Earnhardt penalized 100 points

NASCAR took 100 championship points from Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Tuesday and fined his crew chief $100,000, after finding that Earnhardt’s No. 8 Chevrolet had unauthorized parts before Sunday’s Nextel Cup race at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.

Crew chief Tony Eury Jr., who also is Earnhardt’s cousin, also was suspended for seven races, including Saturday night’s All-Star Challenge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., a non-points race.

NASCAR said Earnhardt’s rear wing had improper mounting brackets. It was the first rules violation and penalty involving the new Car of Tomorrow. It also was more turmoil for Dale Earnhardt Inc., the team started by Earnhardt’s late father. Earnhardt announced last week that he would leave the team, now run by his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, after this season.

DEI said it did not question the infraction, acknowledging that the brackets were an old set used for testing and not replaced. But the team added, “We have appealed the severity of the penalty.”

The penalty knocked Earnhardt from 12th in the Cup standings to 14th. The top 12 drivers qualify for the Chase for the Cup playoff.

After Sunday’s race, when the discrepancy was announced, Earnhardt said he would cover Eury’s financial penalty.

“I got his back. I’ll pay his fine, whatever he needs me to do,” Earnhardt said.

-- Jim Peltz

TENNIS

Williams bounces back to win in Italian Open

Serena Williams overcame a slow start before beating Michaella Krajicek, 6-4, 6-1, in the second round of the Italian Open at Rome.

Williams, who had a trainer attend to her left thigh after the first set, improved to 17-2 this year.

Williams hadn’t played since pulling out of the Fed Cup match with Belgium last month, citing a right knee injury. She had trouble gaining her footing on the red clay and gave up an early break to fall behind in the first set.

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Ninth-seeded Andy Murray retired with an injured right wrist while leading Filippo Volandri, 5-1, in the first round of the Hamburg Masters in Germany.

The ninth-seeded Murray called for the trainer after hitting a forehand. He tried to play after treatment but stopped after two more points.

Carlos Moya, the 1998 French Open champion, beat Mardy Fish, 6-0, 6-3

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Maria Emilia Salerni beat top-seeded Sania Mirza, 6-2, 7-5, in the first round of the Grand Prix SAR Princess Lalla Meryem at Fez, Morocco.

PRO FOOTBALL

Bears’ Johnson to meet with NFL commissioner

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson could become the third player suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell when they meet today in New York, three days after Johnson was released from jail.

Johnson served two months in the Cook County (Ill.) jail for violating his probation on weapons charges after authorities found six unregistered firearms during a raid of his home Dec. 14. He already was on probation on an earlier charge.

Goodell has been cracking down on personal conduct off the field. In April, he suspended Tennessee Titans defensive back Adam “Pacman” Jones for the 2007 season and Chris Henry of the Cincinnati Bengals for eight games.

GOLF

NBC scores big with Players Championship

Phil Mickelson’s victory Sunday at the Players Championship was also a winner for NBC.

The 3.6 national rating released Tuesday was up 24% from last year’s fourth round. The viewership reached 5 million, an increase of 24% over last year, when Stephen Ames won. The Los Angeles market ranked 35th with a 2.5 rating.

-- Thomas Bonk

JURISPRUDENCE

Former NBA player Barnes is arrested

Marvin Barnes was arrested along a highway in Johnston, R.I., and charged with cocaine possession after police allegedly found a bag of cocaine inside an SUV driven by the former NBA player, who has been battling drug addiction for years.

Barnes, 54, who lives in Providence, R.I., was released from custody after promising to seek drug treatment and appear for his next court hearing, said his attorney, who added that Barnes will take a temporary leave as president of the nonprofit Rebound Foundation, which serves disadvantaged children.

MISCELLANY

Circular Quay expected to run in Preakness

Circular Quay joined the list of horses expected to run in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes, giving the nine-horse field four of the top six finishers in the Kentucky Derby.

Derby winner Street Sense is scheduled to ship to Pimlico Race Course today after working five furlongs in a minute flat Tuesday at Churchill Downs.

-- Robyn Norwood

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The Italian cycling federation suspended Ivan Basso and the Italian Olympic Committee’s anti-doping prosecutor accused him of reneging on his promise to provide information about the Spanish blood-doping scandal.

The cycling federation suspended Basso and another Italian rider, Michele Scarponi, a day after the Olympic committee recommended such action.

The investigation started in 2006 when a doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes, and others were arrested on suspicion of providing doping services to cyclists.

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The Mid-Continent Conference will be known as the Summit League starting June 1.