ost as many races here as a fan as I do as a driver," the Defiance, Ohio, native said Friday during practice

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." Damian Jones Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points with eight rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 92-80 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Wholesale Warriors Jerseys China . The Philadelphia left fielder clubbed a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Phillies edged the Red Sox, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park. http://www.cheapwarriorsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=cheap-kevin-durant-jersey . 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Miamis stale finish -- which came after Dallas started the game ice-cold from the field -- tempered what was a career night for Hassan Whiteside, who set a franchise record with 14 rebounds in the first quarter. The 7-foot center ended with 16 points and a career-high 24 rebounds for the Heat, who were without Dwyane Wade because of a hamstring strain the All-Star guard suffered Tuesday against Milwaukee, which could sideline him for weeks. James Ennis added 15 points off the bench, All-Star Chris Bosh scored 12 and Mario Chalmers had 10 in Miamis fourth loss in six games. The Mavericks snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Heat in the regular season that spanned their win over Miami in the 2011 NBA Finals. They also stopped a four-game overall losing streak -- their longest in two years. Whitesides 16 rebounds in the first half tied a franchise record and helped the Heat take a 45-33 lead at the break, which they built while the Mavericks struggled mightily from the field. Miami led by as much as 16 early in the third quarter. Thhe Mavericks started their run after being down 59-49 with around four minutes left in the quarter.dddddddddddd Twenty-nine of the 39 points were scored by Mavericks bench players, including 14 by Villanueva, who knocked down half of his six 3s during the flurry. Tyson Chandler, who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds in the game, had six points during the run, as did Devin Harris. J.J. Barea added five, ending the run with a 3 to make it 88-62 with 3:03 remaining. Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis finished with 12 points apiece for the Mavs, who shot 41.5 percent from the field, making 13 of their 29 3-point attempts. Whiteside was signed by Miami in November after spending two seasons out of the league and put up good numbers all month, averaging over 12 points and nine rebounds in January. He had plenty of opportunities to pull down rebounds in an ugly first quarter. Dallas missed 14 of its first 17 shots and the Heat didnt fair much better, making just six of their 26 field goal attempts for a 15-13 lead going into the second quarter. Whitesides 14 rebounds in the quarter included six on the offensive glass. Game Notes Miami shot 5-for-17 in the fourth quarter ... Dallas last win over Miami in the regular season came Dec. 20, 2010 ... The Mavericks end a three-game road trip on Saturday in Orlando ... The Heat start a four-game road trip Sunday in Boston. 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