The two teams suing NASCAR over an antitrust complaint were granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday that will allow them to compete as chartered teams in 2025.

U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell said in his ruling, which favors 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, that “NASCAR fans (and members of the public who may become fans) have an interest in watching all the teams compete with their best drivers and most competitive teams.”

NASCAR did not immediately respond to a request for comment and has not said if it plans to appeal.

23XI, the team owned by NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row refused in September to sign take-it-or-leave it revenue sharing offers made by NASCAR just 48 hours before the start of the playoffs.

A charter is essentially a franchise and guarantees prize money, a spot in the field each week and other protections.

Lorenzen, 1965 Daytona champion, dies at 89 >> Fred Lorenzen, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and the 1965 Daytona 500 champion, died Wednesday. He was 89.

NASCAR released a statement that Lorenzen had died and had confirmed the death with his family. A cause of death wasn’t given, but Lorenzen had been in declining health for years.

In 1998, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers.

One of NASCAR’s first superstars, Lorenzen was known as the “Golden Boy” for his rugged, movie-star looks. He won 26 career Cup races and made starts in 12 seasons from 1956 to 1972.

College football

Wake Forest hires Washington State’s Dickert >> Wake Forest moved quickly in reaching across the country to find its next football coach.

The school hired Washington State’s Jake Dickert on Wednesday, two days after Dave Clawson resigned unexpectedly following 11 seasons that included regular bowl bids and an Atlantic Coast Conference division title.

Dickert, 41, had been the defensive coordinator when he took over during the 2021 season and then went 23-20 in the three-plus seasons.

Ivy League to compete in FCS playoffs >> The Ivy League will compete in the FCS playoffs beginning next season, the conference announced, ending a century-long postseason ban originally aimed at allowing the athletes to focus on their schoolwork.

The 2024 Ivy League season ended with Columbia, Dartmouth and Harvard earning a share of the championship; it was Colombia’s first conference title since 1961. The league will spend the offseason coming up with a tiebreaker to determine how its automatic qualifier for the FCS playoffs will be awarded.

Colorado adds ex-Liberty QB Salter >> The Colorado Buffaloes have landed ex-Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter out of the transfer portal to possibly step in and replace Shedeur Sanders next season.

Salter figures to compete with five-star high school recruit Julian “JuJu” Lewis for the starting job. Lewis is expected to join the 20th-ranked Buffaloes (9-3) in the spring semester.

A dual threat, Salter is coming off a regular season for the Flames in which he ran for 579 yards and seven TDs while throwing for 1,886 yards and 15 touchdowns.

NFL

Lock is expected back at QB for Giants >> After sitting out a game with a heel injury, Drew Lock is expected back at quarterback when the New York Giants face the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday.

Coach Brian Daboll said that Lock has recovered and will start when the Giants (2-12) try to snap a franchise-record-tying nine-game losing streak.

Lions keep Montgomery off IR >> The Detroit Lions are holding out hope that running back David Montgomery might be able to return from what was believed to be a season-ending knee injury.

“We’re in a holding pattern as of right now,” coach Dan Campbell said. “That’s a positive.”

Campbell said Montgomery is getting another opinion on his knee injury, which occurred Sunday during the Lions’ 48-42 loss to the Bills.

The Lions placed defensive tackle Alim McNeill, cornerback Carlton Davis and special teams ace Khalil Dorsey on injured reserve on Tuesday, putting an NFL-high 21 players on IR.

Women’s basketball

Clark’s No. 22 to be retired during February ceremony >> No Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball player will wear Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 again.

The number will be retired in a ceremony Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Iowa athletic department announced Wednesday.

Clark finished her college career last season as the all-time leading men’s or women’s scorer in NCAA Division I history and is widely regarded as a transformational figure in the women’s game.

Man pleads guilty to stalking UConn star Bueckers >> A man accused of stalking and harassing UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers and who said on social media he intended to marry her pleaded guilty to a stalking charge.

Robert Cole Parmalee, 40, who had an engagement ring and lingerie with him when he was first arrested in August, received a one-year suspended sentence and three years’ probation on Wednesday, a court clerk said.