IN BRIEF

MOTOR SPORTS

F-1 driver Massa shines in return from injury

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa returned to a competitive Formula One car Monday for the first time since a life-threatening crash last summer and promptly set the fastest time in the season's debut test session in Valencia, Spain.

Massa led the seven-car field with a best lap time of 1 minute, 12.574 seconds from 102 laps at the Cheste Circuit. That left him just over two-tenths of a second faster than Pedro De la Rosa of Sauber.

Massa said he felt "zero afraid" as he returned for the first time since undergoing lifesaving surgery following a freak crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix in August.

At the same session, seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher marked his return after a three-year sabbatical, setting the third-fastest lap time while driving for his new Mercedes GP team.

Also: Randy Bernard is expected to be announced today as the new chief executive of the Indy Racing League, after holding a similar position with the Professional Bull Riders organization the past 16 years.

Kyle Busch won the Speedfest Super Late Models race Sunday at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Ga., for the second straight year.

Joey Logano, Kyle Busch's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, won the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on Saturday night at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, Calif.

Clint Hairston of Bakersfield, Calif., set a speed record Sunday in the Pacific Street Car Association's Pro Street division with a run of 234.49 mph en route to winning the event title at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

HOCKEY

Wranglers shut down by Grizzlies goaltender

The Wranglers gave up two goals in the first period and another pair in the second, losing to the Utah Grizzlies 4-1 in an ECHL contest in West Valley City, Utah.

Andrew Orpik scored midway through the first period for Las Vegas (18-22-4) to tie the game at 1. But Utah goaltender Beau Erickson shut out the Wranglers the rest of the way, finishing with 25 saves on 26 shots.

Vlady Nikiforov put Utah (20-19-4) ahead for good with a goal late in the first period.

Also: Boston College and Boston University will play in the Beanpot finals for the city's college hockey bragging rights.

BC advanced with a 6-0 victory over Harvard in the first semifinal. Defending champion BU then held off Northeastern's two-man advantage over the final 88 seconds to win 2-1 and reach the final for the 25th time in 27 years.

New Jersey Devils defenseman Paul Martin withdrew from the United States team for the Winter Olympics because of a slow-healing broken left forearm.

MISCELLANEOUS

UNLV men's golf in eighth at Arizona tournament

The UNLV men's golf team stood eighth after the first two rounds of the 14-team Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson, Ariz.

UNLV shot 8-over 292 in the opening round, then rallied with an 11-under 273 for a 3-under 565 total, 22 strokes behind leader California. Colby Smith paced the Rebels at 5-under 137, tied for seventh.

Cal's Michael Weaver and New Mexico's John Catlin were tied for first at 10-under 132.

Also: Paraguay soccer player Salvador Cabanas is conscious and could talk to police about being shot in the head while at a Mexico City bar.

Cabanas continued his strong recovery, speaking to family members and taking food. A star of the Paraguay national team and Mexican squad America, Cabanas watched his club earn a 1-0 victory over Indios on television Sunday.