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. Wayne Taylor Racing recovered from a penalty, in the final six hours, to claim its second consecutive overall victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. This is the third overall victory for the Konica Minolta-sponsored team, in the last four years. However, fourth, in total, for team owner Wayne Taylor. In the closing hours, Ryan Briscoe was issued a stop-and-go, plus 60-second penalty, for passing by the red light at pit exit. As a result, the No. 10 Cadillac DPi lost a lap. Luckily, a timely full-course caution helped them get back on the lead lap. Briscoe went on a tear, returned to the overall lead and the team never looked back. He handed the prototype over to Kamui Kobayashi, who ended up taking it to the checkered flag. Briscoe and Kobayashi shared the overall win with teammates Renger van der Zande and five-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon. Would you label Wayne Taylor Racing as one of the elite organizations in sports car racing? Lambeth: Wayne Taylor Racing continued its winning ways in the Rolex 24. Despite the penalty, the team refused to get denied the overall victory. Ryan Briscoe was lucky enough to get a full-course yellow, at the right time. He earned his way back to the lead and Kamui Kobayashi ended up finishing the race. It was another spectacular performance by Wayne Taylor’s team. In my opinion, I think his team is definitely an elite sports car racing team. They know how to put together strong lineups, win races, the big races and bring home championships. In the past few seasons, despite losing his sons Ricky Taylor to Acura Team Penske and Jordan Taylor to Corvette Racing, the team managed to keep its driver lineups stacked. With the likes of Jeff Gordon, Fernando Alonso, Scott Dixon and Kamui Kobayashi joining, in recent years, the team remains a destination for some of the most talented drivers. They are a well-respected team. Lee: It seems like nothing changed for Wayne Taylor Racing as we enter a brand new decade of racing. While running into the problem, in the final six hours of the event, they managed to bounce back and simply show the reason why they are one of the elite teams of sports car racing. Even after his sons left the team, they’ve still remained in tip top shape. They’re definitely a team that will win many more races and more championships to come. 2. For the second consecutive year, DragonSpeed took home LMP2 class honors in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Ben Hanley, Colin Braun, Harrison Newey and Henrik Hedman’s No. 81 Oreca 07-Gibson outlasted PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports. Do you think LMP2 will bounce back this season? Lambeth: LMP2 was way more competitive in this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Luckily, DragonSpeed, Era Motorsport and Starworks joined the category, giving Performance Teach and PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports some competition. With a bronze driver being required for every lineup and a six-race championship, maybe this will convince more teams to put together an IMSA LMP2 program. While it is hard to say if it will bounce back, in a major way, I believe that everything is heading in the right direction. Lee: LMP2 had a few more dogs in the fight at Daytona. Credit to DragonSpeed for leading the way at Daytona, despite having some added competition along the way. As for the remainder of the season, it will be interesting to see how things unfold for the 2020 season. Due to rising costs, it makes one wonder how long the LMP2 program will last in IMSA. 3. The two GT classes produced exhilarating action, in the closing hours of the race. GTLM and GTD did not disappoint. BMW and Porsche fought hard, in the final hours. Ultimately, the No. 24 Team RLL BMW M8 GTE came out on top in GTLM, with John Edwards, Jesse Krohn, Augusto Farfus and Chaz Mostert. In GTD, Paul Miller Racing enjoyed a fierce battle with GRT Magnus to take home class honors. Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, Corey Lewis and Andrea Caldarelli shared the class victory. Would you consider these battles as peak GT racing? Lambeth: Absolutely. GTLM and GTD put on an absolute show for the viewers. The fierce battles produced incredible action. It left people on the edge of their seats. This is exactly how GT racing should be defined. Lee: I think as far as peak GT racing, I could definitely agree and say it’s the peak of GT racing. The battles in GTLM and GTD put on quite a show for race fans. I hope we can get more of that throughout the 2020 season. 4. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch made his Rolex 24 debut with the AIM Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC-F GT3 program. He teamed up with Jack Hawksworth, Parker Chase and Michael De Quesada, earning a ninth-place finish in the GTD class. How would you rate the NASCAR driver’s debut, in the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic? Lambeth: Kyle Busch did Kyle Busch things, to say the least. He got in the Lexus RC-F GT3 and did exactly what he needed to do. Busch took care of the car and set consistently fast lap times. For some reason, people tend to think that NASCAR drivers have a much harder time adapting to this discipline. However, it is hard to deny Kyle Busch’s talent. He looked like a sports car racing veteran behind the wheel. Lee: He went into the weekend and did what a talented race car driver has to do. I thought he kept the car clean, ran well all day long and just once again proved how talented he is as a race car driver. It wouldn’t surprise me if he tries to get back in a sports car again. 5. Some people were concerned with the car count, heading into the race. Only 38 cars competed in the 58th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona, which is an all-time low for the event. In reflection, would you say quality over quantity prevailed? Lambeth: Although the field spread out a little more than usual, the quality of the field produced a decent show. All four classes had good battles. While we do want car count to improve, the 38 teams that competed in this year’s Rolex 24 showed us that you do not need a 60-car grid to produce a good race. Lee: One of the biggest things talked about was the all-time low car count. I thought for a 38-car field, it produced a pretty entertaining race. A field with 70 cars can be a total wreckfest or a field half the size can put on a quality show. While it can be great to see more cars, I can take the quality over quantity any day of the week. 6. IMSA and the ACO agreed to a prototype convergence, which will see a new generation of top-flight prototypes called Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) compete alongside the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) class. LMDh will be eligible for both IMSA and WEC events. For the first time, in a long time, manufacturers will be able to fight for overall victories at places such as Daytona, Sebring, Spa and Le Mans. LMDh’s eligibility in WEC is set to begin during the 2021-22 season, while their IMSA debut will wait until the start of the 2022 season. After years of disagreements about the top prototype class, on both sides of the Atlantic, would you call this announcement a “monumental, historic day” for sports car racing? Lambeth: Without a doubt, this has to be one of the greatest moments in recent sports car racing history. Many people dreamed about the possibility of watching IMSA DPi teams take on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With the latest agreement between IMSA and the ACO, the next generation LMDh cars will be able to compete in marquee events in IMSA and WEC competition. Speaking hypothetically, imagine the sight of Acura, Cadillac and Mazda LMDh cars flying down the Mulsanne Straight, beginning in 2022. While it is too soon to say if LMH will be permitted to race in IMSA, we can only hope that the WEC prototypes can join the grid for the 2022 Rolex 24 at Daytona. We could be in for a special era of prototype action, if we can get Aston Martin, Peugeot and Toyota Hypercars taking on the high banks, alongside the IMSA LMDh entries. Lee: It’s been a long time coming for the ACO and IMSA. Last Friday was a landmark moment in sports car history. We’ve finally gotten to the point where cars from IMSA’s prototype class will be able to compete in WEC competition as well. This will open the door for more manufacturers with them knowing they can compete on multiple circuits around the globe. It should be a very intriguing time for fans over the next few years. Special Topic: Nobody could have imagined the unbelievable news that broke on Jan. 26, 2020. It proved to be a day that millions will never forget. NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The stunning news rocked the world as many people were in complete disbelief and shock. Reflecting on his impact, what did Kobe Bryant mean to you? What impact did he have on your personal life?
