In Brief

MOTOR SPORTS

Kahne exits Petty Motorsports,
will move to Red Bull Racing

Kasey Kahne was released from Richard Petty Motorsports on Wednesday, clearing the way for him to join Red Bull Racing for the final five races of the season.

RPM announced Kahne was out of the No. 9 Ford effective immediately and that Aric Almirola would drive the car this weekend at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Almirola had been on NASCAR's entry list to drive the No. 83 Toyota for Red Bull.

But the plans apparently were scrapped after Kahne's blowup Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kahne exploded in anger on the radio when his brakes failed for the second consecutive race and the third time this season.

It led to a wreck with Sam Hornish Jr., and Kahne refused to get back in the car after it was repaired. He cited illness for not going back on the track, and the team used J.J. Yeley to finish the race.

GYMNASTICS

Russia edges United States
to claim women's world title

Russia, paced by Aliya Mustafina, claimed the team title at the world gymnastics championships, barely beating the United States in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Despite three Russian falls on the uneven bars, 16-year-old Mustafina kept a cool head throughout the evening, leading the Russians to an overall score of 175.397. The U.S. women finished with 175.196 and China 174.781.

It came down to the final routine of the day, when Mustafina had to respond on the floor to a great vault by Alicia Sacramone that put the U.S. team momentarily into the lead.

As the final woman out, Mustafina had a solid enough performance to give her team the gold, even though she stepped out on her final tumble.

The individual all-around final, featuring Mustafina and American Rebecca Bross, is Friday.

MISCELLANEOUS

FIFA suspends two members
in World Cup bribery probe

FIFA provisionally suspended two executive committee members and four lower-ranked officials in a World Cup vote-selling scandal, and soccer's world governing body will continue investigating all six.

Executive committee members Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti are barred from all soccer-related duty until the probe ends, said Claudio Sulser, chairman of FIFA's ethics committee. His panel is scheduled to meet again from Nov. 15 to 17.

Four former executive members -- Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee -- also have been suspended while FIFA investigates whether they breached ethical rules.

FIFA's ethics panel also will continue investigating whether two unnamed bidders competing for either the 2018 and 2022 World Cups engaged in collusion.

Also: UNLV senior swimmer Kyle Virva picked up a national honor in the wake of the Rebels' upset of Arizona on Saturday. Virva was named the Counsilmen-Hunsaker National Swimmer of the Week

Virva posted victories in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle, and he also swam on the winning 400 freestyle relay team in Tucson, Ariz. UNLV claimed a 138-123 victory over Arizona, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation much of last season and finished third at the NCAA Championships.

The UNLV men's tennis team went 3-2 in singles play on a rain-plagued first day of the USTA/ITA Mountain Region Championships at the Darling Tennis Center.

Kyle Lynch beat Boise State's Michael Gilliland 6-1, 1-6, 6-2, Alex Bull topped Air Force's Steven Young 6-2, 7-5, and Bernard Schoeman notched a 6-0, 6-4 win over Montana State's Alberto Fuentes.

The San Antonio Spurs locked up guard George Hill through next season. The Spurs announced they had picked up the fourth-year option on Hill's contract, keeping him signed through the 2011-2012 season.

Hill averaged 12.4 points and 3.6 assists last season, starting 43 games.

Vancouver Canucks forward Rick Rypien was suspended indefinitely, pending a hearing for grabbing a fan while heading to the locker room in a game against Minnesota.

Rypien was on the way to the visiting locker room in Minnesota on Tuesday after being assessed a double minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct in the second period of a 6-2 loss. Rypien reached up and shoved a Wild fan who was applauding at the railing. He was pulled away by teammate Manny Malhotra, and the fan was removed from the area.

Ernie Els ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and turned a three-shot deficit into a one-shot victory over David Toms at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Southampton, Bermuda.

Els, an alternate filling in for Masters champion Phil Mickelson, shot 2-under-par 69 for a 5-under 137 total, winning $600,000.