Clan-Members » 15. He broke into the majors with Miami

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Justin Marks splashed through the rain at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.The 35-year-old Marks pulled away on a restart with two left to go in the 75-lap race on the 2.085-mile, 13-turn road course, finishing 3.7 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Sam Hornish Jr.These are as tough conditions as you can put drivers in, Marks said. Its just really hard on everybody when its dry and wet and you dont really know what to do, so strategy plays a big role in it. My specialty is road racing in the rain in these stock cars and I dont get much of an opportunity to do it, so when that opportunity presents itself, you have to really take advantage of it.Marks dedicated the victory to late Chip Ganassi driver Bryan Clauson, the 27-year-old dirt racer who died last Sunday night from injuries in a sprint car accident in Kansas. All of the cars had BC decals.Bryans short career in stock car racing came with Chip Ganassi Racing, so its great to be able to put this thing in Victory Lane to honor him and think about him, Marks said. Hes a real American hero race car driver, Bryan was. They dont make them like that anymore.Marks started 16th in the second of the series three road-course races. He took the lead from Ty Dillon with 10 laps left, and had a big lead with four left to go when T.J. Bell went off the track and brought out the eighth and final caution.With the rain falling harder, Marks cautiously negotiated the slippery final laps. He led 43 laps in Chip Ganassi Racings No. 42 Chevrolet.My hats off to Justin Marks, Hornish said. I generally hold myself as a pretty decent rain racer and even given the opportunity there at the end, I couldnt do anything with him. I would have had to take massive chances with our car to be able to do anything and you still got to pass him to keep up with him. ... Justin just went out there and was just a monster in the wet.Hornish was driving Richard Childress Racings No. 2 Chevrolet. The three-time IndyCar season champion and 2006 Indianapolis 500 winner is from Defiance, Ohio.Ryan Blaney was third, followed by Dillon, Justin Allgaier, Eric Jones, Andy Lally, Brendan Gaughan, series points leader Elliott Sadler and Brennan Poole. Darrell Wallace Jr. had the lead off a restart with 14 laps left, then went off the track several times and ended up finishing 15th.Wholesale NHL Jerseys . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. NHL Jerseys China . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. http://www.jerseysnhlfromchina.us/ . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. Wholesale NHL Jerseys Authentic . With the short-handed Warriors needing help from someone -- anyone -- to stop a three-game skid, ONeal returned from right knee and groin injuries that had sidelined him for four games and put up season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds. It was just enough to help lift Golden State to a 102-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Wholesale Jerseys .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play.MIAMI -- Despite all his accomplishments, Jose Fernandez never pitched a complete game, and on Thursday he was carried out of church in a casket with too much unfinished business.The choir struck up God Bless America, and mourners began to cry yet again as they joined in, celebrating the place that welcomed the Cuban defector and now must say goodbye.The last formal farewell came at a private Catholic mass attended by about 300 friends and relatives who nearly filled the large sanctuary. Those in attendance included Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, busloads of current and former Miami Marlins players, former Marlins manager Jack McKeon and two Hall of Famers, Marlins executives Tony Perez and Andre Dawson.We werent supposed to be here today, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said.Its very difficult to understand this, said the Rev. Jose Alvarez, Catholic ministry liaison to the Marlins. Why so young -- someone with such bright promise?Fernandez, 24, and two friends died in a boat crash early Sunday near Miami Beach.The bilingual service lasted more than two hours, and much of the time was spent celebrating Fernandezs dynamic personality, rather than his considerable exploits as the Marlins precocious ace.The bulletin for the mass included three photos of Fernandez, and each captured his familiar grin.His magnetic smile could light up a ballpark, Loria said. He set the standard for making baseball fun.Pallbearers wore black Fernandez jerseys as they carried his casket, while Marlins manager Don Mattingly and third baseman Martin Prado read scripture. The team has grieved in public and offered moving tributes to Fernandez while finishing out the final six games of the season, which ends Sunday.During the passing of the peace, players lined up to hug and console Fernandezs mother and grandmother, seated in the front row. He also left behind a girlfriend pregnant with their child..ddddddddddddHe was a young man who was larger than life -- a good, kind-hearted, loving young man who loved life, who loved people, Alvarez said in his homily. He was a guy of enormous dimensions. Jose was too good for this league. Hes going to a higher league.Alvarez said Fernandez is already at work in heaven, noting the improbable homer hit by 170-pound Dee Gordon leading off the first inning of the Marlins emotional first game after the boat crash.A skinny little guy like that is not supposed to hit the ball that far, Alvarez said. Jose is busy, I guarantee you. Jose is still pitching. ... Jose, well never forget you. We ask that you never forget us.Fernandez and his mother defected from Cuba by boat on his fourth try when he was 15. He broke into the majors with Miami in 2013 and quickly became a local celebrity, thanks to his rare combination of charisma and talent, along with a backstory that resonated in South Floridas Cuban community.Fernandez was a 2013 NL Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star, but his proudest moment came when he bought his mother a house, said his agent, Scott Boras.He was crying, said Boras, crying himself. He said, `Can you believe it?! I bought my mother a home in the United States!Boras also recalled a conversation with Fernandez after he had reconstructive elbow surgery, which sidelined him for 14 months in 2014-15.His first words in the recovery room to me were, `You wait. Im going to be the best there is, Boras recalled.The hard-throwing right-hander went 38-17 in 76 starts over four major league seasons, but glittering statistics werent the reason Loria said Fernandez will never be replaced or forgotten.I prefer not to think of this tragedy as the end of his life, Loria said, but rather as the beginning of the legend. ' ' '