Briefs: Charlotte is selected as site for NASCAR Hall of Fame

Auto racing

North Carolina city beats out Daytona Beach, Fla., and Atlanta: NASCAR's first Hall of Fame will be built in downtown Charlotte, N.C., not far from the garages and sprawling mansions that make the region an epicenter of the sport.

Monday's selection of Charlotte as the site of the $107.5 million Hall ended a yearlong race. The other finalists were Daytona Beach, Fla., and Atlanta. Richmond, Va., and Kansas City, Kan., were eliminated earlier in the process.

Officials hope the Hall will open in 2009.

College football

Vick pleads guilty in two courts: Ex-Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick resolved his recent legal problems, pleading guilty to disorderly-conduct charges in one court and to speeding and driving without a valid driver's license in another court.

The 21-year-old brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick first pleaded guilty in Hampton, Va., to the traffic violations that helped cost him his college career. Later, in Suffolk, Va., Marcus Vick pleaded guilty to the disorderly-conduct charges as part of a plea bargain, prosecutor Phil Ferguson said. Vick was originally charged with three counts of brandishing a firearm after he was accused of pulling a gun on three teenagers.

Vick was sentenced to six months in jail and a $500 fine. His jail time was suspended on condition of good behavior for one year. Vick, who has made himself eligible for the NFL draft, still must pay $236 in fines and court costs for the traffic charges.

Delaware players arrested: Delaware linebacker Demetrice Alexander, running back Danny Jones and defensive back Jeff Robinson were arrested and charged with breaking into an off-campus apartment, holding two students at gunpoint and robbing them Sunday. A fourth student also was arrested.

Oregon to face Portland State: Oregon and Portland State have agreed to play Oct. 28 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

U.S. women win: The U.S. women's team beat host MKB Euroleasing 95-78 in an exhibition in Sopron, Hungary.

DeLisha Milton-Jones of the WNBA Washington Mystics scored a game-high 24 points. Storm guard Sue Bird had 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting, three assists and no turnovers in 19 minutes.

Tennis

Pro tours approve use of instant replay: The ATP and WTA tours have decided to use instant replay starting with the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., later this month, officials said. This year's U.S. Open will be the first Grand Slam event to review disputed calls electronically.

"In my 20 years in professional tennis, this is one of the most exciting things to happen for players, fans and television viewers," said Andre Agassi, who has won eight major tournaments. "This new technology will add a whole new dimension to the game."

Figure skating

Cohen might go Hollywood: Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen said she has been offered a cameo role in an upcoming movie.

Cohen said actor-comedian Ben Stiller approached her at a party to talk about his next project: a comedy focusing on skating.

"It's not like it would be a stretch and hopefully I'll get to be funny," she said.

Swimming

Thorpe pulls out: Australian standout Ian Thorpe will skip the Commonwealth Games because of illness.

Soccer

Houston MLS franchise is renamed: Major League Soccer renamed its Houston franchise the Dynamo, dropping a nickname deemed offensive by some in the community.

The franchise was nicknamed Houston 1836 in reference to the city's founding. Some critics felt the name was anti-Mexican because that also was the year Texas gained its independence by defeating Mexico.

The franchise moved from San Jose, Calif., in December.

"After it was clear we'd hit a raw nerve in the community, we didn't want to offend anybody," team president Oliver Luck said.

Seattle Times news services