Racing Team

The question isn't whether Joe Gibbs will eventually return to the sidelines.The question is when and where.When Gibbs resigned after 12 years as the coach of the Washington Redskins, he left the door open to return if he overcomes his health problems."

Dave Armstrong scans the water for signs of the Chinese dragon-boat racing team he's coaching. It's not near the marina at Lighthouse Point where it should be. Nor is it anywhere in sight along the Northwest Harbor. He steers the powerboat he uses to give on-the-spot instructions north toward the Inner Harbor. "This team," he says, "is too much about fun and not enough work." When he overtakes the errant team yards off Pier Six, the boaters don't look as if they're having fun. Puffing and sweating in the late-afternoon haze, they pause as Armstrong slows his boat alongside their canoe.

James Pryde was on course for a fall marathon, most likely the Marine Corps on Nov. 4, until he suffered a hamstring pull several weeks ago.That caused him to slow his training and push back his running a marathon. But the way he won the Westminster Road Runners Club's Bachman Valley Half-Marathon on Sunday, Pryde looked as if he could be in line for a marathon next week. He led from wire to wire in the race at Westminster and coasted to a 1-hour, 12-minute, 44-second victory, just 36 seconds off Steve Clark's 1988 record and 3:20 ahead of second-place finisher Bill Stahr.

The list of coaches who walked away from pro football and never came back is a short one.It pretty much starts with John Madden and ends with Dick Vermeil.It may be time to add a third name to the list: Joe Gibbs.When Gibbs turned down the Carolina Panthers last spring, a lot of people weren't convinced that no meant no.The Panthers haven't hired a head coach yet and still seem to hope Gibbs might change his mind since his son, Coy, plays his final year at Stanford this fall and Gibbs' Washington Redskins contract runs out after this season.

The Indy Racing League championship is down to the wire. Helio Castroneves and Scott Dixon go into today's Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Forth Worth tied for the lead with 467 points. Right behind them and still within striking distance are Tony Kanaan (460), Sam Hornish Jr. (448) and Gil de Ferran (437). A lot of stories are in play. Castroneves, Dixon and Kanaan are seeking their first titles. Hornish, who has won three of the series' four races, is a two-time champion seeking a third title before leaving his Panther Racing team for the Penske organization next season.

For nine years, basketball had been Jay Murphy's primary expression of athleticism.By the time he entered his freshman year at Glen Burnie High, the slender teen-ager could shoot jumpers or drive the lane with the best of them.But just as Murphy seemed on the verge of a career on the hardwood, the sport of cycling entered the picture.Until joining the school's cycling club, Murphy had been only a casual rider. But as swiftly as a 7-foot center might reject the shot of an adversary, he dropped basketball for the thrill of pedaling down highways and experiencing the adrenalin rush of a high-speed chase along the open road.

TALLADEGA, Ala. - Seldom if ever has a Winston Cup victory been harder earned than Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s was here yesterday. Indeed, his fourth straight win at Talladega Superspeedway may have been tougher than the first three combined. "This definitely is the sweetest, regardless of the controversy over going below the yellow line," he said, referring to the final hassle of the day. It was about the tactics of his winning pass, which could have cost him the race, if a NASCAR judgment call hadn't gone his way. With 3 1/2 laps remaining and Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth dueling for the lead down the backstretch, Earnhardt drove to the inside of them both, and took the lead.

Before glossy race cars careen around downtown streets over Labor Day weekend, another high-speed race must be run. The team promoting Baltimore's Grand Prix - a group announced by city officials this week after the collapse of two other race organizers - has less than four months to hawk sponsorships, market the event, sell tickets and set up the racecourse and grandstands. Sports marketing experts say Race On, the new organizers that include racing champion Michael Andretti, must make those tasks their top priorities and also reassure racing fans that the event is on despite months of setbacks.

After a bit of negotiating, Kasey Kahne will join the Red Bull Racing team in 2011. He will spend one season there before moving to Hendrick Motorsports. "This opportunity places me with an established, competitive team that has proven they can win races and make the Chase," Kahne told reporters on Tuesday. "The opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing Team in 2011 is a great fit for me, both personally and professionally. "It feels good to be able to finally put this to rest and focus my energy on finishing the season strong for the 9 team and our sponsors.

For as long as Ryan Hunter-Reay can remember, the Indianapolis 500 was a huge deal. As a small child growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Hunter-Reay used to plop down a plastic race track and line up his miniature race cars in front of the television set on the Sunday morning of Memorial Day weekend. For the next few hours, he was mesmerized. "My dad was a gearhead - he loved cars. I grew up loving cars as well," Hunter-Reay recalled Monday. "He took me to a few races as a fan, and that's where it started.