NASCAR Penalizes Earnhardt

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fined $10,000 and docked 25 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series points Wednesday for purposely causing a caution flag in Sunday’s race at Bristol, Tenn.

Earnhardt had fallen behind because of a tire problem and was in danger of going down a lap when he spun, bringing out a yellow flag that allowed him to pit for tires and stay on the lead lap during the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished 11th.

After the spin, Earnhardt was heard telling his team on the radio that he had never spun on purpose before.

“The driver of the No. 8 car was quite vocal in admitting he intentionally spun out his car to cause a caution condition on the track, which is clearly prohibited in the NASCAR rule book,” NASCAR President Mike Helton said. “We have several rules that have been in place for quite some time to prevent someone from altering the outcome of an event. This was a clear-cut case of that.”

Despite losing the 25 points, Earnhardt will still go into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway third in the standings. But he trails leader Matt Kenseth by 66 points and runner-up Kurt Busch, the Bristol winner, by 45.

Earnhardt, the son of the late seven-time series champion Dale Earnhardt, is off to the best start of his career with two victories in the first six races of the season.

Teresa Earnhardt, owner of Earnhardt’s Chevrolet, accepted the decision, saying, “It was a mistake we’ve all learned from, and we have to move past it.”

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Tennis

Second-seeded Venus Williams sprained her right foot during the second set, but sloppy shot-making hurt her more in a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (3) loss to fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open at Key Biscayne, Fla.

A three-time champion at Key Biscayne, Williams came up short in her bid to reach a semifinal for the first time since Wimbledon in July. Dementieva survived a match point and erratic play of her own to win the tense 2 1/2-hour duel.

The upset had all the characteristics of a Williams loss: She double-faulted 11 times, committed 51 unforced errors and played injured. Williams took a nine-minute timeout for treatment when she rolled her right foot in the final game of the second set.

A trainer taped the foot and ankle, and when play resumed, Williams won the next two points for the set.

“I was just thinking that she’s a very good actress,” Dementi- eva said. “She was moving much better after the break.”

When told of Dementieva’s comment, Williams responded, “Maybe I should talk to her. I clearly twisted my ankle, and I had issues there. If that’s the way she feels, that’s fine. These days, in order to be a champ and to be a winner, you have to play under all circumstances, and I think that’s what I did.”

Dementieva will next play eighth-seeded fellow Russian Nadia Petrova, who beat Nathalie Dechy, 6-2, 6-2.

In men’s play, third-seeded Guillermo Coria became the first semifinalist by beating unseeded Nicolas Kiefer, 6-3, 6-3.

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Pro Football

The New England Patriots signed defensive tackle Keith Traylor, filling a hole left by the departure of Ted Washington. Traylor joined the Patriots after three seasons with the Chicago Bears. Terms were not disclosed.

Free-agent cornerback Aaron Beasley, released by the New York Jets, signed with the Atlanta Falcons.... The Jets signed punter Toby Gowin to replace Dan Stryzinski, whose 37.4-yard average was the worst in the AFC last season. Gowin averaged 39 yards with the Dallas Cowboys last season, ranking next-to-last among regular punters in the NFC.

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Miscellany

The $250-million sale of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers from Time Warner Inc. to a nine-member group was completed.

Atlanta Spirit LLC officially took control of both teams and operating rights to Philips Arena, where they play.

The first order of business: Longtime sports executive Bernie Mullin was selected chief of operations for both teams, and former Atlanta star Dominique Wilkins was elevated to vice president of basketball for the Hawks.

Mullin said the ownership group of investors from Atlanta, Boston and Washington is committed to reversing the teams’ losing records and making the franchises profitable.

The Senate approved legislation that would create a federal agency to oversee pro boxing.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the bill’s author, has criticized fight promoters for taking advantage of young boxers and chastised state boxing commissions for conflicts of interests and for not ensuring the objectivity of fight judges.

The legislation would establish a U.S. Boxing Administration within the Labor Department. It would license pro boxers, promoters, managers and sanctioning organizations.

The bill requires fighters to be tested for infectious diseases and medical records to be kept on all boxers. It also sets safety standards that state boxing commissions must enforce, including an ambulance and doctor at each fight.

Peter Laviolette, coach Carolina Hurricanes, was named the coach of the U.S. team for the world hockey championships. The tournament is scheduled for April 24-May 9 in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. The U.S. plays its first game against Finland on April 25.

Indiana Supreme Court Justice Theodore Boehm was selected to head a group charged with selecting a new U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors.

The four-person panel will choose members for an 11-person USOC board of directors as part of a restructuring plan put in place last year following months of turmoil surrounding the organization.

The USOC hopes to have the new board in place before the Athens Games in August.

Aloha Sports Inc., a company that organizes college football bowl games, is suing the NCAA for antitrust violations.

In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Hawaii, the Kailua-Kona-based company claims the college sports governing body broke antitrust laws by requiring that bowl game operators pay participating schools a minimum of $750,000, or 75% of gross revenue.

Aloha Sports claims that this “price fixing” forced the Aloha Bowl and Seattle Bowl to go out of business. The company is seeking compensatory and exemplary damages.