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Of course Hope Hornish was going to gravitate toward auto racing. Its hard to imagine it turning out any other way.She grew up idolizing her uncle, Sam Hornish Jr., who won 19 races, including the 2006 Indianapolis 500 and three championships in IndyCar between 2000 and 2007. Add a love for speed and plenty of support from other family members, and Hopes career choice was easy.Now comes the hard part: getting a real shot.Shes getting her best opportunity yet this week at Floridas New Smyrna Speedway as an invitee to NASCARs 13th annual Drive for Diversity (D4D) combine, a multifaceted tryout for scholarships in stock car racings premier driver development program.Seventeen drivers, including a record-tying 13 females, are competing for spots in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Class of 2017. At least six berths are available, but that number could grow if any of the six members of the 2016 class are invited back. Ali Kern from the 2016 class and another Whelen All-American Series driver, Maddie Crane, also are in the mix, so all told, 15 females are in the running.Hornish, 19, comes from Defiance, Ohio, and is majoring in political science at Adrian (Michigan) College. She has been racing go-karts and other cars since she was 8. She has also been watching her uncle Sam, who has also competed at NASCARs top level and has a win this season in the Xfinity Series.Were pretty close, Hope said of her relationship with Sam. I hang out with his children, who are my cousins, and we go to church and have family dinners all the time. Hes been a really good mentor as far as being a role model for people who look up to you no matter what you are doing. Hes also been very influential with my life as a Christian.If Hope has a racing question or needs a tip, Sam is just a text message away.I can simply ask him a question, and hell get back to me and give me some insiders or some pointers whenever I need it, Hope said. But I have to ask for it. He doesnt want to step on my toes or anything, and I dont want to bug him too much because I know he has a busy schedule, but hes always there if I need him.Hope began racing late models after graduating from high school in 2015, competing at Angola Motorsport Speedway in Fremont, Indiana. She spent most of this season competing on the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. Racing is expensive, and for Hope, it has been a we effort to this point.We is my parents, April and John Hahn; my grandpa, Sam Hornish [Sr.]; my nana, Joanne; my uncle, Sam; my aunt, Crystal ... my whole family in general, she said. My grandpa has been very influential in my racing career. He has given me a lot of advice and pointers when I need them, and he helps me with the off-track connections and knowing people as far as trying to get my foot in the door in the racing world.Theres a lengthy application for the D4D program, and more than 70 candidates submitted résumés this year, according to NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations Jim Cassidy, who leads the sanctioning bodys multicultural development department.Driving talent isnt the only skill the evaluators will be measuring during the combine, which started Monday and runs through Wednesday after being postponed from Oct. 10-12 because of Hurricane Matthew.First and foremost, were looking for that vision of somebody who is going to be able to compete at a very high level, Cassidy said. In order to compete at a very high level, you have to have a whole lot of natural talent, but you also have to be teachable. If youre not teachable, if youre not a great communicator in the car, that can translate in a way that doesnt optimize what your natural talent is.Gone are the days when the racing jobs went only to the fastest and toughest. The skill set now has to be much broader.Outside of the car, you need to be able to represent Fortune 500 [companies], and be able to interact and represent brands in a way that drives business, Cassidy said. And then, obviously, were looking for young drivers who are ultimately going to represent the sport and understand the significance of their position being the star power of the sport. We want to see personalities, we want to see those come out. We always say it, and its cliché, but we want the entire package.Among the other female candidates are Macy Causey, who at 14 years old was the youngest participant in D4D combine history in 2015, and Hailie Deegan, daughter of Brian Deegan, the most decorated athlete in freestyle motocross history. Causey is the granddaughter of Diane Teel, who in 1978 became the first woman to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race.Danica Patrick remains the only woman competing in NASCARs top Sprint Cup series, but between the D4D applicants and participants and a few who are further along, there could be others before long.Cassidy noted that NASCAR Next member Julia Landauer and alum Nicole Behar finished on the podium (second and third, respectively) in the K&N West Series race at Meridian (Idaho) Speedway late last month. NASCAR Next drivers receive promotional and marketing support.I think it would be short-sighted for us to say wed like to find another Danica, Cassidy said. What we want to do is make sure that every young woman out there understands that NASCAR has an avenue, if thats something that you think you want to do. Weve really got a great group of drivers coming in, and I would hope that were not looking for just another female driver to get to the highest level, but rather, were looking for it to become not so much of a conversation as it is a norm.And just maybe, NASCARs racing future could include another racing Hornish -- a female iteration this time. