Kenzie Ruston is amid a common millennial dilemma. She's probably a bit overqualified for the job, but money is low and she needs the work.

She really hopes she nailed the job interview. She thinks she did, mostly. But she won't know for several weeks.

Such is the tenuous life of young professionals and budding NASCAR drivers alike.

"I've never really had to try out for anything like this before," Ruston said in a phone interview after undertaking the 11th NASCAR Drive for Diversity combine at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia. "I just didn't know what to expect."

At the combine, Kenzie Ruston had a chance to talk to Darrell Wallace Jr., a graduate of the diversity program who went on to win in the Truck series. Todd Warshaw/NASCAR/Getty Images

Ruston, 23, reached this crossroads of her brief racing career this offseason as one of 20 multicultural hopefuls auditioning for three spots with Rev Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. The diversity program has produced high-profile graduates recently in Sprint Cup rookie Kyle Larson and truck series winner Darrell Wallace Jr., and a deepening talent pool has made competition ever more difficult.

"What the program has done is continued to improve the caliber of candidates for our class," said Rev Racing CEO Max Siegel. "It's getting harder to pick the class every year because we're seeing more and more consistent, high-level performances, and not a lot of separation at this point in the evaluation."

At the combine, drivers are paced through on-track lap sessions and off-track tutorials on the ancillary aspects of racing. The combine consists of evaluations in driving laps, physical fitness, résumé, communications skills, driving knowledge and media aptitude.

"I don't think I did badly. I definitely think I could have been faster," Ruston said. "I was maybe one of the more consistent ones. Still pretty confident. It's just a little nerve-wracking, and you never know how they judge you."

Ruston was, in effect, auditioning to return to a series in which she has raced for the past two seasons. In a self-described "roller-coaster" 2014 campaign for Ben Kennedy Racing, she posted three top-5s and seven top-10s in 16 races and placed ninth in points. She became the highest-placing woman in K&N history when she finished second at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 1.

Ruston's opportunity for 2014 developed when Kennedy, great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France, moved to drive in the truck series, leaving his K&N team in need of a replacement. Ruston had met Kennedy in 2013, when they were each members of the NASCAR "Next" talent identification and marketing campaign, and was quick to express interest in his race team when his plans became apparent.

Ruston lost that ride for next season as she was unable to secure funding to bring to the team. She was replaced by 15-year-old Kaz Grala, who finished seventh as the youngest driver in the K&N series this year and won a race in the Whelen All-American Series.