BRIEFLY : CART IS REVVING UP TO SELL COMMON STOCK.

A month after reaching a major sponsorship deal that renamed the Championship Auto Race Teams Indy-car series, CART announced plans to go public.

CART said Tuesday it has registered with federal securities regulators to sell nearly 4.6 million shares of common stock.

It was not immediately clear how much the offering could raise for CART, which plans to use the proceeds to buy the American Racing Series and a related entity, the open-wheel racing association said in a news release.

CART runs and sanctions a 19-race Indy-car racing series and the PPG Dayton Indy Lights Championships. CART was the lone open-wheel racing series in the United States until Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George formed the Indy Racing League in 1995.

TENNIS: American tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez withdrew from next month's Australian Open and a warm-up tournament because of a recurring wrist injury, the WTA Tour said.

Fernandez, ranked 10th in the world, is a two-time finalist in the Australian Open, scheduled for Jan. 19 to Feb. 1 in Melbourne. She lost in 1990 to Steffi Graf and in 1992 to Monica Seles.

FOOTBALL: Archie Manning is leaving the broadcasting booth, saying he wants his Sundays off so he can follow the impending NFL career of his quarterback son, Peyton, a star at Tennessee. The elder Manning has been color analyst for New Orleans Saints games since 1985. He made his farewells toward the end of Sunday's broadcast.

SOCCER: The Continental Indoor Soccer League ceased operations after five years upon losing three of its 11 franchises.

The Dallas Sidekicks, Houston Hotshots and Portland Pride left the league since the CISL season ended in October.

The league, which began play in 1993, was left with eight teams: Anaheim Splash, Arizona Sandsharks, Detroit Safari, Indiana Twisters, Monterrey La Raza, Sacramento Knights, Seattle SeaDogs and Washington Warthogs.

GOLF: Discount season tickets, offering a savings of up to $45, are available until Dec. 31 for the Feb. 9-15 Los Angeles Women's Championship, which will be held at Glendale's Oakmont Country Club. The season pass, which admits bearer to the grounds and clubhouse on every practice or competition day of the weeklong event, may be purchased for $40 until Dec. 31. After that, the price is $50 - still a savings over the $35 daily pass to the $650,000 LPGA event. Information: [phone].

HOCKEY: The NHL will not suspend Edmonton Oilers defenseman Bryan Marchment for a hit that floored Dallas Stars forward Greg Adams in Edmonton on Saturday night. The NHL reviewed the tape of the game and is taking no disciplinary action against Marchment.