Hello, motorsports enthusiasts! Welcome to another edition of Seven Points with Kobe Lambeth and Kenneth Lee Jr. We will provide weekly commentary, discussing various topics in motorsports. The majority of our content will focus on NASCAR but other disciplines of motorsports will be discussed as well.
Lambeth is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who is a Communications major (mass media concentration) and minor in Journalism. In addition, he contributes to motorsports coverage at The Podium Finish and works with the UNC Charlotte Social Media Team. Lee is a graduate of Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in Communications, an alumnus of the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program and an Associate Producer in Content Development for the Motor Racing Network. 1. The No. 7 Team M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3 of Maxime Soulet, Jules Gounon and Jordan Pepper won the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour. The British manufacturer scored a significant overall victory with the GT3 challenger. What makes Bathurst so special? Lambeth: Any win at Bathurst is special. It does not matter if you win the 12-hour endurance race or the Bathurst 1000 Supercars classic, just being able to say that you won at Mount Panorama should create a wonderful sensation inside. The Bentley boys finally earned a major endurance race win at Bathurst. The other competitors had a challenging time, taking the fight to the Continental GT3. Ultimately, Soulet, Gounon and Pepper formed a solid team and captured the ultimate prize. Lee: The Bathurst 12 Hour is an event that I’ve looked forward to watching over the past few years and it always delivers. However, after a wild week of racing at Mount Panorama, the Bentley got it done this year. I think this is a huge win whether or not it is the Bathurst 1000 or this event. It's always going to be special when you tackle this course and get a win. 2. The F3 Americas Championship and Honda are forming a partnership to create a scholarship for the 2020 F3 Americas champion. As a result, the champion will earn the necessary funding to compete for the 2021 Indy Lights title. In the current state of motorsports, why is this such an important move for the Road To Indy? Lambeth: In my opinion, this is a fantastic move by F3 Americas and Honda. In today’s climate, funding can be difficult to find. We often see some of the sport’s brightest talents sitting on the sidelines, due to a lack of funding. By offering an easier route to get on the Road To Indy, this presents a massive opportunity for one driver. All they have to do is win the 2020 F3 Americas title. Then, they will receive the funding to compete in Indy Lights next year. Ultimately, this could eventually lead to a seat in the NTT IndyCar Series. Hopefully, the new scholarship is the start of something beautiful within the open-wheel racing ladder system. Lee: At this level, I think moves like this are very important because it could help many drivers in the future. Funding is already hard enough to come so something like this is pretty huge. Perhaps, the next open-wheel star just needs a program like this to get his or her career underway. I can’t wait to see it make a difference in the open-wheel world. 3. World of Outlaws ace David Gravel will make his stock car racing debut this weekend. Gravel is set to drive the No. 28 KBR Development Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series season opener at Daytona. In addition, he will make select starts in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series with GMS Racing. Do you think the dirt racing sensation will have a difficult transition to asphalt racing? Lambeth: David Gravel receiving an opportunity to try out stock car racing should attract some attention. The 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion is a well-known name on the World of Outlaws tour. Next, he will try to impress on asphalt, after showing his talents on dirt. It is difficult to determine how challenging it will be for him to transition. Throughout the course of history, we have seen quite a number of drivers from dirt racing come over to the stock car world. Some transitioned successfully, some needed time to develop, while others struggled. Anything can happen but I have a feeling that Gravel will be perfectly fine. Lee: David Gravel has been a big name buzzing on the dirt side. Gravel has always wanted to give asphalt racing a shot. Just a year after winning the Knoxville Nationals, he will be racing on the high banks of Daytona this weekend. I think there will be a learning curve as he transitions to stock car racing. However, I don’t think he’ll struggle a ton but expect mistakes during his first few events. 4. What are your three bold predictions, heading into the 2020 NASCAR season? Lambeth: First, I predict that seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will win two races, in his final season as a full-time Cup driver. While he will not claim his eighth championship, the 2020 season will be an enjoyable final ride. Next, two rookies will win at least one Cup race. I think the two victories will come from Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick or Cole Custer. Finally, at least two IndyCar drivers will compete in the Xfinity race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Raise your hand if you would like to see Conor Daly and James Hinchcliffe take on the Xfinity regulars at the Brickyard. Lee: First, Tyler Reddick will pick up a win in his first full-time season as a Cup driver. Second, I think Ty Majeski will have a knockout season in the Truck Series, after everything he’s been through in his career so far. I think he’ll take the 2020 championship this season with Niece Motorsports. Lastly, I think Jimmie Johnson will go out a winner and pick his 84th victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. 