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auto racing
safety still big focus after iNDYCAR SUMMIT
INDIANAPOLIS — With IndyCar still recovering from Dan Wheldon's death, series officials said Tuesday that double-file restarts will be scrapped at Indianapolis, Texas and Fontana and more changes to improve safety could be announced before the season opener, March 25 in St. Petersburg.
"Oh yeah, there will be lots more to come," series CEO Randy Bernard said after a two-day state of the series summit. Bernard didn't provide hints about other announcements.
Wheldon, a St. Petersburg resident and two-time Indy 500 winner, was killed in an accident at last year's finale in Las Vegas.
The series is introducing its first redesigned car in nine years. Driver seats will be surrounded by three inches of foam in the cockpit, an inch of foam underneath the seat and a panel on the right side of the cockpit to help reduce the force when hitting walls. Wheldon did most of the early testing on the car.
"It's not something that happens with a snap of the fingers," three-time defending series champion Dario Franchitti said of improving safety. "But anything we've put on the table, they've listened to and they're working toward it."
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
McCarney getting better after stroke
North Texas coach Dan McCarney, a former assistant at USF and Florida, said he suffered a stroke over the weekend and expects to recover in time for spring drills. McCarney said in a statement that he felt his left side go numb Sunday and was taken to a hospital. "While I have a great passion for coaching and approach my job with a tireless effort, I'm sure that my doctors will ask that I come back at a slower pace," he said.
BIG EAST: On the day his league reached a deal to let West Virginia leave this year, commissioner John Marinatto says his league "might be open to a discussion" about letting Syracuse and Pittsburgh join the ACC for the 2013 football season, rather than hold them to a 27-month timetable outlined in Big East bylaws.
JURISPRUDENCE: Former Missouri running back Derrick Washington pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic assault against an ex-girlfriend, agreeing to a deal to spare him more time behind bars. Washington is now in prison for a separate felony.
ET CETERA
GOLF: Tiger Woods is returning to the Honda Classic for the first time since he was an amateur. The event is March 1-4 in Palm Beach Gardens.
CLIJSTERS OUT: Kim Clijsters withdrew from next month's BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., because of an injured left ankle. The Belgian plans to retire for the second time at the end of the season.
BASEBALL: The Royals exercised their option on manager Ned Yost through the 2013 season. … Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones agreed to a $6.15 million, one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. … The White Sox signed outfielder Kosuke Fukudome for one year, $500,000, plus a $3.5 million option for 2013 with a $500,000 buyout.
OLYMPICS: Rome dropped its bid for the 2020 Summer Games after Premier Mario Monti said the Italian government would not provide backing for an estimated $12.5 billion project at a time of economic crisis.
SOCCER: Scottish champ Rangers was forced to seek bankruptcy protection, triggering a 10-point deduction and effectively handing this season's title to its Glasgow rival, Celtic, which already led by four points. Rangers is the most prominent club to enter financial administration. Its 54 league titles are a world record.
Times wires
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