Barnhart relieved of IndyCar race control duties

Autoracing Betting Lines

11/30/2011 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sanctioning body for the IZOD IndyCar Series revealed on Wednesday that Brian Barnhart will no longer serve as race director.

In restructuring its organization, IndyCar will split the responsibilities of president of operations and race director into separate positions. Barnhart will remain head of operations, overseeing the operational and logistical areas of the series. InyCar is reviewing candidates to fill the race director position.

"As our sport continues to grow and we prepare for our first new car in almost a decade, we feel that splitting these roles will help fully service our teams and venues as we prepare for the demands of the 2012 season," Barnhart said in a statement.

Barnhart has served as IndyCar's president of competition and racing operations since 2007. But Barnhart had been under immense criticism by competitors for some of his officiating calls during the 2011 season.

Several drivers in the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix complained about the start of the race when a safety truck was still on the track.

Barnhart came under fire in August at New Hampshire, where race officials determined after a brief rain shower that the track was dry enough to resume racing, but drivers, particularly Will Power, pleaded with officials not to restart since there was still moisture on the track. Power crashed on the final restart, and shortly after, he made an inappropriate gesture (finger) to the direction of race control. Days later, Power was fined and placed on probation for the remainder of the season for his gesture.

In the October race at Motegi, Japan, Helio Castroneves was furious with Barnhart after he received a penalty for passing under a local yellow during the final lap. Castroneves later posted on his Twitter account, "Brian Barnhart is inconsistent and even changes the rule book when it is convenient for him and his own personal interests...It is sad to see one person being responsible for bringing down an entire series." Castroneves was also fined and put on probation for his comments.

IndyCar also announced another organizational change. Terry Angstadt resigned his position as commercial division president. Angstadt, who had served in the role since 2007, was instrumental in IndyCar's partnership with series title sponsor IZOD, as well as securing races in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Qingdao, China. The series is scheduled to race in China for the first time next year.

Marc Koretzky will replace Angstadt. Koretzky joined IndyCar in May as director of corporate business development. Angstadt will assist with the transition.

"I'm confident that Brian and Marc will lead our company into a bigger and brighter future in these new roles," IndyCar Chief Executive Officer Randy Bernard said.

The 2012 IndyCar season is scheduled to begin on March 25 in St. Petersburg, FL.

Wwwmegasports Autoracing Betting News


<< Bruce sacked by Sunderland
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland confirmed on Wednesday that the club has parted ways with manager Steve Bruce. Bruce joined the team from Wigan in the summer of 2009, but after winning just two of his first 13 games in

<< Brees, Hall, Peterson named NFC players of the week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall and Cardinals punt returner Patrick Peterson have been honored as the NFC's top players for Week 12 of the NFL season. Brees complete

<< Brest midfielder Culm to undergo hip operation
Brest, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jhon Jairo Culm could miss the next two months for Brest after undergoing hip surgery, the club announced. The midfielder has been bothered by pain in his hip for weeks and will have a procedure to rem

<< Johnson, Suggs and Janikowski earn AFC weekly honors
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski have been selected as the AFC's top players for Week 12 of the NFL season.

<< Cubs reach deal with DeJesus
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have signed outfielder David DeJesus to a two-year deal with a club option for the 2014 season. Although financial terms were not released, the pact is believed to be worth $10 million. DeJe

Barca's Adriano out one week with thigh injury >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona midfielder Adriano will miss the next week because of a thigh injury, it was announced on Wednesday. The 27-year-old sustained the problem in Barca's 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday, wit

Is Valentine the right guy for Boston? >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At first glance Bobby Valentine becoming the new manager of the Boston Red Sox makes a ton of sense. He's a household name, he lives in Connecticut, has been an above-average manager in this game and absolutely has the abilit

Shoulder injury to keep Abbiati out two weeks >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati will miss the next two weeks of action due to a right shoulder injury. Abbiati sustained the problem in Milan's Champions League match with Barcelona last week and he

4-time Pro Bowl DL Chester McGlockton passes away >>
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former NFL defensive lineman and Stanford assistant coach Chester McGlockton died early Wednesday morning. He was 42. McGlockton was the 16th overall pick by the Raiders in the 1992 NFL Draft and was a member o

Civil suit filed against Sandusky >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A civil suit against Jerry Sandusky was filed Wednesday morning in Philadelphia, by a man alleging the former Penn State assistant coach sexually abused him more than 100 times over a perio

Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.