The fences at Daytona and Talladega will be raised from 14 to 22 feet following a safety analysis conducted after Carl Edwards' airborne flight into the Alabama track's safety barrier.

A wreck on the last lap in April's race at Talladega sent Edwards sailing into the fence. It bowed, but held and his car shot back onto the track. Debris from the accident injured seven fans in the stands, the most serious a broken jaw suffered by a teenage girl.

The frontstretch fence at Talladega will be raised before the Nov. 1 race, and the backstretch will be completed during the offseason. Daytona will have its fences raised before its first big event in January.

In other auto racing news:

* The new head of Dodge's car brand said the manufacturer will continue its involvement in NASCAR. Ralph Gilles takes over the job from Mike Accavitti, who resigned after 3 months in the job. Accavitti's resignation came amid another restructuring of Chrysler, which went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year. The new plan splits Dodge into two brands, one for cars and another for the Ram truck. Gilles becomes president and CEO of the Dodge brand, which competes in NASCAR.

* The cars of championship leaders Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson have passed a second NASCAR inspection. After Sunday's race in Kansas, NASCAR put both the Hendrick Motorsports-owned cars through a thorough inspection after the Chevrolets nearly failed a week earlier.

Tennis

* Serena Williams reclaimed the No. 1 ranking with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Ekaterina Makarova in the second round of the China Open in Beijing. The current top-ranked player, Dinara Safina, lost in the same round to wild card Zhang Shuai.

* U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro was defeated by Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of the Japan Open in Tokyo.

Soccer

* Cristiano Ronaldo believes he will recover from an ankle injury in time for Portugal's World Cup qualifier against Hungary this weekend.

* Former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has been fired as coach of Napoli in the Italian league. He was replaced by Walter Mazzari.

Sport Stops

* Amir Khan will make the first defense of his WBA light-welterweight title against unbeaten Dmitriy Salita on Dec. 5 in Newcastle, England.

* The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said cyclist Mitch Comardo has accepted a 2-year suspension from the sport after testing positive for several prohibited substances.

* Connecticut prosecutors have dropped assault and breach-of-peace charges against Maryland basketball player Jordan Williams and four other teenagers.