Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his NASCAR debut in next month’s Daytona 500 with Trackhouse Racing.

Castroneves, one of the most popular drivers in IndyCar history, has been trying for two years to get a Daytona 500 seat and finally landed one Monday as part of Trackhouse’s “Project 91” designed to give renowned racers from outside of NASCAR a shot in a stock car.

He will attempt to qualify for the “Great American Race” in the No. 91 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Wendy’s. Darian Grubb will be his crew chief.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing,” Castroneves said. “This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car.”

Men’s basketball

Tennessee lone undefeated team, remains No. 1 in AP poll >> Tennessee tightened its grip on No. 1 in the AP Top 25 following a pair of lopsided wins, including one over SEC rival Arkansas, that left the Volunteers as the only undefeated team in men’s Division I college basketball.

The Vols picked up four more first-place votes and had 45 of 60 from the national panel to remain atop the poll for the fifth straight week. Auburn earned the other 15 first-place nods and stayed at No. 2, while Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounded out a top five that was unchanged following the first week of conference play for many leagues around the country.

Tennessee improved to 14-0 after beating Norfolk State and a 76-52 rout of the then-No. 23 Razorbacks, tying the third-longest winning streak in school history. And when Florida lost a shootout to Kentucky and Oklahoma was blown out by the Crimson Tide, it left the Volunteers as the only team in men’s major college hoops without a blemish.

Women’s basketball

SEC and Big Ten have 4 top 10 teams in AP poll >> The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference both have arguments to be considered the top league in women’s basketball.

Each has seven teams ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll, including four apiece in the first 10. Both leagues have been bolstered this season by conference realignment, with No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC joining the Big Ten while No. 5 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma are new to the SEC.

UCLA was once again the top choice in the poll after receiving 30 of 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Bruins have been the solid No. 1 team since knocking off former top team South Carolina in late November. The Gamecocks, who remained No. 2, host No. 5 Texas on Sunday.

Notre Dame remained third, garnering the other two first place votes, taking one away from the Gamecocks.

LSU and UConn were next after the Longhorns. Undefeated Maryland was eighth with Ohio State moving up one spot to ninth after Oklahoma split a pair of games with Texas and then-No. 15 Tennessee.

UCONN coach encouraged Bueckers injury isn’t too serious >> Geno Auriemma has seen more than his fair share of “freaky” injuries over the last few years.

When UConn star guard Paige Bueckers went down with a knee injury late in the third quarter going for a loose ball, he hoped this wouldn’t be another one of those.

The early reports the Hall of Fame coach said of the severity of it were encouraging.

Baseball

Dodgers trade Lux to Reds >> Second baseman Gavin Lux was traded from the Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds three days after Los Angeles agreed to a $12.5 million, three-year contract with infielder Hyeseong Kim.

Los Angeles received minor league outfielder Mike Sirota, a grand-nephew of Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford, and the Reds’ pick in competitive balance round A of the amateur draft in July, currently No. 37 overall.

Lux had a $1,225,000 salary last year. He is eligible for arbitration this winter and next, then can become a free agent after the 2026 World Series. The 27-year-old was a member of the Dodgers’ World Series championship teams in 2020 and ‘24.

Rays commit to fixing Tropicana field >> After some uncertainty, the Tampa Bay Rays now support a $55.7 million city plan to repair hurricane-shredded Tropicana Field in time for the 2026 season opener, while the team prepares to play this year at the New York Yankees’ spring training home in nearby Tampa.

Matt Silverman, the Rays’ co-president, said in an email to the St. Petersburg chief administrator that the team wants to “clear up” any questions about its support for the reconstruction. The city must pay for the work under its current contract with the Rays.

Mets to retire Wright’s number in July >> David Wright’s No. 5 will be retired by the New York Mets before a July 19 game against Cincinnati, the team said Monday.

Wright’s number will be the 10th retired by the Mets, the sixth since Steve Cohen bought the team ahead of the 2021 season. Wright also will enter the team’s Hall of Fame, joining Tom Seaver as the only Mets players to receive both honors on the same day.

A seven-time All-Star, Wight hit .296 with 242 homers, 970 RBIs and 196 stolen bases from 2004-18, his career cut short by neck, back and shoulder injuries that required surgery.

Golf

Schefler withdrars from American Express tournament >> Scottie Scheffler withdrew from The American Express saying his right hand has not fully recovered from minor surgery to repair a glass puncture over Christmas.

Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player, injured his hand preparing Christmas dinner, forcing him to miss the start of the PGA Tour season at The Sentry in Hawaii.

The American Express in Palm Desert, California, is scheduled for Jan. 16-19.

NHL

Former player and Stanley Cup winning coach MacNeil dead at 89 >> Al MacNeil, a former NHL player who won the Stanley Cup as coach of the Montreal Canadiens, has died. He was 89.

The Calgary Flames announced that MacNeil died Sunday in Calgary. No cause of death was provided.

MacNeil was a defenseman who played 524 NHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1955 and 1968.