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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