Jimmie Johnson sent yet another message to his competitors yesterday, winning at a track that has always vexed the four-time defending NASCAR champion.

Johnson drove from sixth to first in three laps to grab his first career victory at Tennessee's Bristol Motor Speedway and deny Kurt Busch a chance to gain more ground on the No. 48 championship team.

"When we're winning at tracks that we're not supposed to, boys better look out," Johnson warned. "Even that 2 car (Busch) that doesn't want the 48 to win."

Johnson plowed through the field on a restart with 10 laps to go, giving him his third victory this season and the 50th of his career.

Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth restarted side-by-side as leaders. Kenseth had trouble at the line and traffic stacked up behind him. That allowed Johnson, who restarted in sixth, to grab four quick spots.

Tony Stewart had moved into the lead, and Johnson needed just more than a lap to cruise past Stewart and win.

Stewart was second and Busch third. Busch led 275 of the 500 laps. He lost the lead by taking four tires on the final pit stop.

TENNIS

LJUBICIC WINS TITLE

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia outlasted Andy Roddick, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), to win the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif.

Ljubicic won on his fourth match point yesterday, blasting a big serve that Roddick couldn't return. At 31, Ljubicic is the second-oldest winner at Indian Wells behind Jimmy Connors, who was five months older when he won in 1984.

Roddick was trying to become the first American man to win since 2001, but he trailed in both tiebreakers. He had beaten Ljubicic seven times in 10 meetings, winning their last meeting at Indian Wells in two tiebreakers in 2007.

Jelena Jankovic defeated Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2, 6-4, earlier yesterday to win the women's title, the Serbian's first in seven months.

COLLEGE HOOPS

PENDERS TO RESIGN

According to local media reports, Houston basketball coach Tom Penders plans to resign.

KRIV-TV and The Houston Chronicle, citing uni-dentified sources, reported Penders' decision to step down came after a meeting yesterday with athletic director Mack Rhoades. The newspaper and the television station reported Penders will announce his resignation today.

Houston reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992, but lost to Maryland, 89-77, in the first round of the Midwest Regional on Friday night.

The 64-year-old Penders was 121-77 in six season at Houston.

AND WHATS MORE ...

Anaheim's Teemu Selanne, 39, became the 18th player in NHL history to score 600 goals, reaching the milestone last night in the Ducks' 5-2 win against visiting Colorado. Selanne connected 34 seconds into the second period, scoring into a wide-open net during a power play.