NASCAR releases 2011 schedules for top three series

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/18/2010 - Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Wednesday officially released its 2011 schedule for all three of its national touring series. As expected, there are several major changes to next year's schedule, particularly in the Sprint Cup Series.

The 36-race Sprint Cup schedule will feature two realigned events. For the first time in a decade, the series will add a new track to the schedule. Kentucky Speedway will host its inaugural race on July 9, while a second Kansas Speedway date will be held on June 5, the week after the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Phoenix International Raceway will move its first date to February 27, the week after the season-opening Daytona 500. PIR will replace Southern California's Auto Club Speedway, which will switch to later in the season on March 27. Texas Motor Speedway fills in the vacated Phoenix spot and will host its first night-time Sprint Cup race on April 9.

The 2011 "Chase for the Sprint Cup" championship -- the final 10 Cup races of the season -- will begin at Chicagoland Speedway on September 18. Chicagoland's previous race date was in early July, a slot that went to the realigned event at Kentucky. New Hampshire Motor Speedway, which previously had the first Chase date, will now have the second playoff race on September 25. The race weekends for Martinsville Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway during the Chase will swap, with Talladega running the week before Martinsville.

"The adjustments and realignment of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will make for an exciting race season next year," NASCAR chairman and chief executive officer Brian France said in a statement. "The revised schedule provides better situated dates for the tracks, a more challenging lineup for the drivers and ultimately more intrigue for the fans."

A second race added to both Iowa Speedway and Chicagoland highlight the changes in next year's Nationwide Series schedule. Iowa will host its Nationwide dates on May 22 and August 6, while Chicagoland will be held on June 4 and September 17, which is the day before the Chase begins at that track.

The previous stand-alone event at Kentucky Speedway now will be part of the inaugural Sprint Cup race weekend on July 8.

Next year's Nationwide schedule will consist of 34 races, all featuring the new car that is being run a total of four times this season.

Twenty-four races on next year's Camping World Truck Series schedule have been revealed, with an additional race to be announced on a later date.

Phoenix's truck date will move to February. The Arizona track traditionally hosted the penultimate truck race in November. Darlington will switch from August to March, while Michigan will shift from June to August.

2011 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

Date Site

Feb. 12 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, Daytona International Speedway*

Feb. 20 Daytona International Speedway

Feb. 27 Phoenix International Raceway

March 6 Las Vegas Motor Speedway

March 20 Bristol Motor Speedway

March 27 Auto Club Speedway

April 3 Martinsville Speedway

April 9 Texas Motor Speedway

April 17 Talladega Superspeedway

April 30 Richmond International Raceway

May 7 Darlington Raceway

May 15 Dover International Speedway

May 21 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, Charlotte Motor Speedway*

May 29 Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 5 Kansas Speedway

June 12 Pocono Raceway

June 19 Michigan International Speedway

June 26 Infineon Raceway

July 2 Daytona International Speedway

July 9 Kentucky Speedway

July 17 New Hampshire Motor Speedway

July 31 Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Aug. 7 Pocono Raceway

Aug. 14 Watkins Glen International

Aug. 21 Michigan International Speedway

Aug. 27 Bristol Motor Speedway

Sept. 4 Atlanta Motor Speedway

Sept. 10 Richmond International Raceway

Sept. 18 Chicagoland Speedway

Sept. 25 New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Oct. 2 Dover International Speedway

Oct. 9 Kansas Speedway

Oct. 15 Charlotte Motor Speedway

Oct. 23 Talladega Superspeedway

Oct. 30 Martinsville Speedway

Nov. 6 Texas Motor Speedway

Nov. 13 Phoenix International Raceway

Nov. 20 Homestead-Miami Speedway

* Denotes non-points event.

2011 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES SCHEDULE

Date Site

Feb. 19 Daytona International Speedway

Feb. 26 Phoenix International Raceway

March 5 Las Vegas Motor Speedway

March 19 Bristol Motor Speedway

March 26 Auto Club Speedway

April 8 Texas Motor Speedway

April 16 Talladega Superspeedway

April 23 Nashville Superspeedway

April 29 Richmond International Raceway

May 6 Darlington Raceway

May 14 Dover International Speedway

May 22 Iowa Speedway

May 28 Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 4 Chicagoland Speedway

June 18 Michigan International Speedway

June 25 Road America

July 1 Daytona International Speedway

July 8 Kentucky Speedway

July 16 New Hampshire Motor Speedway

July 23 Nashville Superspeedway

July 30 O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis

Aug. 6 Iowa Speedway

Aug. 13 Watkins Glen International

Aug. 20 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

Aug. 26 Bristol Motor Speedway

Sept. 3 Atlanta Motor Speedway

Sept. 9 Richmond International Raceway

Sept 17 Chicagoland Speedway

Oct. 1 Dover International Speedway

Oct. 8 Kansas Speedway

Oct. 14 Charlotte Motor Speedway

Nov. 5 Texas Motor Speedway

Nov. 12 Phoenix International Raceway

Nov. 19 Homestead-Miami Speedway

2011 NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES SCHEDULE

Date Site

Feb. 18 Daytona International Speedway

Feb. 25 Phoenix International Raceway

March 12 Darlington Raceway

April 2 Martinsville Speedway

April 22 Nashville Superspeedway

May 13 Dover International Speedway

May 20 Charlotte Motor Speedway

June 4 Kansas Speedway

June 10 Texas Motor Speedway

July 16 Iowa Speedway

July 22 Nashville Superspeedway

July 29 O'Reilly Raceway Park

Aug. 6 Pocono Raceway

Aug. 20 Michigan International Speedway

Aug. 24 Bristol Motor Speedway

Sept. 2 Atlanta Motor Speedway

Sept. 16 Chicagoland Speedway

Sept. 24 New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Oct. 1 Kentucky Speedway

Oct. 15 Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Oct. 22 Talladega Superspeedway

Oct. 29 Martinsville Speedway

Nov. 4 Texas Motor Speedway

Nov. 18 Homestead-Miami Speedway

Note: one additional Camping World Truck Series date to be added.

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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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