Hello, motorsports enthusiasts! Welcome to the first edition of Seven Points with Kobe Lambeth and Kenneth Lee Jr. We will provide a weekly discussion each Wednesday on various topics in motorsports. The main focus is NASCAR but other racing series will be discussed as well. Lambeth is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte studying mass media and journalism as a Communications major. Lee is a graduate of Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in Communications and a member of the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program.
1. Last Saturday night, Martin Truex Jr. scored his fourth victory of the 2018 season. Therefore, a continuation of the domination from the “Big Three” of Truex, Kevin Harvick, and Kyle Busch. Fans seem to cringe each time one of those talented drivers earns the checkered flag. Is the lack of “new winners” hurting the sport? Lambeth: I believe the battle between the “Big Three” is very entertaining to watch. It is like a three-way seesaw because each team has a dominant race, while the others are close behind as Chip Ganassi says, “No cigar.” I can understand why fans are upset though. The same three drivers visiting victory lane each week gets old, and they want to see different winners like last season. However, is it unfair to not give credit when it is due? Three teams continue to rise above the rest. In order to be successful in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, you have to be great not good. Lee: I don’t think the lack of new winners are hurting the sport. If this was a scenario where driver X,Y, & Z was the favorite among the fans then most people wouldn’t complain as much. Most of these guys aren’t likable by fans (A mild exception with Truex) so of course people are going to be mad. It’s going to likely come down to those three at Homestead, I think the battle between them is pretty good. It’s everyone else's job to step up and knock down the “Big Three” this season. 2. In last weekend’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East throwback race at Thompson Speedway, only 13 cars competed at the short track in Connecticut. Should we be concerned with such a low car count? Lambeth: While I strongly believe that quality is more important than quantity, it is fair to be mildly concerned about the issue. NASCAR must find ways to decrease the costs of running a K&N program. With the purchase of the ARCA Racing Series, I am very curious to see how it impacts the K&N Series on both east and west coasts. Lee: I think that it is something to take note of. Of course having 40 cars doesn’t guarantee a great show but the cost to run these cars plus the travel makes a huge impact. Like you said Kobe, ARCA has been purchased by NASCAR, this should be a time where they think of ways to combine the series. Let alone find a way to make things work in the sense of $$$ for all of these teams now. 3. Speaking of the ARCA Racing Series, Gus Dean finally ended a streak of bad luck by returning to victory lane for the first time since Talladega 2016. What stood out from last weekend’s race at Elko Speedway? Lambeth: Short track racing is amazing, period. We witnessed a lot of close action and contact all throughout the field. Gus Dean has tried hard to put his No. 32 team into victory lane for a while. He put together a complete race and took the checkered flag. Nothing is better than short track racing under the lights. Also, Natalie Decker earned a fifth-place finish, which ties her career-best result in ARCA. Lee: I got a chance to tune in for the last 100 laps of the ARCA race on Saturday night, while the car count was low the action was high. It was pure Saturday night short track racing. Elko has always been one of my favorite tracks on the ARCA schedule. It’s the shortest “short track” on the schedule and it provides close exciting racing all the way around. 4. Jean-Eric Vergne won the 2017-18 ABB FIA Formula E championship in New York City last weekend. In June, Vergne’s G-Drive Racing squad lost their LMP2 class victory at Le Mans after getting disqualified. Does a championship outweigh losing such a prestigious event such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans? Lambeth: I think one will never get over having a special win taken away after celebrating with your team. However, a championship should definitely aid the healing process. Vergne and his Techeetah team performed well all season and won the title in Formula E. Although it is not Le Mans, the French driver will be known as a champion in the electric racing series forever. Finally, shout out to Sam Bird for finishing second in the standings, driving a DS Virgin car that did not have the same capabilities as Techeetah. Bird definitely shown his talents on the world stage. Lee: While I’m sure winning a title for him is a great accomplishment, I don’t think that can be replaced so easily after having the win at Le Mans be taken away. Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans is something many race car drivers dream of, it’s on the same level of being able to win a Daytona 500 or Indy 500. Not many are able to say they’ve won an event like that, I’m sure he had a heavy mind even while earning the Formula E title. 5. We witnessed a chaotic, but exciting IndyCar race on the streets of Toronto. At one point, things heated up between Simon Pagenaud and Robert Wickens on the track. Following the race, both drivers dismissed the start of a potential rivalry. Are rivalries a good way to bring more attention to the sport? Lambeth: First, I want to thank IndyCar, Dallara, and everyone involved in the universal aero kits for producing such an amazing vehicle. The race was thrilling from start to finish, and the cars raced perfectly on the street circuit in Canada. Rivalries definitely bring attention due to the enhanced drama. Although some may believe that drivers should remain friendly at all times, a variation in personalities could possibly draw in a new audience. Alexander Rossi versus Robert Wickens has certainly been fun to watch this season. The two maintain a friendship off the track, but they are two fierce competitors when it is time to put the helmets on. In conclusion, different personalities is a winning formula in comparison to a grid filled with drivers exactly the same. Lee: For one thing, I’ll agree with you about how thrilling the race was on the streets of Toronto. One of my favorite races on the IndyCar schedule it seems each year it finds a way to deliver a good show. While it was a crazy race, Scott Dixon continues to maintain his dominance in the championship battle increasing his lead to 62 points. Even though rivalries can draw attention to a sport, it needs to be a natural occurrence rather than one that’s fabricated or forced by media members. 6. John Hunter Nemechek had one of the fastest cars in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race last week at Kentucky Speedway. Unfortunately, he lost power before a restart, which put a damper on promising night, despite recovering to finish seventh. Are we left wondering what could have been? Lambeth: Most definitely! Nemechek likely could have challenged for the win if he did not experience those issues in the race. Nevertheless, he proving his worth in the part-time role with Chip Ganassi Racing. He will continue to grow and improve as a driver. Lee: It’s easy to go out and wonder what exactly could have been for him. He’s had some unfortunate deals such as what happen at Chicagoland a few weeks ago in the truck series. It’s rather impressive for him to still bring it home with a top-10 finish after the issue before the restart. He’s got a ton of talent and I believe he can recover. 7. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will competing on the dirt at Eldora Speedway. What makes this event so special each year? Lambeth: Eldora is the only dirt race on the schedule in the three national series. It is a unique event that is much different than your typical asphalt track race. The stars of the dirt racing world flock to this event to take the fight to the NASCAR regulars. Chris Windom, Logan Seavey, and Max McLaughlin are some “dirt ringers” looking to secure the victory on Wednesday night. Also, Cup drivers Ryan Newman and Ty Dillon will join the show. The dirt specialists will give it their all, but the Truck Series regulars will not go down without a fight. Lee: I think what makes it so compelling is the fact that one of the top series in stock car racing really takes time to go back to its roots. We’ll get to see some special talents come out this week and this year we are going to have a battle between who makes the show and who goes home (39 trucks entered) Dirt racing is something I’ve grown more fond of over the past few years whether its Late Models, 358 Big Blocks, Sprint Cars, I’m down for some good ole’ fashion dirt racing.
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