cool it a bit before someone gives him a taste of his own medicine.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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