NASCAR chairman Brian France says sport’s drug testing policy is fair

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Brian France says NASCAR’s drug-testing policy is a fair system that protects its competitors and fans from the dangers of an impaired driver on the race track.

D Jordan moves to Florida Panthers on an 1 yr contract

MIAMI — Defenseman Jordan Leopold, acquired in the deal that sent the rights to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary, signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers on Thursday.

Jeremy Mayfield misses deadline to enter his No. 41 Toyota at Daytona International Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeremy Mayfield has missed the deadline to enter his car into Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway.

Already facing DUI manslaughter charge, ex-Yankee Jim Leyrtiz accused of battery in Fla.

DAVIE, Fla. — Former major leaguer Jim Leyritz was arrested Thursday in South Florida on charges of domestic battery against his ex-wife, just two months before his trial on a DUI manslaughter charge was set to begin.

Mayfield’s team not in garage at Daytona at deadline to enter Saturday’s race

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Car owners Larry Gunselman and Tommy Baldwin say they will not put Jeremy Mayfield in their cars this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

LW David Booth agrees to six-year deal with Florida Panthers, RW Dvorak also returns to team

MIAMI — The Florida Panthers agreed to a six-year contract extension with David Booth, shortly after the young forward became a restricted free agent on Wednesday.

Former Vancouver defenseman Mattias Ohlund signs with Tampa Bay Lightning

TAMPA, Fla. — Free agent defenseman Mattias Ohlund has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Florida State’s appeal says giving up wins by Bobby Bowden and others is unfair penalty

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State is arguing it’s unfair to make football coach Bobby Bowden and others they say played no role in an academic cheating scandal give up wins.

Jaguars trade veteran WR Dennis Northcutt to Lions for third-year S Gerald Alexander

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars have traded receiver Dennis Northcutt to the Detroit Lions for safety Gerald Alexander.

David Price allows 1 run over 6 1-3 innings as Rays’ complete 3-game sweep over Florida

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — David Price allowed one run over 6 1-3 innings and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Florida Marlins 5-2 to complete a three-game sweep on Sunday.

Pena homers, Aybar delivers ninth-inning sacrifice fly to give Rays 3-2 victory over Marlins

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carlos Pena hit his AL-leading 23rd home run and Willy Aybar broke a ninth-inning tie with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly, giving the Tampa Bay Rays a 3-2 victory over the Florida Marlins on Saturday night.

B.J. Upton’s 3-run double carries Rays to 7-3 victory over Marlins

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — B.J. Upton’s three-run double snapped an eighth-inning tie and helped the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Florida Marlins 7-3 Friday night in the opener of a series between the intrastate rivals.

Nationwide series goes to double-file restarts, emulating Sprint Cup

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Nationwide series will emulate the top NASCAR circuit by using double-file restarts with the leaders at the front throughout races, beginning with the event at Daytona International Speedway on July 3.

Judge orders golfer John Daly to pay newspaper’s legal fees, costs in failed libel suit

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Professional golfer John Daly has been ordered to pay almost $272,000 in legal fees for his unsuccessful libel lawsuit against The Florida Times-Union.

Eisenhower, Augusta National member and golf enthusiast, selected for World Golf Hall of Fame

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose passion for golf helped to boost its popularity after World War II, was selected Friday to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Aybar, Zobrist homer as Rays pound Phillies 10-4 in rematch of World Series teams

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Willy Aybar homered and drove in three runs as a replacement for an injured Evan Longoria on Thursday night, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 10-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in the decisive game of a rematch of last year’s World Series teams.

Sore hamstring sidelines Rays’ Evan Longoria against Phillies

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria was held out of the lineup for Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies because of a hamstring injury the Rays don’t think is serious.

Struggling Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins to be out of the lineup at least 2 games

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Struggling Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins will be out of the starting lineup at least two games.

Matt Garza pitches 8 strong innings, Pat Burrell homers to help Rays beat Phillies 7-1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Matt Garza shut down Philadelphia’s offense and ex-Phillies slugger Pat Burrell homered for the first time in over two months to help Tampa Bay beat his former team 7-1 on Wednesday night.

Garza pitches 8 strong innings, Burrell homers to help Rays beat Phillies 7-1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Matt Garza shut down Philadelphia’s offense and ex-Phillies slugger Pat Burrell homered for the first time in over two months to help Tampa Bay beat his former team 7-1 on Wednesday night.

Phillies closer Brad Lidge expected to be reinstated from disabled list on Thursday

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Philadelphia Phillies closer Brad Lidge is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday.

Chase Utley, John Mayberry each homer as Phillies crush Rays 10-1 in World Series rematch

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eight months haven’t changed the Tampa Bay Rays’ fortunes against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Utley, Mayberry homer and drive in 7 runs to pace Phillies’ 10-1 rout of Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Chase Utley homered and drove in four runs Tuesday night, helping the Philadelphia Phillies rout the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 in the first regular season meeting between the teams since last year’s World Series.

Draft picks Kyle Moore and E.J. Biggers agree to deals with Buccaneers

TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reached contract agreements with two more draft picks, signing fourth-round selection Kyle Moore and seventh-rounder E.J. Biggers to four-year deals.

Phillies 1B Ryan Howard back in starting lineup for Tuesday’s game at Tampa Bay

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Phillies slugger Ryan Howard is in the starting lineup as the designated hitter for Tuesday night’s game at Tampa Bay after being hospitalized over the weekend with acute sinusitis.

Rays’ Akinori Iwamura undergoes knee surgery, could return in 6 to 8 weeks

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s Akinori Iwamura could be back a lot sooner than expected after undergoing surgery for a knee injury that was not as severe as the Rays initially suspected.

Reinprecht signs 3-year deal with Panthers after Coyotes trade his rights for prospect

SUNRISE, Fla. — Center Steven Reinprecht has signed a three-year contract with the Panthers after the Coyotes traded his rights to Florida for left wing Stefan Meyer.

NCAA infractions committee intends to uphold penalty taking away Florida State victories

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The NCAA infractions committee intends to uphold sanctions against Florida State that would take away wins in 10 sports, including as many as 14 by football coach Bobby Bowden.

Injured Mets LHP Oliver Perez throws 3 shutout innings in extended spring training

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New York Mets left-hander Oliver Perez is getting back on track.

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy leaves prison for halfway house to finish sentence

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is headed from federal prison to a Florida halfway house to serve the rest of his 15-month sentence in a gambling scandal.

NCAA allows Florida State to release its response to sanctions in academic cheating scandal

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The NCAA is allowing Florida State to release a version of its letter to the school on a disciplinary case resulting from an academic cheating scandal, officials said Tuesday.

Orlando Magic willing to go over luxury tax to keep starting forward Hedo Turkoglu

ORLANDO, Fla. — Hedo Turkoglu emptied his locker, shook hands with teammates and walked out of the Orlando Magic’s practice facility Tuesday.

Florida hires former “Big Break” contestant as women’s golf coach

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Jan Dowling is getting another big break.

Future looks bright for the Orlando Magic despite finals failure against Los Angeles Lakers

ORLANDO, Fla. — The parades down nearby Walt Disney World, the kind where confetti flies and smiles flow — the ending Orlando Magic fans have long waited for — will be reserved for other teams this year.

Perfect Pair: Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant lead Los Angeles Lakers back to NBA summit together

ORLANDO, Fla. — The coach stood to the side and watched as his team executed its final play of the NBA season to perfection. It’s the one that had worked nine previous times. This wasn’t his famed triangle offense, this was the celebration circle.