Earnhardt Jr. Won't Retain No. 8 in Move to New Team

Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not be taking his familiar No. 8 with him to Hendrick Motorsports next season.

Earnhardt is leaving Dale Earnhardt Inc. at the end of the season and had hoped to take No. 8 with him to his new team. His late grandfather, Ralph, used that number and Earnhardt picked it when he entered the Cup Series in 1999. Earnhardt's father used No. 8 early in his career.

Although teams do not own numbers -- they are leased through NASCAR -- DEI had the first right of refusal, and Hendrick officials said yesterday they were unable to reach an agreement that would have made DEI pass on choosing the number for 2008.

Hendrick officials didn't reveal what number Earnhardt will use when he starts his five-year deal with the team in 2008. His sponsor has also not been announced, but Hendrick officials said Budweiser will not be on his car.

· HOCKEY: Former Washington Capitals center Bobby Carpenter, the first American-born player to score 50 goals in an NHL season, will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in October. The newest class of members also includes goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, forward Aaron Broten and former Michigan Tech coach John MacInnes. Carpenter became the first player to jump from high school to the NHL when he did it in 1981. He scored 50 goals in the 1984-85 season with Washington, and went on to a 19-year career in the NHL.

· TENNIS: Wimbledon junior champion Donald Young and John Isner were among eight men granted wild cards for the U.S. Open by the U.S. Tennis Association. Americans Alex Kuznetsov, Jesse Levine, Michael McClune, Wayne Odesnik and Ryan Sweeting, along with Australia's Alun Jones, also got spots in the main draw of the tournament, which begins Aug. 27. . . .

Rafael Nadal struggled early and then retired during the second set against Juan Monaco of Argentina at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Mason, Ohio. Earlier, Australian Lleyton Hewitt was on the court only 51 minutes against eighth-seeded Richard Gasquet before Gasquet retired with a blister on his right hand.

· PRO BASKETBALL: The Washington Wizards have signed guard Donell Taylor to a non-guaranteed contract for the upcoming season, according to a league source. Taylor joined the Wizards as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2005 out of the University of Alabama-Birmingham and has appeared in 98 games in two seasons. . . . Toronto forward Chris Bosh withdrew from U.S. training camp because of a left foot injury. Bosh will not play in the FIBA Americas tournament that starts next week but will remain on the team. . . .

In the WNBA, Nykesha Sales had a career-high 32 points to lead Connecticut to a 77-74 victory over host Indiana. The Sun moved within one game of the Fever for the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. . . . Reserve Kristin Haynie scored 14 points to lead host Sacramento past San Antonio, 81-74. Both teams have secured playoff spots.

-- From News Services and Staff Reports