As Richard Childress Racing began piling up top-10 finishes last fall and into the spring, it became clear RCR again could be competitive with the big boys. But after going one Sprint Cup season and 13 races without a single victory for a Childress driver, RCR needed a bit more affirmation before it could issue a collective shout of, "We're back. We're really, really back."

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Phil Mickelson, recharged after a bout with food poisoning, raced up the leaderboard at the Quail Hollow championship on Friday while Tiger Woods is in a rare battle to survive the cut. The world number one shot 74 on the first day after an erratic effort with his driver and faced the prospect of having to shoot under par on Friday just to make it to the weekend.

Madoff's brother, Peter, and sons Andrew and Mark — executives in the Madoff firm's legitimate market-making and proprietary-trading business — are likely to face tax fraud charges later this year, but may escape more serious securities fraud charges if authorities fail to come up with solid evidence they knowingly participated in the massive fraud, the people said.

NEW YORK - Federal authorities will charge at least two employees from disgraced financier Bernard Madoff's former firm in the coming weeks — and Madoff's brother and two sons could be next, two people familiar with the probe into Madoff's financial fraud told The Associated Press.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency in the state's Panhandle coastal counties because of the threat.

"The oil slick is generally moving in a northerly direction and threatens Florida's coast," Crist said in the order declaring the emergency in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, and Gulf counties.