IN BRIEF

BOXING

Gilbert suspended by Nevada commission

Middleweight boxer Joey Gilbert was "shocked" by a report he tested positive for a combination of illegal substances and will launch an independent probe to clear his name before the Nevada Athletic Commission, his publicist said late Tuesday.

Gilbert has been temporarily suspended pending his appearance before the five-member commission to answer for the positive tests that include a steroid, methamphetamine and amphetamine, the Reno Gazette-Journal first reported on its Web site Tuesday.

Gilbert, 31, gained international attention on the NBC reality series "The Contender," which aired in 2005. A three-time national collegiate champion at UNR, Gilbert is 16-1 with 12 knockouts as a professional.

The newspaper report cited a complaint for disciplinary action and notice of hearing issued by the Nevada Attorney General's office. It said Gilbert tested positive after submitting to a urinalysis before and immediately after he defended his U.S. middleweight title Sept. 21 against Charles Howe, knocking him out in the first round.

MOTOR SPORTS

Franchitti will drive in ARCA race Friday

Dario Franchitti's much-anticipated move to stock cars will begin Friday with an ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway, The Associated Press has learned.

The 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion has agreed to a multiyear deal to replace David Stremme in the No. 40 Dodge for NASCAR's Chip Ganassi Racing, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity because the deal had yet to be announced.

An official announcement is expected today at Ganassi's race shop in North Carolina.

Andretti Green Racing said it has released Franchitti from his driver agreement.

Also: NASCAR was finalizing a deal with Nationwide Insurance to sponsor its No. 2 series beginning in 2008, the AP has learned.

Nationwide will replace Anheuser-Busch, which has sponsored the second-tier Busch Series for 26 seasons but said earlier this year it would end its entitlement deal at the conclusion of this season.

The deal with Nationwide is estimated to be seven years at $10 million a year, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity because the deal had yet to be completed.

The Indianapolis 500 purse will be at least $13.4 million next year, an increase of $2.7 million from this year's record payout and the biggest one-year jump in the race's 91-year history.

UNLV

Gantcheva loses in first round of tournament

UNLV senior Elena Gantcheva lost in the first round of singles qualifying at the Riviera All-American Tennis Championships in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Gantcheva, ranked 50th in the nation, dropped to 3-1 on the season after losing to 68th-ranked Chisako Sugiyama of Michigan, 6-2, 7-5.

Gantcheva and partner Kristina Nedeltcheva will begin play Thursday in the event's doubles draw. The duo is ranked fifth in the nation.

Also: UNLV sophomore Charlotte Browning was named the co-Mountain West Conference cross country athlete of the week after she ran one of the fastest times in school history last weekend.

Browning covered the 5-kilometer course at the UC Riverside Invite in 17 minutes, 32.20 seconds, the third-fastest time in UNLV history, to finish ninth.

Browning shared the award with April Thomas of Colorado State.

Josh Wick has been named assistant women's basketball coach at UNLV.

Wick replaces Melanie Pearson, who resigned in June.

Wick was video coordinator for the women's basketball team at North Carolina the past three seasons.