A select group of people whose fandoms of the Washington Nationals and American history intersect are in luck: The baseball team will hold pre-selected auditions for its big-headed “Racing Presidents” this Sunday, at the National’s Youth Baseball Academy in Ward 7’s Fort Dupont Park.

“Candidates looking to fill the shoes of George, Tom, Abe, Teddy and Bill have been invited to the Youth Baseball Academy to perform a freestyle dance, run a 40-yard dash and participate in two races from center field to first base,” the team announced. “In addition, each applicant will be required to answer questions from a panel of Nationals entertainment staff members.” Those participating in the audition were chosen from applicants who submitted a resume and cover letter.

The academy is located at 3675 Ely Place SE and tryouts will take place from 9 a.m. to noon. A heads-up, though: “Participation in the tryout is by invitation only and not open to the public.”

That’s probably a good thing: Can you imagine the risk of high-speed collisions?

Update 1:57 p.m.: A spokesperson for the Nationals tells City Desk that about 200 people applied to be a Racing President; of those, 51 have been invited to Sunday’s auditions. “While candidates are never officially announced to the public, Racing President contenders will find out by the end of next week if they have been chosen,” she said.

Photo by Cathy T via Flickr Creative Commons (CC BY 2.0)