NASCAR deals Daytona 500 pole winner huge fine for 2nd consecutive year

CHARLOTTE, N.C. >> Daytona 500 pole-winner Chase Briscoe was dealt a major penalty Wednesday when NASCAR said Joe Gibbs Racing had a modified spoiler on the No. 19 Toyota in time trials.

Joe Gibbs Racing was docked 100 driver/owner points and 10 playoff points. The spoiler base is a single-source part that cannot be modified and was discovered in NASCAR’s inspection process.

JGR also was fined $100,000 and crew chief James Small was suspended for four races. Briscoe now goes to Atlanta Motor Speedway with negative 67 points in the standings. He dropped from 10th in the standings to 39th.

Joe Gibbs Racing said it would appeal.

It is the second consecutive year the Daytona 500 pole-winner has been penalized: Joey Logano was found to have an illegal glove during his qualifying run in 2024.

Bulls, Blackhawks owners get the OK to transform area around United Center

CHICAGO >> The owners of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and NHL’s Blackhawks got the go-ahead to transform the area surrounding the United Center on Wednesday when the Chicago City Council approved a $7 billion plan to replace the parking lots with green space, mixed-income housing, a music hall and more.

The 1901 Project, touted as the largest private investment in Chicago’s West Side, is being spearheaded by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, who own the arena. It is to be built in phases on more than 55 acres of privately owned land over about a decade-long period.

The first phase calls for a 6,000-seat theater, multilevel parking facilities with rooftop greenspace, more pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and bike lanes, and hotel and retail space. Plans for future phases include housing and transportation enhancements.

Wisconsin coach Fickell gets 1-year extension on contract through 2031

MADISON, Wis.>> Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell is receiving a one-year extension on a contract that will now run through the 2031 season.

The school’s athletic board approved the one-year extension recommendation Wednesday.

Fickell originally agreed to a seven-year contract paying him an average of $7.8 million per year when Wisconsin hired him away from Cincinnati in December 2022.

That contract calls for him to get an annual review that would result in a one-year extension based upon satisfactory performance, the athletic director’s recommendation and the athletic board’s approval.

Raducanu says “I’ll be OK” after man removed from stands in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates >> Emma Raducanu said she will be OK after what she called a “difficult experience” related to the presence of a man who had exhibited “fixated behavior” toward her at the Dubai Championships.

The 2021 U.S. Open champion had approached the chair umpire early in her second-round match against 14th-seeded Karolina Muchova on Tuesday night. She was in tears, and the WTA later linked her reaction to the presence of the unidentified man.

Raducanu, who was still a teenager in 2022 when a man in Britain was convicted of stalking her, returned to play after a brief delay at 2-0 down and eventually lost 7-6 (6), 6-4 to Muchova.

— The Associated Press