5. Prediction: 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion. Lambeth: Stewart Friesen Lee: Ty Majeski 6. Prediction: 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. Lambeth: Chase Briscoe Lee: Chase Briscoe 7. Prediction: 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion. Lambeth: Martin Truex Jr. Lee: Kyle Busch Bonus Point: Two-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin is set to make his NTT IndyCar Series debut, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He will drive the No. 2 Chevrolet for Team Penske. What are your thoughts on this significant announcement? Lambeth: This is great news for the motorsports community. Having a two-time champion and active Supercars driver join the IndyCar grid should create a buzz. McLaughlin has enjoyed incredible success in the Virgin Australia Supercars, and posted impressive lap times at the IndyCar Sebring test. You can almost feel how much Roger Penske thinks of him, considering that he is letting McLaughlin make his IndyCar debut in a Penske car. To be honest, I cannot tell you the last time Team Penske let a series newcomer make their debut with the Captain. Nevertheless, I am curious to see how he performs at the Indy road course. It will be interesting to see how he stacks up against teammates Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud. Lee: Like I said on Twitter yesterday, “YESUHHHHHH!” This is a pretty huge development in the motorsports world. After he tested at Sebring, it seemed pretty evident he would at least be given a chance to run in the series at some point. It’s been quite some time since a rookie made a debut for “The Captain,” so it speaks volumes. It should be a fun time when he makes his IndyCar debut. I’m super happy for McLaughlin; it should be a good opportunity for him.
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Hello, motorsports enthusiasts! Welcome to another edition of Seven Points with Kobe Lambeth and Kenneth Lee Jr. We will provide a weekly discussion each Wednesday on various topics in motorsports. Most content will focus on NASCAR but other racing series will be discussed as well.
Lambeth is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who is a Communications major with a concentration in mass media and minor in journalism. He contributes to motorsports coverage at The Podium Finish. Lee is a graduate of Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in Communications, an alumnus of the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program and an Associate Producer in Content Development for the Motor Racing Network. 1. For many years, Roger Penske has owned the NTT IndyCar Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in a figurative sense. On Monday morning, he officially became the literal owner of the entire show. What are your thoughts on this shocking development? Lambeth: Wow. Wow. WOW. Cue the Coby White (Chicago Bulls basketball player) meme. This news caught everybody in the motorsports community completely off guard. Nobody saw this coming from a mile away. My alarm actually just went off when the news dropped about Roger Penske taking over everything on the IndyCar side of things. At first, I thought it was a dream, but it turned out to be real life. If it had to be sold, I am glad that someone as successful and passionate about motorsports such as The Captain purchased it. I am happy that it did not fall into the wrong hands. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see what his plans are for IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Lee: Honestly, between Kobe and my friend Dontre, I thought they were playing when they sent me this on Monday morning. Still one of the most shocking things I’ve heard in quite some time but its a real thing. I think it could be a monumental moment for the sport; it may very well be a big deal in American motorsports for years to come. The move itself could create NASCAR and IndyCar doubleheaders and that would be incredibly beneficial in the motorsports realm. 2. With the Hulman-George family handing the keys to The Captain, do you think the family made the right move? Lambeth: As Tony George stated, his family took it as far as they could, but it was time for them to move on. The Captain has the business expertise and knowledge to take IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into a new era. They made the right move handing the reins to one of the most successful motorsports businessmen in history. I would rather have someone like Penske take over, instead of a person with no true ties to the industry. Lee: I think the family had their time and are ready to move into a brand new era of the sport. Selling to Roger Penske is perfect rather than selling it to someone who doesn’t really care about the sport. 