Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas ó Richard Childress is bringing back the No. 3 car full time into the NASCAR Nationwide Series next season with his grandson Austin Dillon moving up from trucks.
Dillon has used No. 3 in the Camping World Truck Series, where he is the season points leader, but this will be the first time the No. 3 will be regularly used on a car since Cup champion Dale Earnhardtís death at the end of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Childress said Friday he has no intention of taking the No. 3 back into the Sprint Cup Series.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won consecutive Nationwide championships (1998-99) in the No. 3 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt Inc. He won Nationwide races in the No. 3 for Childress at Daytona in 2002 and 2010.
COLLEGE HOOPS
LOS ANGELES ó UCLA forward Travis Wear sprained his right hand in practice Thursday and is listed as day-to-day for the 17th-ranked Bruins.
A team spokesman says X-rays were negative and Wear will be evaluated on Friday. The Bruins open the season on Nov. 11 at home against Loyola Marymount.
Wear, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, and his twin brother David are eligible after sitting out last season following their transferring from North Carolina.
BOISE, Idaho ó The Idaho State Board of Education gave Boise State permission to pursue membership with the Big East Conference, a move that would mean more revenue and give the Broncos a clear path to the Bowl Championship Series.
WASHINGTON ó The head of the Bowl Championship Series told college and university presidents that the Obama administration was unlikely to challenge the legality of its selection process ó and argued that even if the system were to be found illegal, so would a playoff.
HOCKEY SIGNING
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ó The Nashville Predators have signed goaltender Pekka Rinne to a seven-year, $49 million contract.
NBA
NEW YORK ó As a group of NBA players considers disbanding the union, some labor law experts say such a move could destroy hopes for a 2011-12 season.
About 50 players held two conference calls this week to discuss decertification because they are unhappy with how negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement are progressing. The league and players are expected to resume negotiations Saturday afternoon.
GOLF
SHANGHAI ó Fredrik Jacobson didn’t see many low scores when he first arrived at Sheshan International for the HSBC Champions. Such scores were all around him Friday when his 6-under 66 was barely enough to take the lead in the World Golf Championships event.
SAN FRANCISCO ó Michael Allen shot a 2-under 69 for a share of the second-round lead with Fred Couples and David Frost in the Champions Tour’s season-ending Charles Schwab Championship.
NHL
RALEIGH ó Jeff Halpern and Troy Brouwer scored 1:09 apart in the second period, and the Washington Capitals pulled away to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 on Friday night.
Cody Eakin had a goal and an assist for his first NHL points.
Alex Ovechkin added two assists for Southeast Division-leading Washington, which improved to 7-0-1 in its last eight meetings with Carolina.
Blues 3, Canucks 2
ST. LOUIS ó T.J. Oshie had two goals and an assist and David Backes got the go-ahead score early in the third period for St. Louis.
Lightning 5, Blackhawks 4, OT
TAMPA, Fla. ó Lightning star Steven Stamkos posted his fourth career hat trick, and Vincent Lecavalier scored at 4:06 in overtime.
Canadiens 2, Senators 1
OTTAWA ó Erik Cole and Andrei Kostitsyn scored in the second period and Montreal earned its fourth consecutive victory.
Sabres 2, Flames 1
BUFFALO ó Jhonas Enroth made 29 saves.