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Yellow . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Official . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. http://www.nikeairmaxwomens90.com/ . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Blue . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Nike Air Max Womens 90 Grey . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset.ST. LOUIS -- Jake Westbrook did a little bit of everything Friday night against the San Diego Padres. A career .116 hitter, Westbrook recorded the first multihit game of his career with two singles and a double. He picked off a runner in the fifth inning. Perhaps most importantly, the St. Louis starter lasted 6 1-3 innings and allowed just two runs, eight hits and four walks in the Cardinals 9-6 victory. "Overall, it went well," Westbrook said. "It was a good start to the second half." The right-hander, who scored twice and had an RBI, surpassed his hit output for the year and raised his batting from .100 to .217. "I ran into a few, I guess," Westbrook said. "Its the first time I ran the bases that much since high school." Westbrook has usually resembled a pitcher who spent most of his career in the American League without swinging a bat. Westbrook came to the Cardinals after breaking in with the New York Yankees and then spending nine seasons in Cleveland. St. Louis manager Mike Matheny appreciated the offensive outburst. "The hits, well always take them," Matheny said. "They started two rallies and a big RBI in another (inning). "These guys, they take their at-bats seriously. They put a lot of pride in them. Its frustrating to them. They dont get enough repetitions to consistently be able to do what they want to do. They go working hard and some time it pays off like tonight." After rookie Carlos Martinez allowed three runs in the ninth to make it a three-run game, All-Star Edward Mujica got the last two outs to record his 27th save in 29 chances. Fellow All-Star Matt Carpenter continued his strong season with three hits and three RBIs. "Im just trying to have good at-bats, play good defence and do whatever I can to get on base," Carpenter said. Two other St. Louis All-Stars, Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina, each drove in two runs, Beltran contributing two sacrifice flies and Molina a two-run double in the seventh. St. Louis reachedd a season-best 22 games over .dddddddddddd.500 (58-36) and owns the best winning percentage in the majors (.617). The Padres lone All-Star representative, Everth Cabrera, drove in two runs with a two-run single off Westbrook in the seventh. San Diego, which lost 18 of 22 to conclude the first half, fell to 15-32 on the road and 74-149 in St. Louis (6-19 at new Busch Stadium). "We got 13 hits and we put some stress on them," manager Bud Black said. "We forced them to bring in their closer and we started hitting the ball with some authority." Former Cardinal Jason Marquis (9-5) lost his third straight. Marquis, who has not won since beating Arizona 6-4 on June 15, was touched for six runs on eight hits and three walks. Marquis blanked the Cardinals the first two innings before Westbrook led off the third with a single to centre. He later scored on Beltrans sacrifice fly to centre. Two innings later, Westbrook started another rally when he doubled over right fielder Will Venables head to begin the fifth. Carpenter followed with an RBI double to the gap in left centre and he scored on Beltrans sacrifice fly one out later that made it 3-0. The Cardinals broke it open and chased Marquis by scoring three times in the sixth. With the bases loaded and one out, Westbrook coaxed a single through the middle to drive in Matt Adams. Carpenter then drove home two more with an RBI single to centre. Notes: Edinson Volquez (6-8), who set a new career high by making 20 starts in the first half, pitches his first game in the second half when he faces the Cardinals Lance Lynn (11-4) Saturday night. . . . San Diego started a 10-day, 10-game road trip Friday. The Padres were 1-9 on their last 10-game trip. . . . Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday missed his fourth straight game due to a lingering right hamstring issue. . . . Padres outfielder Jedd Gyorko was 0-for-12 since coming off the DL before singling in the fourth. . . . Molinas double in the seventh was his 28th, matching his output last year. ' ' '