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. Kyle Busch won his seventh consecutive NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race last Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Later on, Kevin Harvick had a little fun on Twitter, offering $50,000 to any full-time Cup driver, who can defeat Busch when he competes in the Truck Series. If you had to pick a Cup driver to beat Rowdy in a Truck race, who would it be? Lambeth: I think Christopher Bell could take the fight to Kyle Busch in the Truck Series, if this little bet were to become a reality. During his time there, Bell won seven races and earned the 2017 series championship. If there is one driver, who could threaten Rowdy’s winning streak, I strongly believe that Bell would be his toughest competitor. Lee: I think the bounty is a pretty cool deal. It reminds me of the “No Bull” from the Winston Cup days. If I had to pick a driver that could do it, I’d go with the young gun John Hunter Nemecheck. I’ve always thought he was a solid driver and when given the right equipment, I think he could take Busch down and claim the cash prize. 2. Chase Briscoe was victorious over Austin Cindric in last weekend's NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Sin City. With last year's Big Three off to Cup, which drivers could effectively become the next trio of dominant Xfinity pilots? Lambeth: Previously, I predicted that Chase Briscoe would be the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. I truly believe in his ability to take the next step in his career this season. Without a doubt, he should solidify himself in the conversation as one the top full-time Xfinity drivers. In addition, I would include Austin Cindric and Noah Gragson as the next young talents poised for a breakout season. I think Cindric, who is an incredibly gifted road course racer, will finally win an oval race. As for Gragson, 2020 should be a significant improvement over his rookie campaign. Lee: It was a huge win for Briscoe to kick the season off as he’s now locked into the playoffs. He’s certainly one of the most talented guys in the field. I think this could be the start of a great 2020 season for him and the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang team. If I could add two more drivers to become the next trio of dominant Xfinity drivers, I would add Noah Gragson and Austin Cindric to be in the mix. 3. Ryan Sieg finished third, in last weekend's Xfinity race, which proved to be one of the best drives of his racing career. Sieg's No. 39 Chevrolet Camaro SS was very competitive, mixing it up with top notch organizations such as Joe Gibbs Racing and JR Motorsports. Should we expect more performances like this from Sieg throughout the season? Lambeth: Ryan Sieg was one of the top storylines of the Xfinity race. His family-owned team displayed a strong performance against multiple race-winning organizations. 2019 was a career year for the Georgia native. It would not surprise me if he shows more improvement this season. Over the years, he has progressed naturally up the grid. If his Las Vegas form is any indication of things to come, Sieg is a driver that could continue to turn heads moving forward. Lee: Ryan Sieg picked up a solid finish for his team at Las Vegas. Running in the same car that Austin Dillon won with previously at Las Vegas truly paid off. He’s always been a strong driver and makes the most out of his equipment, so I don’t think this will be the last time you see his name in the top-five. 4. The NASCAR community is planning multiple tributes for the late Kobe Bryant this weekend at Auto Club Speedway. Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others, who died in last month’s tragic helicopter crash will be honored. A very classy gesture, right? Lambeth: I really appreciate the NASCAR community for finding multiple ways to honor Kobe Bryant, Gianna and seven others in the deadly helicopter crash. Personally, Kobe was a childhood hero of mine, which makes this gesture a very special one to me. Looking at the bigger picture, honoring him in southern California makes perfect sense. This is the region where he found most of his success on and off the court as a Laker. Fontana is not too far from Los Angeles. In addition, I am sure that plenty of fans are looking forward to the Kobe tribute cars, set to be driven by William Byron and Ryan Blaney. Imagine if Byron or Blaney goes to victory lane this weekend, driving such a special paint scheme. Lee: I’m super happy to see the NASCAR community doing something to honor Kobe Bryant, Gianna and seven others that were involved in the helicopter crash. While it still feels unreal, I’m glad teams have come together to do an honor like that. I’ve grown up a huge basketball fan. In my generation, Kobe was my Jordan as a kid. It would be something if either Byron or Blaney won, so I can’t wait for the weekend to get underway. 