3. Earlier this year, Roger Penske stated his support for guaranteed starting positions in the Indianapolis 500 for full-time teams. With him in control of the series now, do you think potential changes to Bump Day might be coming soon? Lambeth: Honestly, I strongly believe that Bump Day should be left alone. It is the perfect qualifying format which makes it unique. No provisionals or charters are currently in place to save a driver in danger of missing the show. It should ALWAYS be the fastest 33. Hopefully, Penske does not attempt to fix this because there is nothing wrong with this format. Lee: This is the only fear that I have since Penske supported having all full-time drivers locked into the Indy 500. I think we need to keep Bump Day the same. I’m a firm believer in the FASTEST 33 making it into the show. I hope this doesn’t change in the future. 4. Do you think a potential doubleheader weekend between NASCAR and IndyCar appears to be more likely with Penske in command? Lambeth: While I want Bump Day to remain the same, I am optimistic about the possibility of a doubleheader weekend someday. This part would be a change that I would be open to. However, there will likely be a ton of moving parts for this dream to turn into a reality. Bringing NASCAR and IndyCar together at the same track for a special doubleheader weekend sounds like a good thing for motorsports. Both sets of fans will have the opportunity to see something different. We need unification instead of division. Lee: With Penske in command, I really do wonder what's going to happen in the series in the next few years. The one thing I think that will happen first will be the chance of us seeing doubleheader weekends paired with whichever respective NASCAR series. It’s something that needs to happen and if Penske can get this started, it may open the door for an even more interesting future. 5. NASCAR driver Kyle Busch is set to compete in the 2020 Rolex 24 at Daytona, driving a Lexus RC F GT3 for AIM Vasser Sullivan. How do you think the talented stock car racer will adapt to the GTD category? Lambeth: I think Kyle Busch will be perfectly fine when he takes on the Rolex 24 in a GTD car. Like most drivers, not familiar with a different car, it will take a little time before he gets comfortable. However, I am fairly confident that Rowdy will get up to speed in no time. It should be a new experience for Busch because GTD is the slowest class in IMSA. I am looking forward to watching him get a glimpse of being lapped traffic, attempting to stay out of the way of the faster DPi, LMP2 and GTLM cars. Lee: This will be his second time (Grand-Am debut in 2009) taking on an IMSA weekend but in a slower car this time around. I don’t think it will be bad for him, he’s an incredibly talented race car driver. Being in the slowest class will come with its own challenges, but I think he’ll manage well being lapped traffic for a change. It should be cool to see him run in the event in January. 6. With Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick punching their tickets to the Championship 4, who will join them for the title fight in Homestead? Lambeth: I think Kyle Busch will make it to Homestead without any major issues. As for the final spot, it is hard to choose between Joey Logano and someone below the cutoff line. Based on his form throughout the season, I find it difficult to imagine going to Homestead without Denny Hamlin fighting for the title. For some reason, it just seems like his year. In order to get a shot, he might have to win this weekend at ISM Raceway. Lee: With only two tickets remaining, I’m going with Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin to make it to Homestead. I really have a strong feeling that both drivers will have strong enough runs to get them into the Championship 4. I feel like if someone like Kyle Larson wins at ISM Raceway, he’s an EASY favorite to take it all in Miami. 7. Lewis Hamilton secured his sixth Formula 1 World Championship at COTA. Will he tie Michael Schumacher with seven titles, which is most all-time? Where does Hamilton rank among the F1 greats? Lambeth: If Mercedes continues building top cars, then I think Hamilton has a good shot at catching and potentially passing Schumacher in titles. He is a special talent that often gets disrespected. By the end of his career, Hamilton’s legacy will probably be one of the greatest ones in Formula 1 history. He is already deserving to have his name used in the same sentence as some of F1’s all-time greats. Lee: The dream started in 2007 and here we are in 2019 talking about Lewis Hamilton’s SIXTH championship in Formula 1. I think he easily has a chance to tie Michael Schumacher and it wouldn’t surprise me if he did it in 2020. Without a doubt, he’s one of the greatest drivers of all-time. Big ups to Lewis Hamilton! Hello, motorsports enthusiasts! Welcome to another edition of Seven Points with Kobe Lambeth and Kenneth Lee Jr. We will provide a weekly discussion each Wednesday on various topics in motorsports. Most content will focus on NASCAR but other racing series will be discussed as well.
