Briefs | Auto racing: Juan Pablo Montoya disqualified after fastest lap

Auto racing

NASCAR rules Montoya's rear shock absorbers were not legal: Less than an hour after driver Juan Pablo Montoya celebrated his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole, it was taken away from him because of a technical violation.

Montoya's fast lap of 172.150 mph was disqualified because a postqualifying inspection discovered his rear shock absorbers exceeded the maximum gas pressure allowed. That moved Jimmie Johnson, two-time reigning Cup champion, up to the pole, with Montoya's No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge moved to 42nd in the 43-car field for Sunday's Camping World RV 400 in Kansas City, Kan.

Greg Biffle of Vancouver, Wash., will start in 18th. Biffle won the first two events of the 12-driver, 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup and is 10 points behind leader Carl Edwards.

Edwards will start in 36th.

NBA

Williams ends career less than two months after signing with Clippers: Point guard Jason Williams announced his retirement, ending his 10-year pro career less than two months after signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Williams, 32, who helped Miami win the title in 2006, averaged 11.4 points, 6.3 assists in 679 NBA games.

Investigators say ex-player Johnson misused grants: A nonprofit run by former player Kevin Johnson, a mayoral candidate in Sacramento, Calif., used AmeriCorps grants to pay volunteers to engage in school-board political activities, run personal errands for Johnson and wash his car, federal investigators say.

The findings from an agency that oversees the grants were sent to federal prosecutors and listed in a letter to Johnson dated Wednesday. The letter also says Johnson, 42, will be prohibited from receiving federal money during the investigation. Johnson said he will appeal the decision and believes the U.S. Attorneys Office will find no substantial wrongdoing. Johnson's organization is called St. HOPE.

Arenas, Wizards are fined: Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards were fined $15,000 each by the league after the All-Star guard ducked out of the team's annual preseason media day, avoiding any discussion of his third left-knee operation in 1 ½ years.

NHL

Rangers release ex-Seattle Thunderbird Nedved: Petr Nedved's bid to return to the NHL after a season playing in Europe ended when the New York Rangers released the 36-year-old forward from his tryout.

Nedved, a former Seattle Thunderbird, tied for the Rangers' lead with two goals and three points in three exhibition games this week.

Tennis

Roddick reaches China Open semifinals: American Andy Roddick overcame four double-faults in the first set — and a smashed racket to show for it — to defeat Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing.

Roddick will face unseeded Bjorn Phau of Germany, with Dudi Sela of Israel playing Rainer Schuettler of Germany in the other semifinal.

In women's quarterfinal play, second-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia was ousted by home favorite Zheng Jie 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-4. In semifinal matches, Zheng plays fourth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and top-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia faces fifth-seeded Vera Zvonareva.

Horse racing

Judge orders sale of minority interest in Curlin: A Kentucky judge ordered a sealed-bid sale of a minority interest in Curlin, North America's 2007 Horse of the Year, to settle a $42 million judgment.

The ruling comes in a civil suit against Curlin's original owners, attorneys William Gallion and Shirley Cunningham Jr., who are accused of bilking clients out of millions in a $200 million settlement over the diet-drug fen-phen.

The attorneys sold an 80 percent stake in 4-year-old colt Curlin to a group that includes Jess Jackson, the founder of Kendall-Jackson Winery.

Cycling

Contador says he might leave Astana: Alberto Contador said he has earned the right to be the top rider for Astana, and he might quit the team if he is displaced as team leader by Lance Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France winner. Armstrong announced Wednesday he was joining Astana.

Contador triumphed in the 2007 Tour and won this year's Spanish Vuelta and Giro d'Italia.

Seattle Times news services