5. NASCAR Cup Series organization Rick Ware Racing earned an invite to the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, due to capturing the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 Am title with driver Cody Ware. What does it mean to be a team based in North Carolina, representing the entire country at Le Mans? Lambeth: Having the privilege of being invited to Le Mans is quite an honor, regardless of where you come from in the world. Many teams and drivers dream of participating in the twice-around-the-clock French endurance classic. After earning an invite, the dream of going to Le Mans is a few months away from becoming a reality for Rick Ware Racing. I am sure that some folks in the NASCAR community will pay closer attention to the crown jewel endurance race with RWR on the grid. Lee: Rick Ware Racing has made some interesting moves in the last year and I think what tops everything is getting an invite to Le Mans. I think it will turn some heads in the NASCAR community, so it will be interesting to see how they perform. 6. The 2020 Virgin Australia Supercars season got underway last weekend, with a pair of races at Adelaide. Seven-time champion Jamie Whincup took the opening race of the season, while back-to-back champion Scott McLaughlin won the second race. Opening weekend produced two competitive races throughout the field. Given the new rule changes, do you think we will see greater parity this season? Lambeth: Last year, Scott McLaughlin and DJR Team Penske dominated the championship. McLaughlin scored 18 wins, 15 poles and an average finish of 2.3 to score his second consecutive Supercars title. Nobody could stop him last season. It was truly Scotty Mac’s show. However, with changes to the rules, I think he will have a tougher fight on his hands this season. While I do believe that McLaughlin stands a good chance of accomplishing the three-peat, his competitors will not make it an easy ride to the championship. Looking ahead, I think the parity will improve in 2020, in comparison to last season. The drivers definitely know how to put on a competitive show Down Under. Lee: Last weekend, there were two competitive races to kick off the Supercars season with champions Scott McLaughlin and Jamie Whincup winning the opening rounds. I think the new rule changes will produce more parity throughout the field. While rule changes will never completely knock off the cream of the crop, it should make for some great battles. 7. Two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso will return to the Brickyard, attempting the Indianapolis 500 with Arrow McLaren SP. In his third attempt, he seeks to compete in the race for the second time. Alonso is set to drive the No. 66 Chevrolet as a teammate to rookie drivers Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew. Do you think his years of experience as a racer will benefit the young McLaren drivers? After getting bumped from the field of 33, in 2019, will Alonso face any dangers of missing the race for a second consecutive year? Lambeth: Fernando Alonso and McLaren are joining forces yet again for this year’s Indianapolis 500. His experience as a driver should be very beneficial for young McLaren teammates Pato O’Ward and Oliver Askew. Alonso has so much knowledge that is waiting to be passed down to the next generation of racing drivers. O’Ward and Askew have tons of potential to be a pair of special talents. Despite failing to qualify for the 2019 Indianapolis 500, I think Alonso can rest easy this time around. Instead of McLaren coming as a solo team, they partnered Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson, who have years of IndyCar experience. Joining forces with a current team that already discovered success was a smart move on McLaren’s part. Altogether, I believe that Arrow McLaren SP will be perfectly fine on when qualifying rolls around. However, as they say on Big Brother, “expect the unexpected.” Lee: I’m sure getting bumped humbled him to some degree, at least most people would likely believe that. I think he may approach making the field a lot differently than he did in 2019. To McLaren’s benefit, partnering up with Sam Schmidt and Ric Peterson was a smart move, given their success in IndyCar. However, we can't get complacent at all, knowing that Indy 500 qualifying is a beast of it’s own and it won’t be an easy task.
