* NASCAR: Martin Truex’s bid to make the Chase for the Championship took a severe hit when his Dale Earnhardt Inc. team was penalized 150 points for bringing an illegal car to Daytona, dropping him from 14th to 18th in the standings. The top 12 drivers make the Chase.
*BOXING: Wales’ Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs) and Roy Jone s Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs) will meet for Calzaghe’s light heavyweight championship on Sept. 20 at Madison Square Garden.
* NHL: The Canucks retained Steve Bernier by quickly matching the one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet the 23-year-old forward signed with St. Louis. … The Senators signed defenseman Jason Smith to a two-year, $5.2 million contract. The 14-year veteran was the Flyers’ captain last season. … Montreal re-signed backup goaltender Jaroslav Halak to a two-year, $1.55 million deal.
* COLLEGES: Tyler Eifert, a 6-foot-6-inch, 220-pound tight end from Ft. Wayne, Ind., made an oral commitment to Notre Dame. … Florida State’s projected starting guard Evan Bellamy announced he’ll miss the 2008 season because of a blood clot in his lower left leg. … Arizona basketball signee Brandon Jennings has decided to make an unprecedented move to forgo playing in college and instead pursue a professional career in Europe next season before likely entering the 2009 NBA draft, ESPN.com reported.
* TENNIS: Total prize money at the U.S. Open will top $20 million for the first time this year, with the men’s and women’s singles champions each earning a tournament-record $1.5 million.
*SOCCER: Ronaldinho plans to play for Brazil at the Olympics in defiance of the wishes of his FC Barcelona club. “I do not see myself being left out of Beijing,” he said. … Members of the new European Club Association — representing 103 teams from 53 nations — rejected FIFA’s plan to restrict their use of foreign players.
*HORSE RACING: Curlin, the reigning Horse of the Year, is set for his turf debut in the $500,000 Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday.
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EDITED FROM TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICES
