Newsmakers

Penalized NASCAR issued steep penalties against five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and his team for failing the first inspection for the Daytona 500. Crew chief Chad Knaus was fined $100,000 and suspended six races Wednesday, car chief Ron Malec also was barred for six races, and Johnson was docked 25 points, sending him into this weekend’s race last in the Sprint Cup Series standings.The penalties stem from a failed inspection Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway. NASCAR said the No. 48 Chevrolet had illegally modified sheet metal between the roof and the side windows, an area known as the C-posts.

Listed The suburban Chicago residence of Michael Jordan is for sale for $29 million. The sprawling estate is in Highland Park, along Lake Michigan, and has more than 56,000 square feet of living space. That includes nine bedrooms, 15 baths and five fireplaces. An indoor basketball complex features a full-size regulation court with specially cushioned hardwood flooring and competition-quality high intensity lighting.

Struck Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett was hit in the face by a batted ball, and will fly from the team’s spring training complex to Pittsburgh to have his right eye examined by team doctors. The Pirates acquired Burnett, 35, on the eve of spring training in a three-player trade with the New York Yankees. Burnett was expected to be the Pirates’ starter on Opening Day.

Elected Former U.S. national team captain Claudio Reyna and goalkeeper Tony Meola have been elected to the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. Former defender Desmond Armstrong was elected on the veterans’ ballot and former women’s national team coach Tony DiCicco on the builder ballot.

Cleared The Court of Arbitration for Sport cleared Alexandr Kolobnev of doping at the 2011 Tour de France, and rejected the International Cycling Union’s request to ban the Russian rider for two years. The court ruled that Kolobnev’s positive test for the diuretic Hydrochlorothiazide after the fifth stage was “justified by medical reasons totally unrelated to sport performance.”

Died Bowler Marty Piraino, who won four tournaments on the professional tour when the sport was just gaining a foothold on television, has died in Syracuse, N.Y. He was 88. The left-hander turned pro in 1960 and earned more than $93,000 in his pro career.

Honored Idaho senior Teo Poplawski was named Western Athletic Conference golfer of the week after tying for eighth place at the UNLV Spring Rebel Invitational.