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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. 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. Action Express Racing’s trio of Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani and Eric Curran claimed overall victory at the Motul Petit Le Mans. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi held a strong pace throughout the race and took home the hardware. Meanwhile, Acura Team Penske drivers Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya won the DPi title. What are your thoughts on the 2019 edition of the 10-hour endurance race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta? After adding an IMSA title to his resume, where does JPM stand among the all-time great drivers? Lambeth: As always, Petit Le Mans did not disappoint. It had plenty of action and drama from the time the green flag dropped until we reached the 10-hour mark. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi showed a strong pace from the start and they got the job done, picking up another overall win. While the 31 won the race, Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya claimed DPi Championship honors. For Cameron, this is his third IMSA title since the merger, beginning in 2014. In my opinion, Montoya should be considered as one of the most versatile drivers of all-time. He has accomplished so much in his career and spent time in various disciplines. Fernando Alonso has a long way to go if he wants to reach Montoya status. Lee: A fun weekend of racing overall and as usual Petit Le Mans delivered us a fantastic race, virtually the best way to end the season. I thought we had some fantastic battles in each respective class (minus LMP2 sadly-Kobe) last Saturday. As for JPM, notching an IMSA title makes him one of the greatest drivers we’ve seen all-time without question. A two-time Indy 500 winner, a multiple time winner in Formula 1 and NASCAR and an IMSA title to boost sounds pretty stacked to me. Easily one of the overlooked all-time greats. 2. For the first time since the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Risi Competizione returned to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTLM class for Motul Petit Le Mans. The No. 62 Ferrari 488 GTE lineup consisted of recent GTE Pro Le Mans winners James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Daniel Serra. Ultimately, the Houston-based team defeated the likes of Corvette, Ford, BMW and Porsche for class honors. Would you like to see Risi return in 2020? Lambeth: Risi Competizione put together a complete performance, winning their first race back since Daytona. The fan favorite had an incredibly strong lineup of Calado, Pier Guidi and Serra, who won GTE Pro at Le Mans, a few months ago. The trio represented Ferrari well and had no issues taking down their competitors. I would love for Risi to return and add more races to their 2020 schedule, but we all know that it will come down to budget. Hopefully, Ferrari could provide them some assistance because the GTLM grid needs a Prancing Horse more often than not. Lee: Risi Competizione put together a great performance and captured a win at Road Atlanta on Saturday. They’ve got a pretty solid lineup and many fans really enjoy seeing the team compete in IMSA. Hopefully, they will make a return next season in 2020. 3. Bill Auberlen earned his 60th career IMSA win, tying sports car racing legend Scott Pruett as IMSA’s all-time winningest driver. Will Auberlen get win No. 61 in 2020? Lambeth: Assuming that he most likely returns to Turner Motorsport, I think there is a good chance that Auberlen will become the winningest driver in IMSA history. Auberlen has enjoyed a wonderful career and he should go down as one of the most successful drivers in North American sports car racing history. Lee: 60 wins in IMSA is quite a difficult task, given all of the talent that is spread across the board. I’m sure if he returns in 2020, he’ll begin to gun for it soon as we hit the high banks of Daytona once again. Even if he doesn’t achieve the 61st win, he is still one of the best drivers in North American sports car racing. 4. DJR Team Penske survived a late race restart to win the crown jewel Down Under, known as the Bathurst 1000. Supercars regular Scott McLaughlin and co-driver Alex Premat shared the special victory. Roger Penske has claimed another important race in the motorsports world. What else could the Captain accomplish? Lambeth: This was a very emotional win for DJR Team Penske, especially for defending Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin, who won the “bloody Bathurst 1000.” He is currently putting together some of the best drives of his career. Getting this crown jewel on his resume clearly meant the world to him. Without a doubt, Roger Penske is one of the most successful team owners of all-time. Penske has won just about everything there is to win in motorsports. However, he has yet to claim the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the future, we will have to keep an eye on DPi and Hypercar for any new developments. If DPi is allowed to race at Le Mans someday, I would not be surprised to see the Captain’s Acura Team Penske squad entered, especially if they have shot to win overall. Lee: This has been quite a year for Team Penske overall but reigning Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin adds a big win to his already admirable resume. He was quite an emotional man in victory lane and he absolutely rocked his way to a win during the Bathurst 1000. The only thing left on the radar for Penske to win is the 24 Hour of LeMans. Penske has won just about every crown jewel in the book, but to me and many others, I think he is the best car owner of all-time. 5. After Johnny Sauter got penalized, Spencer Boyd and his Young’s Motorsports team were declared winners of the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. This was Boyd’s first career win and the first in the history of Young’s Motorsports. How many people do you think picked Boyd to win this race? Lambeth: I do not think many people could have predicted a Spencer Boyd victory at Talladega. However, that is the beauty of the draft at Daytona and Talladega. It is often referred to as the “great equalizer.” Luckily, Boyd was in the right place at the right time. He will never forget winning his first NASCAR race. All drivers dream to be in a position to experience the taste of victory. Lee: One of the biggest upsets of the year without a doubt I would say. I think only people on his team and in his corner picked him to win that one. Superspeedway racing typically brings the competition a lot closer than it does on any other weekend. After just putting sponsorship together, before the race, this will be a Hallmark moment in his career. 6. In the closing laps of the Cup race, Brendan Gaughan’s No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 went for a wild ride, flipping through the air while battling for the lead. What were your thoughts when you saw it happening live? Lambeth: Brendan Gaughan definitely dodged a bullet. It is always a scary sight when a car flips and catches a bit of air. Luckily, the No. 62 landed on four wheels and Gaughan walked away. This was typical Talladega. You are going to see some crazy crashes every now and then. Lee: Watching the No. 62 go flying in the air live was pretty wild if I’m being honest. Of course, this isn’t the first time most of us have seen a car flp, but it still blows my mind that he landed on all four wheels “normally.” Sometimes, we’ll see it happen but glad he’s OK after the incident. 7. Ryan Blaney earned the win at Talladega, barely clipping Ryan Newman in a photo finish. Overall, do you think this package puts on the best show at places like Daytona and Talladega? Lambeth: In my opinion, this is the perfect package for superspeedways. There was never a dull moment during the race. I literally held my breath every lap and it took a few years off my life. The entertainment level went through the roof. Drivers get such a huge run, so it is harder for them to block, creating a chaotic, intense on-track product. Lee: After seeing three superspeedway races with this package, there is no doubt in my mind that this package has been perfected. Drivers were able to mix it up all day long at Daytona and Talladega races this season. Moving into 2020 and beyond, I think this is one thing that will not need a change. I’m super happy about the on-track product we had at these tracks, in 2019. 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 to 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. NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Justin Haley and Spire Motorsports surprised the entire garage by winning the rain-shortened Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, on Fourth of July weekend. Haley became a first-time Cup winner, in his third start, at the sport’s top level. However, the upset victory was overshadowed by controversy. Do people have a right to be angry? Lambeth: Hate the game, don't hate the player. In my opinion, if folks are truly angry over Justin Haley and Spire Motorsports for winning this race, they should direct their anger at NASCAR for allowing this agency to have a team. This type of practice would not be allowed in other professional sports. If you want to read more about this situation, I have provided a link from Yahoo.com's Nick Bromberg (above). As for Haley, I feel bad for him because his first Cup win is supposed to be a special moment for any driver. He was just driving the car and Spire Motorsports capitalized on Mother Nature. Simply, NASCAR has a broken system that needs to be fixed. How do you fix it? I have no idea. But I hope someone knows. Lee: Despite a ton of people that are pretty angry about what happened, it’s all within the rules of NASCAR. I get that none of this would be allowed in stick and ball sports, but it’s clearly not the case in NASCAR. It’s unfortunate that social media was pretty harsh on Justin Haley, who was just driving the car. He didn’t celebrate as if he passed 20 cars at the end of the race, but just simply hugged and high fived his team. Is the system an issue? Sure, but will they ban the charters anytime soon or a sports agency owning a team? I highly doubt it. Sadly, this win will be forgotten as it was called, due to weather. 2. Ross Chastain led the charge for Kaulig Racing, earning the organization’s first victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chastain and Justin Haley earned a 1-2 finish. AJ Allmendinger would have finished third, but his car failed post-race inspection. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful night for team owner Matt Kaulig. What did you think of Chastain’s emotions post-race? Lambeth: Chastain's emotions on the frontstretch, following the race was quite a sight to see. Winning at home meant a lot to the Florida driver. The "Watermelon Man" let his emotions show and celebrated with the trademark watermelon smash at the start/finish line. Fans seem to appreciate drivers, who are passionate and show their emotions. If you did not know anything about Chastain, you would probably believe that he won his very first race. He celebrates every win like it is his first. The watermelon farmer introduced us to his unique personality, which is something that fans should enjoy. Lee: The story that just keeps getting better in 2019 is easily Ross Chastain. He’s been on a tear on the NASCAR circuit from being disqualified, bouncing back the following weekend with a win, to winning at Daytona. The Florida native mentioned the times he would go out to the races on Fourth of July weekend. I bet him winning at Daytona must’ve been an absolute joy. I love his celebrations and energy that he brings to NASCAR. It’s needed and welcomed by fans. 3. Mazda Team Joest scored back-to-back IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship overall victories in another 1-2 finish at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. However, it was the No. 77 Mazda RT24-P DPi of Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nunez celebrating at the top of the podium. The previous week, the sister car (No. 55) claimed overall victory at Watkins Glen. It appears that Mazda is finally beginning to figure things out with their DPi program, right? Lambeth: Mazda Team Joest came out of nowhere to dominate the last two rounds. For a program that struggled for years, it is nice to see something positive happen for the entire Mazda brand. Let's see if they can keep the momentum rolling into the final stretch of the season at Road America, Laguna Seca and Road Atlanta. Lee: Mazda has somehow found a way to have both proper pace and reliability in the last two weeks. For a team that has shown pace over the last few years, but have always experienced some type of mechanical failure or misfortune, it’s great to see them win two race weekends in a row. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain the pace for the final stretch of the season. It could possibly make the DPi championship quite compelling. 4. Victor Franzoni suffered a frightening shunt, during Sunday afternoon’s IMSA race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The No. 50 Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R experienced heavy damage. Luckily, Franzoni was able to walk away without suffering serious injuries, following a trip to the hospital. Is this a testament to Dallara for building a safe chassis? Lambeth: Franzoni is very lucky to have escaped major injury. His heavily damaged Cadillac DPi looked like something shoved in a drawer, if you saw the photos of it sandwiched in the tire barriers. Kudos to Dallara for building a safe, strong chassis, allowing drivers to walk away from massive shunts. Lee: Pretty big crash for him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that happen to a driver. Plenty of times, I’ve seen a driver get into the tire barrier but never seen the entire car put into the barrier. Thankfully, he was able to walk away from the incident. I’m glad that Dallara is able to provide a safe car for drivers. 5. DJR Team Penske announced an unchanged lineup for the 2020 Virgin Australian Supercars Championship season, with Fabian Coulthard and defending series champion Scott McLaughlin returning to the team. How important is it for a team to have continuity? What does this say about McLaughlin’s rumored move to NASCAR stateside? Lambeth: An unchanged driver lineup for DJR Team Penske means that team chemistry will remain intact for the foreseeable future. Coulthard and McLaughlin are a great pairing, so having them both continue with the team does not surprise me. As for McLaughlin, if his NASCAR aspirations remain strong, they will have to wait a little while longer as the Captain keeps the defending champion Down Under in 2020. In the future, I would love to see how McLaughlin performs in a stock car. Lee: There was a ton of speculation on what the lineup was going to look like in the 2020 season, especially with the likes of McLaughlin being linked to a potential NASCAR ride. With that out of the picture, for now, the team can continue to build upon the chemistry and dominance that they currently have 6. Sage Karam will return to the NTT IndyCar Series, on the streets of Toronto, driving the No. 31 Carlin Racing Chevrolet. SmartShop Self Storage will sponsor the 24-year-old American driver. Could a strong performance lead to future opportunities for Karam, who was once considered American open-wheel racing’s next superstar? Lambeth: Absolutely! This is a great opportunity for Karam to remind folks why people thought so highly of him, a few years ago. Karam has grown tremendously as a driver over time. He gained some maturity and appears to be ready to tackle Toronto. I am intrigued to watch him drive on a street course with the current aero kit, considering it has been a while since his last street course IndyCar race. Lee: I think this is a good opportunity for Karam to be back in the car again. At a point, people were pretty high on him as the next open-wheel racing star, but things don’t always pan out that way. I’m sure he’s going to make the most of his seat time at Toronto. 7. This weekend is a doubleheader and season finale of the 2018-19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship season with the New York ePrix, on the streets of Brooklyn. Defending series champion Jean-Eric Vergne leads Lucas di Grassi by 32 points heading into the title deciding weekend, in the Big Apple. Who wins the championship? Lambeth: I am predicting that Jean-Eric Vergne wins back-to-back Formula E championships. With his current lead, he would need something catastrophic to happen, in order to hand the title over to Audi driver Lucas di Grassi. A doubleheader weekend, with a championship on the line, places an enormous amount of pressure on the title contenders. Lee: Big time weekend for Formula E as they get prepared for their doubleheader season finale in Brooklyn. With the gap between Vergne and Lucas di Grassi, it should be a fun battle between the both of them. Given the pace and strength of Vergne, throughout the season, I think he takes home a second title. Hello, motorsports enthusiasts! Welcome to the 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 to 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 went for a spin in the early laps of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway. But it proved to be no issue for the 2015 Cup champion. Rowdy pulled a classic spin-and-win last Sunday. With three Cup victories, early in the season, how many wins do you think Busch will have at the end of the year? Lambeth: Call me crazy but I believe that Kyle Busch is capable of winning at least 10 races. He is really on a tear during this early portion of the season. Without a doubt, Busch is going to continue his winning ways moving forward. A special way to bounce back from an early race incident at Bristol to hold off his brother Kurt Busch. All he does is win, win, win no matter what! Lee: Rowdy went for a spin, on Sunday afternoon, in the early laps of the Food City 500. The first thing I said to myself, “You can’t count him out now, watch him “come back.” That’s exactly what he did. I think he can hit the double digit mark this season. I’m going with 12 wins for him. It’s a long way to go but Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing have been on fire in 2019. 2. Chris Buescher ran extremely well throughout the race last Sunday afternoon. He was running in the top-10, giving the No. 37 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 a great run, until some late-race issues cost him a chance at a great finish. Do you think people underestimate Buescher’s talent behind the wheel, given he is the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion? Lambeth: In my opinion, Buescher is one of the most underrated drivers in the garage. Remember his championship season with Roush-Fenway Racing in the Xfinity Series? His special year in 2015 proved that he was worthy of the opportunity that he has today with JTG Daugherty Racing at the top level. The issue late in the race was quite a shame, given he was on his way to a top-10 finish. However, the No. 37 team competed against some great cars throughout the race. They made their presence known. Lee: Despite the 22nd-place finish on Sunday, Buescher ran in the top-10 quite a bit for most of the race, until his unfortunate event. At times, I think people do forget that he’s quite a talented driver. I think JTG Daugherty Racing as a whole is going to slowly improve this season. I believe that you’ll see more of that out of him at the short tracks throughout the season. 3. Following Christopher Bell’s most recent Xfinity win at Bristol, his future remains a hot topic in the garage. The 24-year-old from Norman, Oklahoma continues to improve and show that he is worthy of a future Cup ride. Do you think he will move up to stock car racing’s highest level in 2020? Lambeth: Based on what team owner Joe Gibbs said, at Bristol, there appears to be a plan in place, regarding the future of Christopher Bell. While we do not know what the plan is at the moment, I would not be surprised if Bell is somehow involved with a Cup program in 2020. He is one of the most talented, brightest prospects in NASCAR. Lee: With the current situation at Joe Gibbs Racing, there’s just nowhere to put him at the moment. He’s in somewhat of a pickle because of this. Without a doubt, he’s a super talented race car driver. I really can’t see TRD letting someone like him go. If a team like Leavine Family Racing expands to a two-car team, that may open a possibility for him to move up to Cup in 2020. 4. Sam Mayer absolutely dominated the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East field, leading all but three laps at Bristol Motor Speedway, scoring his first-career victory. How important is it for a young driver’s career, dominating a race when the regional series shares the track with Xfinity and Cup? Lambeth: Rookie driver Sam Mayer never put a wheel wrong at Bristol. For a young driver, he looked like a veteran taking control of the race. It always does a good thing for a driver’s confidence when they have a dominating performance like Mayer had last weekend. With Xfinity and Cup owners at the track, it can never hurt to get more eyes on you, especially with FansChoiceTV showing the K&N races live to get young drivers more exposure. Lee: Sam Mayer took the field to school last Saturday at Bristol. I think it’s good for a young driver to be able to dominate at his level and let alone at place where he may be racing at in the big leagues one day. To do that at tracks like this is very “veteran-like.” It should help his young career out quite a bit! 5. Takuma Sato capped off an impressive weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, leading Team RLL to victory in Alabama. After starting on pole, on the front row with teammate Graham Rahal, Sato displayed tremendous form (minus an off-road incident in the closing laps) to battle his way to the top step of the podium. Any thoughts? Lambeth: Despite a little off-road racing, late in the race, Takuma Sato would not be denied as he took victory at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park. Sato truly earned this one. It was wonderful to see his passion in victory lane, celebrating with each crew member. There is no “I” in team. Sato always displays tremendous passion during his victory celebrations. No attack, no chance. Team RLL must be pleased with both cars qualifying on the front row. It should give them some momentum heading into Long Beach. Lee: Sato put on one helluva show at Barber Motorsports Park last Sunday to get his fourth-career win. You can definitely tell that he was hustling to get that win, especially after going off course for a moment. He earned that one for sure and should bring him a big boost of morale moving through the rest of the season! 6. On Monday morning, McLaren Racing revealed the livery of Fernando Alonso’s No. 66 Chevrolet for the 2019 Indianapolis 500, which looks strikingly similar to the team’s pair of Formula 1 cars. Good choice, right? Given McLaren’s new alliance with Carlin Racing, do you think they will benefit from the partnership versus doing a one-off program by itself? Lambeth: The No. 66 McLaren Racing Chevrolet is a gorgeous piece of machinery. It looks very similar to the Formula 1 cars of Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris but I am not complaining! The livery is appealing to the eyes. The main question is, will it be as fast as it looks? Based on the early season performance, it appears that McLaren’s partner Carlin Racing has improved over the offseason. Fernando Alonso and McLaren Racing should enjoy having access to data from the three Carlin Racing entries: Charlie Kimball, Max Chilton and Patricio O’Ward. Lee: His ride for the Indy 500 looks quite similar to the Formula 1 cars. Not overly crazy about the paint scheme; personally it’s cool but I wasn’t super hyped about it. However, with the assistance of Carlin, it should bring some benefits for them heading into the 500. They have a pretty solid bunch entering the 500; they should be competitive in May! 7. Scott McLaughlin (Race 7) and Shane van Gisbergen (Race 8) collected victories last weekend at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania. The action Down Under never disappoints. Do you think SVG is one of McLaughlin’s biggest threats for the championship? Lambeth: Although Scott McLaughlin has a healthy early season lead, do not count out the likes of Shane van Gisbergen, Jamie Whincup and Fabian Coulthard. McLaughlin is certainly the favorite to defend his title. But there is still time for his fellow competitors to gain ground. I thought the battle between Scotty Mac and SVG in Race 8 was magnificent. We should be in for a decent show at the upcoming race weekend at Phillip Island. Lee: McLaughlin has been on a tear all season long. It may be early but he is certainly the title favorite at the moment. It’s a long way to go in the season but I think his teammate (Coulthard) and Shane van Gisbergen are going to be his biggest competitors when it’s all said and done. |