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.
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