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ROCHESTER HILLS — NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., has signed Brad Keselowski to drive one of his own race cars starting this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.

The three-race deal between Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports and the 23-year-old Rochester Hills native was announced Tuesday afternoon in Mooresville, N.C.

“I’ve watched Brad for a while, and he’s shown a lot of promise in the few Busch races he’s run,” Earnhardt Jr.

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SANFORD, Fla. — A small plane carrying the husband of a NASCAR executive crashed into two houses while trying to make an emergency landing Tuesday, killing five people and starting fires that seriously burned three others, authorities said.

NASCAR confirmed that Dr.

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ATLANTA — The Coca-Cola Co. will take over exclusive soft drink and water marketing and pouring rights at 10 racetracks served by rival Pepsi by 2012 under a multimillion dollar deal announced Monday with International Speedway Corp.

The 10-year deal makes Coca-Cola’s brands the official soft drink, official sparkling beverage and official water for 10 of the 13 tracks owned or operated by ISC, including Daytona International Speedway, the venue for one of racing’s premier events, the Daytona 500, and Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Both Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi bid for the agreement.

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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Despite driving last year for underfunded Panther Racing, Vitor Meira nearly won the Indy Grand Prix at Watkins Glen International, eventually settling for second behind winner Scott Dixon.

Being a runner-up isn’t getting monotonous for Meira, though, even though he’s finished second seven times in 68 IRL races without a win.

“I’m not tired of finishing second,” Meira said Saturday after qualifying eighth for the Watkins Glen Grand Prix.

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Kevin Harvick won the season-opening Daytona 500, the biggest race a stock car driver can win, edging Mark Martin at the finish line.

Now, Harvick and the rest of the series return to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night’s Pepsi 400 to kick off the second half of the Nextel Cup season.

“It was such a big deal for us to win the Daytona 500, and knowing everything that goes along with that now means so much,” Harvick said.

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College baseball: Abbott, Incaviglia get into Hall

Jim Abbott, a former Michigan star and major league pitcher, was one of 11 former players and coaches inducted Wednesday into the College Baseball Hall of Fame at Lubbock, Texas.

Abbott was born without a right hand. He led the Wolverines to two Big Ten titles before going directly to the major leagues.

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NORWALK, Ohio — Doug Kalitta was surrounded by fans, signing autographs after arriving at Summit Motorsports Park on Friday afternoon following a short flight from Ypsilanti.

It might have looked like a normal day for him, but it wasn’t.

Dozens of fans waited in line to talk to Kalitta and offer condolences on the passing of his father, Doug Sr., who died earlier in the week at age 67 after fighting cancer for more than a year.

Kalitta, a consummate pro, was determined to take care of business.
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RICHMOND, Va. — Sam Hornish Jr.

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LOUDON, N.H. — Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson will both have a new voice in their ear during Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway.

The Hendrick Motorsports teammates are beginning a six-race stint without crew chiefs Steve Letarte (Gordon) and Chad Knaus (Johnson).

(More in ‘Interim crew chiefs set for Sunday’s race.’…)

Motor sports: Toyota gets first NASCAR pole

It was a monumental day for Toyota, which finally took a first in something in its inaugural NASCAR Nextel Cup season.

Dave Blaney gave the manufacturer its first pole in the Cup series Friday, leading the field with a lap of 129.437 mph for Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.
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