In Brief

MOTOR SPORTS

NASCAR rejects RCR appeal; angry owner vows to fight on

An appeals committee denied Richard Childress Racing's request to have Clint Bowyer's championship-ending penalty reversed, and the team owner vowed Wednesday to fight the decision to NASCAR's highest level.

Richard Childress emerged from NASCAR's research and development center in Concord, N.C., after a nearly five-hour hearing fighting the 150-point penalty levied against Bowyer after the car he drove to victory Sept. 19 at New Hampshire failed inspection.

"After so many hours of whatever you want to call this, the ruling stood," Childress said. "I gave them the check and an appeal notice to the commissioner."

Bowyer and his RCR team were penalized last week when the car Bowyer drove to victory at New Hampshire failed inspection. The win came in the first race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship and pushed Bowyer to second in the standings, 35 points behind Denny Hamlin.

The penalty dropped Bowyer to 12th.

COLLEGES

Montana high on WAC list to become future member

The commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference said the league is seriously considering Montana as it looks for new members.

Commissioner Karl Benson said, "that as the WAC goes forward with its plan for future membership, the University of Montana is high on our list. And the assets that Montana could bring to the WAC are very significant," including the university's academic profile and its successful football and men's and women's basketball teams.

Benson spoke Tuesday, the same day Montana athletic director Jim O'Day was in Dallas attending an "information gathering" meeting with the WAC presidents and athletic directors.

Also: Oklahoma suspended receiver Jaz Reynolds indefinitely after he posted what football coach Bob Stoops called "insensitive remarks" on his Twitter page about a gunman who committed suicide on the University of Texas campus.

An account with the handle JazReynolds posted the message, "Hey everyone in Austin, tx.......kill yourself" on Tuesday, the day of the suicide, followed by a disregard request five minutes later. The account was deactivated Wednesday.

Stoops said he is "incredibly disappointed that someone connected with our team would react so callously."

Alabama football coach Nick Saban said defensive end Marcell Dareus has "a pretty good chance" to play Saturday against No. 7 Florida despite his left ankle still not fully healed.

MISCELLANEOUS

Johnson doesn't survive long on popular reality TV show

Jimmy Johnson won't be adding the title of sole "Survivor" to his resume.

The silver-haired 67-year-old former coach of the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins was the third person voted off the Nicaragua-set of the CBS reality TV competition.

Johnson, the oldest member of the Espada tribe, declared himself the weakest castaway at Tribal Council and was unanimously booted by his fellow mature tribemates.

Also: The Oak Tree meet opens at Hollywood Park tonight in Inglewood, Calif., the first time in 42 years that it won't be run at Santa Anita.

The change of venue was made after owners and trainers voiced concerns that the synthetic surface at Santa Anita wasn't safe.

Hall of Fame basketball coach Dean Smith showed up at the Charlotte Bobcats' training camp in one of his first public appearances since details emerged that he's experiencing some memory loss.

The 79-year-old former North Carolina coach wore a Tar Heels blue jacket and was accompanied by his son. Smith moved slowly but steady around the floor after the workout as players and coaches greeted him. He didn't speak to reporters.

Orlando Magic point guard Jason Williams will have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee today and miss four weeks.

Golden State exercised its third-year contract option on guard Stephen Curry for the 2011-12 season.

Caroline Lagrange, Isabelle Rioux and Felicia Wong combined to give Canada the trio title in the Pan American Bowling Confederation Women's Championships at Strike Zone Bowling Center in Henderson. Mexico placed second and Team USA third.

The event will continue at 9 a.m. today with five-person team competition.

Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of Spain tested positive for a banned stimulant while winning this year's race and has been suspended by cycling's governing body.

A World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited lab in Cologne, Germany, found a "very small concentration" of clenbuterol in Contador's urine sample July 21 at the Tour, according to a statement from the UCI.