Briefly ...

❚ Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrapped up his final season as a NASCAR driver with one last piece of hardware. He won the Most Popular Driver Award on Thursday for the 15th consecutive time. The award is based on a fan vote and sponsored by the National Motorsports Press Association. Only Bill Elliott won the award more than Earnhardt — 16 times between 1984 and 2002 — before he removed his name from consideration. NASCAR chairman Brian France also presented Earnhardt with The Bill France Award of Excellence. The award is not presented every year.

❚ Joshua Langford scored 12 of his 17 points in the first half to help host No. 3 Michigan State (6-1) defeat No. 5 Notre Dame (6-1) 81-63 Thursday in college men’s basketball.