Stewart still a top choice despite his status

The big news in NASCAR this week dealt with Tony Stewart’s decision to leave Joe Gibbs Racing after the season to become co-owner/driver for Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009.

Although the move instantly made Stewart a lame-duck driver for tonight’s LifeLock.com 400 in Chicago, oddsmakers still give him a good chance to win.

Stewart, the defending LifeLock.com 400 champion, is listed at 8-1 odds, which are the same numbers given to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne, according to Bodoglife.com.

Kyle Busch, who leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, is the betting favorite at 5-1, followed by Carl Edwards at 6-1, Jimmie Johnson at 7-1 and Matt Kenseth at 15-2. Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle are listed at 10-1.

Supporters for Stewart, currently in the 12th and final spot in the Cup standings, expect him to make a late-season push to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship.

But if Stewart begins to look ahead to 2009, he’ll have a difficult time holding off Kevin Harvick, who trails Stewart by only two points with eight races left before the Chase.

Harvick is listed at 18-1 to win tonight’s race and 6-1 odds to finish in the top three.

Baseball

Right-hander Rich Harden will make his first start for the Chicago Cubs today when he faces the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field.

With Harden, recently acquired by the Cubs in a trade from Oakland, on the mound, Chicago is listed as a -250 favorite over San Francisco (+210), according to Sportsbook.com.

Harden, who had a 5-1 record with a 2.34 earned-run average with the Athletics, has not pitched in a week and is coming off a 5-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

The Giants will turn to right-hander Kevin Correia, who is 1-5 with a 4.96 ERA. San Francisco is 0-7 in Correia’s last seven starts, including a 5-4 loss to the Cubs on July 2.

Here are a couple of proposition wagers connected to pitcher CC Sabathia, recently traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee, and Harden, available at Bodoglife.com.

Which National League Central team will make the playoffs? Cubs (7-5), Brewers (7-2), both (even), or neither (20-1); Who will win more games for their new teams for the 2008 regular season? Sabathia -2 (-115) or Harden +2 (-115); How many starts will Harden have for the Cubs this season? Over 10 (-115) or under 10 (-115).

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