BRIEFLY ANDRETTI TO CALL IT CAREER AT INDY.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Former CART champion Michael Andretti will retire as a driver after the Indianapolis 500 in May to concentrate on being a car owner.

The 40-year-old son of former Indy winner Mario Andretti bought the former Team Green last fall and began running the new Andretti Green Racing with partners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree in December.

The team moved from CART to the rival IRL with former CART stars Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan as Andretti's teammates.

Andretti, Franchitti and Kanaan will drive in the first four IRL races this season, with rookie Dan Wheldon taking Andretti's place after the Indy 500 on May 25.

``We're ready. I'm very excited with the way testing has gone, with the way this whole team has come together,'' Andretti said Friday at a reception for the new team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ``I think we're going to be competitive right out of the box.''

He first hinted two weeks ago he would be both owner and driver for the early part of the season, which begins March 2 in Homestead, Fla.

But Indy remains special for Andretti.

``It's definitely something I want to do, I definitely would love to win that race before I retire,'' said Andretti, who will try for the 14th time. ``They say it's just another race, and it is, but it isn't.

``It's a very difficult race to win ... but we're going to go after it.''

FOOTBALL: Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress was eliminated as a candidate for the San Francisco 49ers' head-coaching vacancy.

Childress was among four coaches who have interviewed for the job, but the team plans to look ``in a different direction,'' according to a statement from general manager Terry Donahue.

That direction appears to be defense. The three remaining candidates who have been interviewed are San Francisco defensive coordinator Jim Mora, New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and New York Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell.

--Hall of Fame receiver and former U.S. Rep. Steve Largent met with Seattle Seahawks president Bob Whitsitt this week and is considering a return to the team as general manager.

--Former Long Beach Poly High defensive tackle Manuel Wright will not enroll at USC for the spring semester after failing to get the necessary test scores to meet NCAA requirements for admission.

The deadline for students to register for classes at USC was Friday, but Wright's most recent attempt to receive a qualifying score in the SAT fell short, meaning he will not participate in spring practice. Wright, who signed a letter of intent last year, can enroll at USC in the fall if he passes the test.

TRACK AND FIELD: Four pole vaulters who have reached 19 feet, including former NCAA champions Russ Buller and Toby Stevenson, have signed to compete in the 43rd annual Los Angeles Invitational indoor track meet Feb. 15 at the Sports Arena, organizers said.

The meet record of 19 feet, 8 1/4 inches, set in 1992 by world-record holder Sergei Bubka of the Ukraine, is the highest indoor vault recorded in the United States.

COLLEGES: Women's rights groups disputed reports that a federal commission examining Title IX had recommended only modest changes in the way it is enforced, saying the commission's proposals would spell major losses of opportunities in sports for girls and women if adopted.

FIGURE SKATING: Seven-time national champion Michelle Kwan will skip the Grand Prix final to prepare for the upcoming World Championships.

Kwan, who has won four world titles, qualified for the International Skating Union series championship by winning Skate America in October as a late replacement for Olympic champion Sarah Hughes. The Grand Prix final is scheduled for Feb. 28 through March 3.