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. Kyle Busch earned his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship. He finished the 2019 season with five wins, 17 top-fives, 27 top-10s, a pole and 1,582 laps led. Also, he picked up four Xfinity wins and won all five of his starts in the Truck Series. How would you rate Rowdy’s season? Will a second Cup title silence some of his doubters, who felt like he did not deserve the 2015 title? Lambeth: Without a doubt, the 2019 season was a good one for Kyle Busch. Despite going a few months without winning a Cup race, he won the race that mattered the most, taking the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Once again, the eventual Cup champion had to win the race, in order to secure the title. I remember when he won his first championship, in 2015. Since he only competed in 25 races, due to injury, he was not viewed as a legitimate champion, in the eyes of some. In my opinion, the statistics and his talent behind the wheel speaks for itself. You have to give him credit for everything he has accomplished throughout his career. It would not surprise me if Rowdy picks up a few more titles, and puts himself in conversation as one of the all-time greats. Lee: He certainly wasn’t my pick to take home the championship on Sunday if I’m being honest. Busch last won at Pocono, in the summer, before taking the Ford EcoBoost 400. A lot of people have a gigantic asterisk marked on the 2015 season because he didn’t compete for the entire season. Personally, he played to what the rules were and took home the championship, so I’m not sure why there’s anymore to that. However, 2019 should be enough to completely lock himself conversation with being one of the all-time greats. The crazy thing is that he isn’t even done yet and probably won’t be for quite some time. He’ll be a driver people will appreciate once he hangs it up for good. 2. Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell and Cole Custer won a combined total of 21 races on the 33-race NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. 64 percent of the time, the Big Three were pulling into victory lane. In 2020, they will graduate to the Cup Series together, competing for Rookie of the Year honors. Do you think this could be one of the greatest rookie battles that we have seen in quite some time, at the Cup level? Lambeth: I am incredibly excited for next year’s rookie class. Reddick, Bell and Custer dominated the Xfinity field this season. It was fitting to have the Xfinity championship decided among the three, young drivers. They will be a fantastic addition to the Cup Series. This battle has potential to be a thrilling one. I am planning to follow it closely. There is no reason to doubt their readiness for Cup competition. All three proved that they are capable of taking on the best drivers, on any given Sunday afternoon. It will be interesting to watch them develop at the next level. Lee: What a year of Xfinity racing we got and the “Big Three” of the series dominated by winning 21 races this season. To back those wins up, they gave us a world class race last Saturday at Homestead and I enjoyed every minute of it. Having them all move up to Cup should bring quite the battle for Rookie of the Year. I think we may finally have something rival the Newman vs Johnson battle back in 2002. I can’t wait to see how this pans out next season! 3. Speaking of Xfinity, the action at Homestead-Miami Speedway did not disappoint. Was this race the prime example of peak stock car racing? Lambeth: What. A. Race. This was one of the most exciting races of the season. It had everything you would want to produce a solid stock car race. Low downforce, small spoiler, horsepower, tire wear, older surface and multiple grooves. That is the recipe for a dream come true. The Xfinity season finale at Homestead reminded me why I fell in love with NASCAR as a little boy. Lee: It’s exactly what you want in a season finale of any capacity. The best of the best created a true “Game 7” moment on Saturday afternoon. That race is an example of what I’ve grown and always loved about stock car racing. 16 years later, I can still say Homestead going to this configuration was one of the best things ever. I absolutely loved that race; a golden way to end the season! 4. Matt Crafton became a three-time NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series champion. In 2019, he did not win a single race but took home the prize that mattered the most. On Twitter, some fans felt like he was not deserving, due to Crafton’s winless season. Do you think the criticism is fair? Lambeth: Hate the game, not the player. It was only a matter of time when something like this happened with the current playoff format. Plus, Crafton is not the first winless champion in NASCAR history. He was consistent too, scoring an average finish of 8.8. I understand why some people might criticize his winless championship season, but Crafton will forever and always be the 2019 Truck Series champion in the record books. You cannot change the final result. Lee: Well, it finally happened. The one thing fans feared the most, a winless champion under the current format. While he isn’t the first winless champion, I can get people’s frustration just based on the format alone. Once again, Crafton just played to the system and won the championship solely off being consistent all year. I totally understand where folks are coming from, but at the end of the day, he is the champion no matter what. 5. Stewart-Haas Racing will promote Xfinity driver Cole Custer to the Cup Series next season, replacing Daniel Suarez in the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang. How do you think Custer will perform during his rookie year? Did Suarez deserve more time to grow at SHR? Lambeth: Cole Custer definitely deserves the promotion to the Cup Series next year. He has proven himself worthy of the No. 41 Ford Mustang, after three full seasons of development, in the Xfinity Series. Being a Cup rookie, I think he will have solid days, then he will experience some growing pains on other days. However, I do think a top-20 points finish is possible. Unfortunately, Suarez was just another victim of a cruel thing called business. Haas ran out of patience waiting on sponsorship so they decided to move on. In my opinion, Suarez was rushed up to the Cup level, due to Carl Edwards’ shock retirement. I think it impacted his development. Also, he just needs more to grow and find consistency with the same team. However, business in modern society does not always allow drivers the time needed to improve their skills. Lee: Without question, I can see why Cole Custer has been moved up to the Cup level. After hearing the rumors floating around all season long, it has finally happened and what time it is for him. His best season in the Xfinity Series couldn’t have come at a better time and he should be ready to go for next season. I think he’ll be fine, but like most rookies, there will be growing pains. I think it sucks for Suarez to be out of the ride in just a season. Daniel Hemric has faced the same fate and sometimes that’s how the business goes. Who knows, it could be the best move for him moving into 2021 