Lambeth is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who is a Communications major with a concentration in mass media and minor in journalism. He contributes to motorsports coverage at The Podium Finish. Lee is a graduate of Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in Communications, an alumnus of the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program and an Associate Producer in Content Development for the Motor Racing Network. 1. The long wait is over. Todd Gilliland is finally a winner in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, after taking the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway. To say the least, he had a few words for his critical team owner Kyle Busch. Earlier this season, Busch publicly criticized both Gilliland and KBM teammate Harrison Burton. Is Gilliland’s outburst on the radio an example of someone letting off steam that built up over time? Lambeth: At last, Todd Gilliland won his first career Truck race. After being under a ton of pressure from his boss Kyle Busch, young Gilliland finally sealed the deal. A few months ago, Busch made his feelings about the performances of Gilliland and Burton be known to the public. He believed that both young drivers were not maximizing the opportunity in front of them at Kyle Busch Motorsports. When Gilliland took the checkered flag, he must have felt a massive relief to say what he said about Busch on the radio. Sometimes, when frustration builds up, it is good to get that off your chest. Gilliland admitted that he should have kept his mouth shut. However, it happened and there is no going back. Now, he will look to end the season with momentum heading into 2020. Lee: It’s been a long time coming for Todd Gilliland as he finally captured a win at Martinsville last Saturday afternoon. Busch has been rather harsh on his young drivers all season and I’m sure that doesn’t bold well with them. With an extreme amount of pressure on them already, being talked down to can’t feel great. I definitely can say that was something that’s been built up for a long time and that’s why he probably said that comment on the radio. Since he’ll be driving for his dad next year, it may give him a well needed boost in 2020. 2. With one race (ISM Raceway) remaining until the Championship 4, which drivers will battle for the Truck Series title in Homestead? Lambeth: Brett Moffitt, Ross Chastain, Austin Hill and Stewart Friesen Lee: Ross Chastain, Brett Moffitt, Matt Crafton and Austin Hill 3. Martin Truex Jr. led 464 out of 500 laps, winning at Martinsville Speedway and earning a spot in the Championship 4. The No. 19 team put together an absolutely dominating performance. Which ingredients made this effort possible for MTJ and Joe Gibbs Racing? Lambeth: For the second time this season, one driver dominated most of the race at Martinsville. This time it was Martin Truex Jr. Clean air and having the best car by far set him apart from the others. Those are the most important ingredients to have with the current aero package. As motorsports journalist Aaron Bearden stated, It truly was “Martin’s Ville.” Lee: It was quite a dominating day for Joe Gibbs Racing, after leading 494 laps at Martinsville. I think he’s had a good season overall, winning seven races so far with only three races to go. He had the best car all weekend and stayed out front in clean air. 4. If you were in charge of NASCAR for a day, would you change the rules package on short tracks and road courses for the 2020 season? Lambeth: My main goal would be to make the racing better at these tracks. I think that a smaller spoiler and reducing some downforce is the way to go. At the intermediates and superspeedways, I would not change a thing. However, I am not sure how much my proposals would add to costs, in a pretty much lame duck year for the Gen-6 car. Lee: Absolutely. I think we’ve found the great equalizer at both the superspeedways and intermediate tracks this season. I think going back to the small blade and taking downforce for short tracks and road courses is the way to go moving forward. I don’t think costs will be an issue. Once upon a time, cars had a completely different nose just for superspeedways. 5. Contact with Kyle Busch ended Aric Almirola’s race at Martinsville. In response, with three weeks remaining, Almirola promised to “make it hell” for Rowdy. Do you anticipate payback? Lambeth: Absolutely not. I think this is more “talk” than anything. Expect to see normal racing between Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch if they cross paths at Texas, Phoenix or Homestead. Lee: NOPE and I will say again NOPE. He’s really not the type to even try something like that in the first place. Secondly, a place like ISM and Texas is so aero dependent, so retaliation might ultimately ruin his own day. 6. The biggest story coming out of Martinsville turned out to be the post-race altercation between Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. Should the crew members be allowed to get involved? Did NASCAR make the right call by giving the Logano crew member, who threw Hamlin to the ground, a one-race suspension? Lambeth: Honestly, I think that altercations should be handled between the drivers themselves. However, someone should step in if the situation gets out of hand. For example, if a driver is on the ground bleeding, then someone needs to intervene. Other than that, I say keep the crew members out of it. Suspending Logano’s crew member for a single race is better than nothing, but he should be sat down for the remainder of the season. A stronger message would have been sent. Lee: The post-race altercation is a prime example of what I’ve been talking about for quite some time. You have to just let the drivers go at one another until someone hits the ground. If you don’t know where I’m getting that from, it’s the NHL rules. I think it’s fair that the crew member got the suspension honestly. This would be a different conversation had Denny hit his head on the concrete. Let the drivers have at it and not the entire squad. 