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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." Custom San Jose Sharks Jerseys .com) - Oregon wasnt going to let Arizona ruin its national title dreams for a second straight season. Logan Couture Jersey . Cleveland has won the first two of this set and has won six straight games since losing back-to-back tilts to open the year. Seattle, on the other hand, has now lost six in a row following consecutive wins to kick off its campaign. http://www.sharkssale.com/authentic-brent-burns-sharks-jersey/ ... maybe even more than that. Maybe all season I have to take a few blows. Evander Kane Jersey .Best moustache: How can we not give this to Lanny McDonald? Check out the duster for yourself. San Jose Sharks Jerseys . - Connor Brown and Dane Fox both scored in regulation and in the shootout, as the Erie Otters extended their win streak to 10 games by defeating the London Knights 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action.Switzerland has announced its 25-man roster for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi Russia. The complete list is as follows: Goalies: Reto Berra, Jonas Hiller, Tobias Stephan. Defenseman: Severin Blindenbacher, Raphael Diaz, Philippe Furrer, Roman Josi, Mathias Seger, Mark Streit, Julien Vauclair, Yannick Weber. Forwards: Andres Ambuhl, Matthias Bieber, Simon Bodenmann, Damien Brunner, Luca Cunti, Ryan Gardner, Denis Hollenstein, Simon Moser, Nino Niederreiter, Martin Pluss, Kevin Romy, Reto Suri, Morris Trachsler, Roman Wick. Calgary Flames prospect Sven Baertschi was left off the roster.dddddddddddd Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa was also left off the roster as he continues to nurse a hand injury. Switzerland will play in Group C alongside the Czech Republic, Latvia and Sweden at Sochi. The Swiss team finished eighth at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, losing 2-0 in the quarter-finals to the eventual silver medal-winning Americans. Seger - a defenceman for the Zurich Lions of the Swiss Elite League - was named team captain. The Swiss roster includes several hold-overs from the Vancouver team, including Hiller, Diaz, Streit and Weber. Josi was named to the 2010 team but could not participate due to injury. 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