with a brand new car. 6. To say the least, the Brazilian Grand Prix produced a thrilling finish with Max Verstappen ultimately claiming the victory. Pierre Gasly, who got sent back to Toro Rosso by Red Bull, finished second and scored his first career Formula 1 podium. Following the race, you could hear Gasly’s excitement on the radio. How special was this result for him personally, given everything he has been through this year? After a post-race investigation, the stewards awarded Lewis Hamilton a five-second time penalty for a collision with Alexander Albon, ruining the Red Bull driver’s strong afternoon. Therefore, the Hamilton penalty promoted Carlos Sainz and McLaren to the podium. Do you believe that McLaren is getting closer to potentially challenging F1’s Big Three? Lambeth: Gasly’s post-race reaction was a special moment for the Frenchman. You could hear the beautiful, raw emotion on the radio. This result meant the world to him. After struggling at Red Bull and getting demoted, Gasly’s form improved with a return to Toro Rosso. Thanks to some collisions, Gasly took advantage of the opportunity to score his first career podium. This is the perfect way to redeem himself. For the first time, since 2014, McLaren returned to the podium. Carlos Sainz finished third, which is the first podium of his Formula 1 career. I do not believe that McLaren can challenge Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull yet, but I think the gap is only going to get smaller. In general, the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos was a spectacular race. Lee: Gasly’s celebration at the end of the race was everything any fan could have wanted to see! After all he’s been through this season, it’s what he deserves along with his improvement, since he got back to Toro Rosso. While already having quite a conundrum of a race, Sainz being added to the podium was the icing on the cake. I don’t know if they are going to be a Mercedes or Ferrari, but they definitely are making improvements. All-in-all, it was a very fun race to watch. 7. It was a double disaster for Scuderia Ferrari at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Late in the race, Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc collided, forcing both cars to retire. What are your thoughts on this bizarre incident? Lambeth: I would love to be a fly on the wall at the next Ferrari team meeting. It was an embarrassing moment for the Italian manufacturer. You never want teammates to crash out of the race together. Ferrari was in position to score points, not that it matters now, but they left Interlagos empty-handed. I am curious to see how this incident impacts the relationship between Vettel and Leclerc moving forward. Things seem a bit tense at Scuderia Ferrari. Lee: It’s been an odd season with all the drama in the Ferrari camp. In this type of racing, contact really isn’t the way to go overall and definitely not hitting your teammate. I don’t know how the relationship between those two are at the moment but I’m sure it can’t be good. It’ll be interesting to see how they move forward into 2020. Bonus Point: Ex-Red Bull Junior driver Richard Verschoor won the 66th running of the Macau Grand Prix, defeating current Red Bull Junior Juri Vips. How sweet is it for Verschoor to beat a driver affiliated with the program that ultimately dropped him? American Logan Sargeant earned a third-place finish at Macau. Could he become America’s next Formula 1 driver? Lambeth: It is quite fitting that a driver Red Bull effectively gave up on won the Macau Grand Prix over Juri Vips, who currently has Red Bull support. Winning at the famous Guia Circuit was the perfect way for Richard Verschoor to respond. Only time will tell if Red Bull made a mistake by not continuing to provide backing to the talented driver. Logan Sargeant gave American fans plenty to get excited about. In his first Macau Grand Prix, he made some solid moves and took the final spot on the podium. Scoring a decent result at a tricky track like this requires skill. Hopefully, his career is managed properly and receives opportunities to develop as he moves up the European open-wheel racing ladder. In my opinion, he is currently the best young American prospect out there, with hopes of potentially making it to Formula 1 someday. Lee: The Macau Grand Prix is an interesting race and has always provided some pretty interesting results. I think it has to feel really good for him to beat the team that dropped him. He probably cracked a larger than normal smile accomplishing something like that. Logan Sargeant ended the day with a podium and it shows he very well could be the American answer to Formula 1. It’ll be cool to see how he does moving forward in his career. Bonus Point: Seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will retire from full-time racing, at the end of the 2020 season. Are you shocked by the news? Do you think Johnson will find victory lane in his final season? How will you remember him? Lambeth: Honestly, Johnson’s retirement is not a major surprise to me, considering the rumblings I heard (from a very reliable source) in the garage about 2020 being his final season, during the inaugural Charlotte Roval weekend, in 2018. However, the shock factor is definitely felt with the news being official now. If Hendrick Motorsports can continue showing improved speed, similar to the last half of the 2019 season, it would not surprise me if he finds victory lane at least one final time. In my opinion, Jimmie Johnson is one of the greatest talents in NASCAR history. He will be missed dearly when he hangs up the helmet. Winning five championships in-a-row, seven total, tying legends such as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. is very impressive. Plus, he won titles in different championship formats. Johnson has always conducted himself as a true gentleman on and off the track. In the end, he should be remembered for his competitive spirit, accomplishments and being a wonderful ambassador for the sport. We will probably never witness another driver come close to matching Jimmie Johnson. Imagine if he turns things around in 2020, scoring a record eighth championship. That would be the ultimate storybook ending. Hopefully, more folks will appreciate and respect a historic career, with this chapter set to end in Nov. 2020. Lee: Well it has finally happened, the seven-time champion has decided to give it one more run in 2020. The news is very shocking to say the least, I’d imagine he was going to give it at least two more years. I think 2020 will be the year when Hendrick will go all out for the 48, so a win should be on the cards for next season. I’ll definitely remember Jimmie Johnson for his championship run; I think it will be appreciated long after he’s done. Watching something like that doesn’t happen often. I never got to see Earnhardt or Petty win theirs but I did see his run. I’m sure he’ll enjoy retirement but quite an end to a storybook career. Special Note: Thank you for supporting the Seven Points column throughout the 2019 racing season. We will return in 2020 for another season of discussing hot topics. Have a wonderful holiday season!
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