7. On Halloween, Tony Stewart will make his return to a stock car. The three-time Cup champion is set to do some demonstration laps at COTA during Formula 1 race weekend. Haas F1 drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will also get to spend some time behind the wheel of the stock car. Recently, we saw Josef Newgarden doing demo laps at the Charlotte Roval and Nick Tandy took his GTLM Porsche for a ride at Talladega. What do you think of Smoke’s return and two active F1 drivers getting a taste of NASCAR? Lambeth: Watching the worlds of NASCAR and Formula 1 collide is always a good thing. Tony Stewart returning to the wheel of a stock car should be a special moment. A stock car at COTA is a pleasant surprise. F1 drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will definitely have their hands full trying to learn how to navigate the Ford Mustang stock car. With Newgarden and Tandy doing their demo laps, recently, having Stewart and two active F1 drivers do something like this is incredible for the motorsports world. I hope we continue to see more demos in the future. Lee: I think this is a pretty cool deal to happen, I’ve wanted more of these things to happen in motorsports. In a time like this, where motorsports in general is a niche, it just makes sense to do this. Gotta bring fans together to enjoy different disciplines. It’ll be cool for the two F1 drivers to see what it’s like in the stock car realm. I hope there will be more of these in the future. Bonus Point: Arrow McLaren SP parted ways with James Hinchcliffe, leaving the popular Canadian without a drive, at the moment. Today, the organization confirmed Patricio O'Ward and Oliver Askew as their full-time drivers for the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season. Where do you think Hinchcliffe will land next season? Did Hinchcliffe get treated poorly? What are your thoughts on Arrow McLaren SP going with a young driver lineup, consisting of the last two Indy Lights champions? Lambeth: Honestly, unless he can pull a rabbit out of his hat, the chances of James Hinchcliffe finding a full season drive appears to be slim. Most of the seats are taken, so he does not have many options. If he had known earlier that he would not be returning to the team, like Marcus Ericsson, then he would have been in a better position. We will just have to wait and see if he will be a part of the IndyCar grid next season. I think the timing of everything was wrong. As I stated, Ericsson had time to secure his new ride at Chip Ganassi Racing. Hinchcliffe got released at the team at the worst possible time. Plus, he risked his relationship with Honda to remain loyal to the team that ultimately cut him loose. In my opinion, I do not fault the team for going after two potential superstars of the future, but I feel that the entire situation could have been handled with more class. Without a doubt, Patricio O’Ward and Oliver Askew are very deserving of the opportunity at Arrow McLaren SP. They won the last two Indy Lights championships. Both are proven products of the Road To Indy ladder system. The future is bright for the young drivers. However, I am shocked that they opted out of hiring an experienced veteran alongside a rookie driver. Although O’Ward and Askew are massively talented, they will have a lot of growing to do as their IndyCar careers take off. On the McLaren Formula 1 side of things, their young driver lineup of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris appear to be working out just fine. They are not afraid to take a chance on young talent. Lee: I think this is a real unfortunate deal for James Hinchcliffe, especially it being this late in the game. I think if Arrow was really that mad about the magazine deal, they should have let him know at an earlier time instead of waiting this long to make a decision. There’s nothing wrong with having a young driver lineup at all, but I think development may not be at a very high rate. Not to take away from their talent, I just think it’s very hard to build a team with a pair of young guys. Hello, motorsports enthusiasts! Welcome to another edition of Seven Points with Kobe Lambeth and Kenneth Lee Jr. We will provide a weekly discussion each Wednesday on various topics in motorsports. Most content will focus on NASCAR but other racing series will be discussed as well.
Lambeth is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who is a Communications major with a concentration in mass media and minor in journalism. He is a contributor for The Podium Finish and RockinghamNow. Lee is a graduate of Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in Communications, an alumnus of the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program, and an Associate Producer in Content Development for the Motor Racing Network. 