DETROIT — Roger Penske, who led Detroit's Super Bowl preparations, downtown cleanup program and revived the city's grand prix racing — all while running the nation's No. 2 auto retailer — is on the verge of rescuing General Motors' embattled Saturn brand.

GM is close to selling its Saturn division to Penske in a deal that could keep the brand alive and allow a new manufacturer access to the dealer network, people briefed on the matter said yesterday.

As part of its efforts to refocus itself from eight brands to four, GM has been trying to find a buyer for Saturn. Earlier this week, the automaker said it had 16 interested parties.

WAL-MART KEEPS GROWING EMPIRE

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As Wal-Mart Stores Inc. opens about 150 new or expanded stores in the U.S. in 2009, the company expects to hire about 22,000 people for new positions.

Those positions include plenty of cashiers and stock clerks, but the world's largest retailer will also be adding store managers, pharmacists and personnel workers. Wal-Mart is holding its annual shareholders meeting today, and employees from its stores around the world are spending the week in Bentonville at company headquarters.

Wal-Mart plans to open between 142 and 157 new or refurbished stores in fiscal 2010, which began Feb. 1. That compares with 191 in fiscal 2009 and 218 the year before that.

Unlike many retailers, Wal-Mart has managed to keep sales growing since the recession began in late 2007, helped greatly by the company's stock of necessities such as groceries and health and wellness items. With cash tight, many consumers are attempting to spend solely on things they need.

OIL PRICES PUSHING $69, HIGH FOR YEAR

NEW YORK — Oil prices set a new high for the year yesterday, buoyed by a weaker dollar and the first drop in unemployment since January.

Crude for July delivery was up $2.69 to settle at $68.81 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil climbed as high as $69.60 earlier in the day.In London, Brent prices rose $2.83 to settle at $68.71 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Oil prices have rallied for three months, and they soared this week to their highest levels since November. Crude now fetches nearly twice its February price, mostly on the expectation that the dismal U.S. economy could be stabilizing.

Goldman Sachs is forecasting crude oil will reach $85 a barrel by the end of the year.