Lambeth: I had just finished up my Rolex 24 coverage, so I decided to get a cheeseburger from the dining hall. I was planning on watching the Pro Bowl with my roommate in our suite, but I wanted to get a quick snack. At 2:30 p.m., I headed to the dining hall. I sat at a table by myself, scrolling through some post-race tweets. As I am enjoying my lunch, I received a notification on my phone. I did not want to believe it. When I saw that the source was TMZ, I was hopeful that the information I saw was completely incorrect. I told myself, “If I do not see a tweet from ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, then I refuse to believe it.” At that very moment, my worst fears were realized. “Woj” sent out a tweet confirming the horrific tragedy. My childhood hero Kobe Bryant had been killed in a helicopter crash. I sat there in utter disbelief, shock and denial, with a few tears in my eyes. I could not believe it. I stared at my phone as the dining hall’s noise diminished quite a bit. At that moment, I called my mom and she was just as upset as me. Kobe Bryant was one of her favorite players. She idolized him. Therefore, she named me after the NBA legend. Without Kobe Bryant, there would not be a Kobe Lambeth. Due to sharing the same name as an all-time great, many people were always intrigued when I told them my name. Some folks were genuinely excited to know someone named Kobe, so they actually started talking to me. This may sound crazy but I do not believe that I would have met certain people, if I did not share Bryant’s name. Whenever you mentioned the name “Kobe,” people always seemed intrigued to say more than just “hello.” In elementary school, I participated in a summer basketball camp for three years. Why? Because I wanted to be like Kobe Bryant, like many others that looked up to the global icon. Although I was probably one of the worst players there, I never gave up. I listened to the coaches, tried my hardest and got a wonderful compliment, at the end of three years. One of the coaches said I was the most improved player. That meant a lot to me. I brought the “Mamba Mentality” that Kobe Bryant lived by. In my life today, I still use elements of that mentality. I always work hard and try to improve each day. For those who know me, I typically just focus on my business and move on, unless we have a special connection or something. Otherwise, I am completely focused on working towards my lifelong dreams. I would not be where I am today in motorsports without his influence. The Mamba Mentality taught me that dreams are not too big when you put in the work and effort. The Mamba Mentality is not just a term. It is a way of life. You can use it in so many situations. Hopefully, it will carry me far as I seek success and happiness from my hard work. In addition, a few months ago, I started working on a personal brand called “The Motorsports Mamba.” How did I come up with this name? I was inspired by Kobe Bryant. Since we shared the same name, with my strong passion for motorsports, I thought the name suited me. To be honest, I never really liked any of the nicknames that other people gave me so I created my own. In my desired career field, I hope that I can achieve my own form of greatness. Ultimately, Kobe Bryant taught me to avoid wanting to be like others. While he inspired me a lot throughout my life, I want to write my own story. I want to use that Mamba Mentality to keep pushing forward and never lose sight of the big picture. It is sad that I never realized how much of an impact that Bryant had on my life until now. I am still shocked that he is no longer with us. However, his legacy shall live on forever and we will never forget how he touched millions of lives, even folks that he never knew. Lee: On Sunday morning, I had just got home from church and finished watching the remainder of the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Shortly after that, I was getting ready to play my favorite basketball game NCAA College Hoops 2k8. Then, my friend Dontre texted me “Kobe.” He sent me the link from TMZ and I absolutely couldn’t believe what I was reading. It was and still feels almost impossible to process the fact that it was a real story. As more outlets dropped details, throughout the day, it just got worse and worse and just left me in pure disbelief. I’ve personally grown up a basketball fan and if anything, it was one of my first loves when it comes to sports. I was a big Allen Iverson fan, still an Oklahoma City Thunder fan and I rooted against Kobe because he wasn’t on my team. I always respected him as a player though. Let alone, he was an amazing player to watch from the emphatic dunks to the signature leaning faders. His game was beautiful. I still remember being a junior in college, going crazy in his final game at the Staples Center. It was a very special moment that certainly holds even more weight now. As time moved on, I gained even more respect for him with his attention to the women's game of basketball. He had been truly working with his daughter, their team and trying to help promote it at the college and pro level. So, it was amazing to see him make the transition from player to a “mentor” or coach. I think what also set him apart was his “I don’t give a damn” attitude and he would just flat out BALL OUT. I’m not a pro player by any means but I definitely apply that same mentality to every day life. Kobe Bryant will be missed dearly. *We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims as we remember Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan.*
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