1. Josef Newgarden is a two-time NTT IndyCar Series champion. How would you describe his 2019 championship season? Lambeth: Newgarden had a strong, consistent season on his way to a second IndyCar title, in the last three years. He won four races and did exactly what he needed to do, in order to bring home the hardware. To be honest, I thought throwing away valuable points at Mid-Ohio and Gateway would prove costly. However, the 28-year-old American driver maintained his championship lead during the final stretch of the season. Lee: As the 2019 season came to a close, Josef Newgarden has scored his second IndyCar title. Besides the mishaps at Mid-Ohio and Gateway, he remained consistent in his efforts to take home the new hardware. Newgarden kept it clean on Sunday and came out on top! 2. What was your most memorable moment of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series season? Lambeth: Without a doubt, it has to be the Cinderella story from Bump Day at Indianapolis 500 qualifying. Juncos Racing and Kyle Kaiser sent home mighty McLaren Racing and two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso. Juncos Racing did not have a sponsor for the Indy 500, before sending McLaren and Alonso to the airport prematurely. Ultimately, Juncos ended up getting sponsorship for the race. If you like underdog stories, then you really appreciated what Juncos Racing were able to accomplish with Kyle Kaiser. Lee: For me, I’d say the resurgence of Simon Pagenaud during the month of May. After having a rough start to the season, it led to several rumours of him being out of a ride for 2020. After winning the Indy Grand Prix, he capped off a victory in the biggest race of the calendar, the Indy 500. Also, it didn’t stop there for him as the consistency would remain by finishing second in the championship. 3. What are some of the top storylines heading into the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season? Lambeth: I think a lot of people are going to be intrigued to learn the driver lineup at Arrow McLaren Racing SP. This is definitely a story to follow. Also, the Red Bull Aeroscreen is set to debut as well. More safety advancements are arriving to IndyCar. Lee: For me, I would have to say the mystery of where Conor Daly may potentially land for 2020. After completing several one-off drives, for several teams, it makes everyone wonder will it be time for him to achieve a full-time seat. I think he has the talent and should be in someone’s car next year. 4. For the first time in over a year, Sebastian Vettel returned to the top step of the podium, securing victory at the Singapore Grand Prix. Will this become a confident booster for the Ferrari driver, who has struggled with his form this season? Lambeth: Thanks to Ferrari pit strategy, Vettel was able to overtake teammate Charles Leclerc, which ultimately led to a much needed victory. This should be good for his confident, after showing a dismal form in multiple races. At Singapore, his form was perfect. Let’s see if he can use this as momentum for the remainder of the season. Lee: Sebastian Vettel finally gets back on the podium, after a year long wait. An odd pit call strategy by Ferrari caused Vettel to navigate his way to the point and it led to his first victory of 2019. I think this will be a big confidence boost for him as the season prepares to close out. 5. The Haas F1 Team announced an unchanged driver lineup for the 2020 Formula 1 season. Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will remain teammates. Do you think this was a good move to keep consistency, instead of looking at a driver such as Nico Hulkenberg? Lambeth: I was shocked by Haas’ decision not to tweak the 2020 driver lineup. The return of Kevin Magnussen was expected, but I thought Romain Grosjean was set to get dropped by the team. This move caught me off guard. I expected Nico Hulkenberg to be one of the leading candidates to partner Magnussen. It would be such a shame if Hulkenberg does not find a seat for 2020. He is too talented to be on the sidelines. The only realistic seat seems to be Williams (vacated by Kubica), at the moment. Adding Hulkenberg to the Haas lineup would have at least been a breath of fresh air. Lee: This one right here has to be one of the most confusing things I’ve seen so far for a team. Haas has had a plethora of issues with the current lineup they have and I honestly thought this would be the time for them to blow it up. Instead, they’ve decided to stick with the same exact team for next season. With Nico Hulkenberg being available, most would imagine they’d get him. I feel like midway through next year they’ll be kicking themselves. 6. Robert Kubica will not return to Williams Racing in 2020. Kubica is set to pursue other opportunities in motorsports. Despite not driving a competitive car, how much respect does Kubica deserve for fighting his way back to Formula 1, after nearly losing his arm in a rally crash? Who do you think will replace him at Williams? Lambeth: While many doubted his ability to drive a Formula 1 car again, Robert Kubica never stopped believing in himself. He worked incredibly hard to make it back to the F1 grid. In 2019, his dream return became a reality. The man nearly lost his arm in a horrific rally crash. People said that he would not be able to handle the current nature of F1 cars. He proved those doubters wrong. Although he was unable to replicate his old form for obvious reasons, Kubica deserves nothing but respect for finding a way back. In the end, he gets to leave on his own terms and make the next decision. Honestly, the only realistic option as his replacement at Williams would likely be Formula 2 driver Nicholas Latifi. Lee: Despite not being able to keep his ride, I think it’s still incredible that he was able to get back into Formula 1 once again. Not really sure what more he could do in a car that’s already not that good. Kudos to him for being able to prove every single person wrong; this also could be a good thing for him. Perhaps he may find himself another ride in another discipline and be better off. However, I’d imagine Nicholas Latifi is the automatic pick for Williams in 2020. 