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. Authentic Air Jordan 4 Cheap . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Cheap Air Jordan 4 Clearance .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. http://www.cheapairjordan4.com/ . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Jordan 4 For Sale Cheap . -- The St. Johns IceCaps weathered a wild first period with the help of goaltender Jussi Olkinuora, before finding offensive inroads in the second. Cheap Jordan 4 Retro .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Baylor became one of the first teams this season to enter the Top 25 by virtue of a credible victory, with the Bears having defeated then-No. 4 Oregon last week.Virginia Commonwealth would like to follow that same script into the Top 25 next week.Rankings aside, Baylor (3-0) and VCU (3-0) will look across the court at a quality opponent on Wednesday when they face each other at the Battle 4 Atlantis at 2:30 p.m. ET in Nassau, Bahamas.Baylor showed off a couple of new weapons in its 66-49 win over Oregon. Junior guard Manu Lecomte, a transfer from Miami, scored 18 points and dished out seven assists, and junior college transfer Jo Lual-Acuil scored eight points, blocked seven shots and grabbed 14 rebounds.Those two players, as much as the impressive victory over the Ducks, captured the attention of the college basketball world -- including VCU coach Will Wade.Baylor is very, very talented, Wade said. I dont think a lot of people knew how good Manu Lecomte was going to be for them. Baylors a good team. That was no fluke. They beat Oregon pretty good.On the flip side, Baylor coach Scott Drew knows the Rams wont be star struck.VCU is accustomed to playing top-notch nonconference competition and has the March Madness credibility in recent years to match just about anyone in college basketball.Last season, the Rams advanced a round farther than Baylor as VCU defeated seventh-seeded Oregon State in the opening round. Then the Rams pushed Final Four-bound Oklahoma for 40 minutes before the Sooners escaped Oklahomma City with a four-point win.ddddddddddddThis is a team that is very competitive, great tradition, been in the NCAA Tournament six straight years, Drew said. So, a team thats used to being successful, used to winning.While Baylor is mixing its new standouts with quality veterans, VCU rolls with many of the same faces that helped the Rams win 25 games a year ago. Seniors Mo Allie-Cox, JeQuan Lewis, Jordan Burgess and Ahmed Hamdy-Mohamed, and junior Justin Tillman played leading roles last season and are back for more.Those players and new additions give VCU the depth that concerns Drew.They play extremely hard, play 10 guys, lot of pressure man-to-man, very physical team, Drew said.But this wont be Baylors first go-round this season with a tough opponent.Wade has seen how much trouble the Bears zone defense gave Oregon. Its easy to see how. Lual-Acuil (7-foot), forward Johnathan Motley (6-10) and reserve Terry Maston (6-8) thrive on swatting away shots in the lane.Their length will be a major, major issue for us, Wade said. We havent seen length like this since we played maybe Florida State last year. Theyve got just about everything you want in a good basketball team. It will be a challenge.Whoever survives Wednesdays game will go back for a second helping of top-level competition on Thanksgiving Day. The Baylor-VCU winner meets the No. 24 Michigan State vs. St. Johns winner. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '