Hornaday Jr. extends truck lead with win

Autoracing Betting Lines

09/16/2007 - Loudon, NH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Hornaday Jr. dominated from start to finish, leading 174 of 200 laps and capturing Saturday afternoon's New Hampshire 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at the New Hampshire International Speedway. The No.33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet driver crossed the finish line 4.21 seconds ahead of Erik Darnell.

The victory was Hornaday Jr.'s fourth of the season and 33rd of his truck career.

"I have to thank everybody, what an awesome truck," said Hornaday Jr.

After rain cancelled qualifying, points leader Hornaday Jr. brought the field to the green flag for 200 laps of racing. He immediate took control and the lead the after 28 laps was already 1.694 seconds. Behind him were his primary championship rival, Mike Skinner (-4) and 2006 series champion Todd Bodine.

In the middle of the pack and moving up were two "Cup" drivers, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Busch. Both started at the back after qualifying was cancelled and were working their way through slower traffic.

Hornaday Jr.'s lead was a big as 3.342 seconds on lap 38 when a caution flag for debris slowed the race to a crawl. The No.33 KHI crew had a little problem on their stop and Hornaday Jr. came out in third place behind Skinner and Mike Bliss.

Hornaday Jr. made quick work of Bliss, but Skinner was a much tougher challenge. On lap 50 Hornaday Jr. got to the inside of Skinner, but the No.5 Toyota driver held him off and Hornaday Jr. had to tuck back in line behind Skinner.

Then Chad Chaffin spun to bring out a second caution flag and one of the drivers caught up in the wreck was Bowyer. His day was done.

Before the race reached lap 65 Hornaday Jr. retook the lead from Skinner. Bodine joined the pair at the top and the three paced the way as the field passed the 80-lap mark. But they were all looking in their rearview mirror at Busch who was up to seventh and still closing on the three leaders. Then as he tried to get by Darnell on lap 88 for sixth place, he got loose and slapped the outside wall. The splitter took some damage and Busch radioed that he had hurt the truck's handling.

At the mid-point Hornaday Jr. held a one-second lead on Bodine. By lap 113, the No.33 Chevrolet driver clinched the bonus for "most laps led." But Skinner wasn't done and on lap 114 went around Bodine for second place. He was still more than two second behind Hornaday Jr., but at least he could now see him.

Final pit stops began just past lap 130 and Hornaday Jr. beat Skinner back to the track. Meanwhile, Darnell held the lead until lap 136 hoping that a caution flag might show and drastically shuffle up the race. It didn't come out before Darnell pitted, but one did come out for a spin by Busch on lap 141 with Willie Allen leading and Hornaday Jr. in sixth place.

Those who hadn't pitted, including Allen, did so on the caution flag and Hornaday Jr., Bodine and Skinner were once again the race leaders. Hornaday Jr. built the lead to more than five seconds (over Darnell) with 30 laps remaining. From there Hornaday Jr. drove it to the checkered flag without a true challenge.

Skinner, Bodine and Mike Bliss completed the top-five. Hornaday Jr.'s win gives him a 29-point lead over Skinner heading to the next event. Travis Kvapil is third overall, but a distant 271 points behind Hornaday Jr.

"He put a whuppin' on us today, he just had the best truck and those guys are doing good job," said Skinner of Hornaday Jr.

The next race in the series is set for Saturday, September 22nd at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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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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