7. The Queen City is electric. NASCAR has returned home. After waiting all season long, it is finally ROVAL week at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Last year’s inaugural race weekend proved to be chaotic at times, especially with the additional pressure of the playoffs. Do you expect more of the same? Lambeth: Absolutely! I feel so honored that I got to witness the first ROVAL weekend in history last year. It was a wild weekend of racing. I fully expect this year’s edition to be even crazier. If you have not been to this event in person, I definitely recommend adding it to your bucket list. Lee: I’m super amped up to be back at the Roval again, which was the first race I got to cover working for MRN, so I’ve got quite the buzz. It should be a great race with elimination on the line. It’s going to be some guys taking risks to advance to the next round of the playoffs. Hello, motorsports enthusiasts! Welcome to another edition of Seven Points with Kobe Lambeth and Kenneth Lee Jr. We will provide a weekly discussion each Wednesday on various topics in motorsports. Most content will focus on NASCAR but other racing series will be discussed as well.
Lambeth is a student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who is a Communications major with a concentration in mass media and minor in journalism. He is a contributor for The Podium Finish and RockinghamNow. Lee is a graduate of Tuskegee University with a bachelor's degree in Communications, an alumnus of the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program, and an Associate Producer in Content Development for the Motor Racing Network. 1. Kyle Busch was the main headline coming out of Las Vegas Motor Speedway. While trying to get around the lapped car of Garrett Smithley, Busch made contact with the rear of Smithley’s No. 52 car. After the race, Rowdy talked about how we have drivers at the Cup level, who have never won Late Model races. What are your thoughts on his take? Lambeth: Kyle Busch is known for his blunt responses and Sunday night was not much different than the usual. He was pretty frustrated by running into the back of Garrett Smithley, After watching the replay, it seemed like Smithley held his line and Busch was the one who made the mistake. I understand that it must be frustrating being in a faster car, trying to fight through lap traffic weekly. However, the drivers in lapped cars can only do so much with their equipment. Smithley did not do anything wrong, in my opinion. Like Corey LaJoie said, “You can put Jesus Christ in the 52 and he’s not cracking the top 30 if nobody wrecks.” That is just the way things work in NASCAR. To wrap this up, Busch is definitely not wrong about some drivers making it to this level without winning Late Model races. On the flip side, these drivers and their families do whatever they can to make it to the highest levels that racing has to offer. We should all know the current state of the sport, without any questions. Lee: Las Vegas turned out to be wilder than most people expected on Sunday night. Kyle Busch and Garrett Smithley, a pair you’d never think about seeing in the news together, made headlines all over the place. Many have said that Kyle should have moved but when you’re already committed to a line, it's not that simple. However, I think Kyle wasn’t wrong at the point of the ladder system being broken in NASCAR. Money has always done the talking but it’s an even more relevant statement these days. Not to knock Smithley, of course, but it’s gotten to the point of being too simple to get to the highest level. 2. Tyler Reddick got the best of Christopher Bell, saving enough fuel to score his fifth Xfinity win of the season. Were you surprised that he ran over 70 laps without running out of fuel? Lambeth: To be honest, I was not very confident that he could make it to the end on fuel. Once again, Tyler Reddick rose to the occasion and picked up another victory. The Xfinity Playoffs should be a fun battle between him, Christopher Bell, Cole Custer and others. Lee: Just like at Iowa, Christopher Bell got outplayed by the field on pit strategy once again. I honestly thought he had the best car all weekend, but Tyler Reddick’s team played everything perfectly. I think he has a good shot at repeating as champion, BUT he’ll have to go through Christopher Bell and Cole Custer to do so. 3. During the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series qualifying session at Las Vegas, Jesse Iwuji experienced a frightening crash on pit road. Iwuji went for a spin and crashed into the pit wall. Were you nervous when you saw the truck heading towards pit road? Lambeth: To say the least, my heart dropped to the floor. So many different things could have went wrong in that unfortunate situation. I was relieved watching Iwuji climb out of his destroyed truck. His impact to the pit wall was very nasty. I am glad that everything turned out well and we avoided the worst case scenario. Lee: Pretty crazy incident that happened to Jesse Iwuji at Las Vegas. A lot of things could have gone really bad in that situation. However, everyone in the pits and Jesse made it out okay. Super thankful for all of the safety innovations in those trucks. 