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LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Sam Hornish Jr. thinks he has a home-track advantage. "While Mid-Ohio is so close to my home and my heart, at the same time its a place where Ive got almost as many races here as a fan as I do as a driver," the Defiance, Ohio, native said Friday during practice a day before the NASCAR Nationwide series race. Hornish, who has raced several times in competition at the track, believes he has some insider knowledge. "I feel like Ive got a good idea of what the car needs to do and what I need to do as the driver to go out and be successful here," he said. "Yeah, we want to go out and be fast. But the biggest thing about this form of racing -- running on a road course -- is taking care of the equipment." Hornish, one of the series top drivers on tracks that require more than right turns, finished with a rush a year ago at Mid-Ohio. He made a run at the lead on the final lap before ending up behind AJ Allmendinger, winner of the inaugural Nationwide event, and pole-winner Michael McDowell. He could have applied even more pressure, he said, if Allmendinger hadnt been one of his Penske teammates. "I had to play a little bit nicer than I probably would have," he said with a laugh. "All that being said, I feel pretty good about the car that I have." Hornish, with no fulltime sponsor but driving this week for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Monster Energy Toyota, has dreamed of winning at the twisting track located in picturesque farmland midway between Columbus and Cleveland. His odds improved when Allmendinger elected to focus on the Sprint Cup race in Michigan this weekend. Hornish was third during Fridays practice behind Justin Marks and Chris Buescher. Qualifying is Saturday morning, with the race later in the day. One of Hornishs chief adversaries figures to be series points leader Chase Elliott, who has never driven at Mid-Ohio. He watched videos and memorized notes from last years race provided by driver Ron Fellows, with whom he has studied the nuances of road courses. Even though he finished fourth at Road America and sixth last week at Watkins Glen on road courses, Elliott hasnt been pleased with his efforts. But he is hoping that hes getting the hang of the quick braking, rapid acceleration and sharp turns that are required on such a layout. "Im just putting all that stuff together and making sure I do a good job," he said. "Ill get all the practice that is offered. Ill try to learn and hopefully itll be good enough." Elliott, at the wheel of owner Dale Earnhardt Jr.s Chevrolet, was ninth after Fridays practice runs but is looking for improvement. Brendan Gaughan, fifth in practice, won at scenic Road America and has his own theory on what it takes to win on a road course. "If you dont get in rhythm out there, you can really screw yourself up," he said, calling Mid-Ohio an "extremely technical road course." Alex Tagliani, who was second at Road America, had the seventh-best practice time. "Its a track that changes quite a bit from practice to qualifying," he said about Mid-Ohio. "The level of grip is going to go high. And the speed is going to increase tremendously." Danny Ainge Jersey .C., won gold in the womens 200-metre backstroke, and Dominique Bouchard of North Bay, Ont. Robert Williams Jersey .com) - James Harden needed just seven made field goals to drop 35 points on the Philadelphia 76ers, leading the Houston Rockets to a 104-93 win on Monday. http://www.celticssale.com/kids-kyrie-irving-celtics-jersey/ . LOUIS -- Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks won the matchup of unbeaten teams. Shaquille ONeal Jersey . Mohamed Diame put West Ham ahead in the 47th minute before goals by substitutes Carlton Cole and Joe Cole condemned Fulham to a fifth straight defeat, keeping the visitors in the bottom three. Reggie Lewis Jersey . 3 Ohio State. Amedeo Della Valle had 15 points, Marc Loving scored a career-high 13 and the bench provided 38 points as the Buckeyes sprinted past Nebraska 84-53 on Saturday.DAVIE, Fla. - With the strain of a costly loss showing, Miami Dolphins coaches said they have a good relationship with their players, even the one who yelled at Joe Philbin on the sideline during the defeat.Defensive tackle Jared Odrick kind of snapped when he angrily confronted Philbin in the closing minutes of the Dolphins loss to the Baltimore Ravens, defensive co-ordinator Kevin Coyle said Monday. But Coyle said the outburst didnt signal an underlying problem between Odrick and the coaching staff.I think its a good relationship, as it is with every guy on this team, Coyle said. I feel very strongly about that. I think thats one of the strengths of this program.Offensive co-ordinator Bill Lazor agreed.Its a reflection on Joe Philbin, the kind of professional atmosphere we have, Lazor said. Im very comfortable with how our players are on game day, even when they get excited, whether it be because they want the ball more or whatever reason. Weve got players here that I feel can talk to me, and that I can speak with. Its a very professional atmosphere.Camaraderie will be tested in the wake of Sundays 28-13 loss to Baltimore, which could keep the Dolphins (7-6) out of the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. Any finish short of the post-season would leave Philbins job in jeopardy after three seasons as Miamis head coach.The Dolphins went into last weekend with an edge in the race for the final AFC wild-card berth, but now they might be left out even if they win their final three games. Ravens coach John Harbaugh predicted such a sweep.This is a very good football team that we played, Harbaugh said. This team will probably win out.Philbin will like the sound of that, and he acknowledged therres no more margin for error, beginning Sunday at AFC East leader New England.ddddddddddddBut Philbin expects his team to bounce back from the latest loss.I have a lot of faith and confidence in these guys, he said. Weve got a huge challenge this week going up to New England. I told them in the locker room, were going to find out a lot this week.Injuries are taking a toll, with safety Louis Delmas joining the list when he suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday. The Ravens feasted on replacements, including R.J. Stanford at cornerback and Dallas Thomas at right tackle.The defence has allowed 661 yards rushing over the past three games while twice blowing double-digit leads. The offence has scored one touchdown each of the past two weeks, and with pass protection shaky, Ryan Tannehill has stopped trying to throw downfield.But Philbin said hes confident his players still have faith in the coaching staff and game plan because of the way they conduct themselves every single day, the way theyve gone out and competed every single week. I absolutely believe that.Odrick attributed his outburst to the emotions of the moment. Coyle agreed, but didnt endorse his linemans behaviour.There is a fine line, Coyle said. Football is an emotional game. You want guys that play with passion. But I think there is a professionalism that everybody has to have, players and coaches alike. You try to keep your composure, because outbreaks of emotion generally dont tend to benefit the team. It can be a distraction. 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