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Athleticism is a given for participants in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity National Pit Crew Combine, which takes place on Friday at the sanctioning body’s research-and-development center in Concord, N.C.

After all, each of the 17 aspirants has a strong background in a sport other than racing. And the 13 men and four women have already been through tryouts at six universities: Alcorn State, Arizona State, Bethune-Cookman, Norfolk State, San Diego State and Virginia State.

The question then becomes which of the athletes will adapt most quickly to the specialized skills needed for pit crew work in NASCAR racing, as Phil Horton, director of athletic performance at Rev Racing puts them through a four-hour skills competition.

Sophia Ortega from Highland, Calif., may have an edge. She played softball for Bethune-Cookman, not far from Daytona International Speedway.

“When I came to Daytona, I realized how big the speedway was, and when I went on a tour, I was definitely interested in it,” Ortega said.

Last year ten of the 18 hopefuls were selected for the crew member development program at Rev Racing, the competition arm of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.  And the prospects for advancement are excellent.

All told, 35 NASCAR Drive for Diversity pit crew graduates currently are working in NASCAR racing, 25 at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series level. In fact, three alumni—Raphael Diaz, Kevin Richardson and Mike Russell—were pit crew members for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. during his recent victory at Talladega Superspeedway.

“As we saw with last year’s inaugural national combine, the caliber of athletes now competing for opportunities to train with NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity is stronger than ever,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations.

“As the program grows, it’s attracting top-quality talent and competitors who we believe have the potential to excel at the highest level of NASCAR.”