4. What in the world happened with the spec motors in the Truck race? Lambeth: In this race, it was truly a nightmare on Friday the 13th for some teams. I have never seen so many teams have motor problems like this before. Hopefully, they will figure out what went wrong so it never happens again. Seeing multiple engine issues on Friday was one of the strangest things ever. Hopefully, things will be fixed moving forward in the playoffs. Lee: If you’ve watched NASCAR in the last 10 years or so, mechanical failures don’t happen as often but coincidentally a few motors decided to blow during the truck race. 5. Last week, Wood Brothers Racing announced that Paul Menard will retire from full-time racing, at the end of the 2019 season. Matt DiBenedetto will replace him, in 2020, driving the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang. Are you surprised that Menard decided to step away from full-time competition? Do you think DiBenedetto will perform well with the Wood Brothers? Lambeth: This announcement was quite a shocker. I did not expect Menard to step away from NASCAR full-time this soon but here we are. With his family at home, Menard will head to the next chapter in his life, following Homestead. The entire Menard family are an important part of this sport. They have given a lot to support it, so I am glad that they will continue after Paul Menard leaves. This gives Matt DiBenedetto a chance to drive for one of the most legendary teams in NASCAR history. Plus, he will have Team Penske equipment to drive. I think DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers should have a shot at making the playoffs, possibly securing a win or two. Lee: Honestly, I thought this was a troll post from a fake account but low and behold it was a real thing. This was one silly season move I didn’t expect to see but this is a big move for Matt DiBenedetto. If he’s done anything this season that’s proven that he can make the jump. Making a move to Penske equipment will be a big opportunity for him and now it’s time for him to grab some wins. 6. A few weeks ago, Formula 3 driver Alex Peroni was involved in a horrifying crash at Monza. He suffered a broken vertebra and feels “very lucky to be walking,” according to motorsport.com. How lucky is Peroni to even be alive? Lambeth: This scary crash took place a week after Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert lost his life at Spa-Francorchamps. It was insane how the sausage kerb launched the car so high in the air. I think we need to figure out a different solution with the kerbs, but apparently this is a knee-jerk reaction, according to the “experts.” With Peroni surviving the crash, this is a testament to modern safety enhancements. If something like this happened a decade ago, I am not sure if Peroni walks away. The young driver is lucky to survive such a spectacular crash. Lee: Following a terrifying weekend at Spa, we got another crazy incident at Monza. Peroni was catapulted in the air after hitting a kerb and is incredibly fortunate to be in his current condition. One wrong angle and today this conversation would be paralysis rather than a broken vertebra. Thankfully, he was able to walk away from the crash. 7. The NTT IndyCar Series heads to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the season finale this weekend. With double points available, will Josef Newgarden win his second IndyCar title or can Alexander Rossi spoil the party from 41 points behind? Lambeth: Unless something crazy happens, I think Josef Newgarden becomes a two-time IndyCar champion. The 28-year-old American driver controls his own destiny. Lee: Despite a double points weekend, I think Josef Newgarden should have this championship all in his control. I think it will take a pretty catastrophic weekend for him to lose it but you may never know. Should be a very entertaining finale at Laguna Seca. Bonus Point: Richard Childress Racing announced that Daniel Hemric will be released from the team, at the conclusion of the 2019 season. Do you think one season is enough time for a rookie driver to show their skills? Will this move open the door for Tyler Reddick's highly anticipated Cup move in 2020? Lambeth: One season is definitely not enough time for a driver to develop. Unfortunately, in modern society, drivers do not get time to make mistakes, learn and grow. If you are not performing up to standards or bringing money to the table, then the driver will usually get the boot. This is an unfortunate situation for Hemric but this is just business. The business side of the sport can be very cruel at times. However, RCR has Tyler Reddick waiting in the wings. His upside is too high to let him walk away to another organization. I would be surprised if Reddick is not driving the 8 car in 2020. As for Hemric, we will have to wait and see if he will get another opportunity to continue his NASCAR career. Lee: Is one year enough development time for a driver? I don’t think so whatsoever, but I will say it’s going to be quite strange at the end of the year when Daniel Hemric takes home the Rookie of the Year award. As likely as that seems for him to win ROTY honors, I really don’t think performance was an issue for him, baring he has the team’s only top-5 of the season. Two things, money and RC didn’t want to let Tyler Reddick get away. Per Adam Stern, he’s bringing up $5 million along with him to Cup. It’s incredibly unfortunate he was in that line of fire, but I think he will have another shot some day. RCR may regret this one someday. |