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. The 2019 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour did not disappoint as the race ended with a thrilling finish. Porsche Young Professional driver Matt Campbell left it all on the track, and squeezed his way past Jake Dennis to take the overall victory in the closing minutes. Campbell’s gutsy move earned Earl Bamber Motorsport its first win in their GT3 debut. In general, how exciting was this year’s 12-hour endurance classic? Lambeth: Matt Campbell put together a masterful drive, giving Earl Bamber Motorsport its maiden victory in the team’s first race in GT3 competition. Campbell, Dennis Olsen and Dirk Werner gave Porsche factory driver, Earl Bamber, something to smile about as his own team secured overall honors. The racing throughout the Bathurst 12 Hour was fantastic. There was hardly a dull moment. Manufacturers such as Porsche, BMW, Bentley, Aston Martin, Nissan and Mercedes battling for the win in the closing hours of the race displayed the amount of parity in GT3. Campbell certainly licked all of his stamps and sent them, passing Jake Dennis’ Aston Martin in a very tight spot. Without a doubt, Campbell maximized the potential of the Porsche 911 GT3 R to lead his team to a significant win in a crown jewel event. Lee: While I’m not familiar with every single driver in the field, for the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race, it’s one that I mark on my calendar each year to kick off the racing season. The race itself was thrilling but the final 20-minute dash to the checkered flag was incredible. Porsche Young Professional driver Matt Campbell put together a classic drive that included a very risky, but neat pass on the Aston Martin of Jake Dennis to take home the victory. 2. Conor Daly has secured the most competitive ride of his career for the month of May. Daly is set to drive the No. 25 Honda, sponsored by the US Air Force. The native from Noblesville, Indiana will attempt to make the 2019 Indianapolis 500 with Andretti Autosport. How crucial is this opportunity for Daly and his future hopes to return the NTT IndyCar Series full-time in the future? Lambeth: This is Conor Daly’s time to shine. He secured a top-notch ride, which could put him in position for a decent result. Andretti Autosport has a strong reputation for bringing race-winning equipment to the Brickyard in the month of May. After struggling to find a full-time deal in the NTT IndyCar Series, a flawless performance at Indianapolis could turn around the American’s career. He needs to maximize the opportunity and show the world that Conor Daly is worthy of a full-time ride with a top-tier team. Lee: To many, it’s about time that Conor Daly gets a chance in a great ride. This is a pretty crucial time for him as he prepares to make the field of 33 for the Indy 500. This could be a make or break moment for the young driver. If he performs well, this might help him in the long run and possibly secure himself a high level ride in the NTT IndyCar Series. 3. Last week, teams from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series tested the 2019 aero package at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Journalist Jeff Gluck provided his take on the new rules package and motorsport.com’s Jim Utter did the same. Between NASCAR’s live stream and Gluck’s periscopes, what are your initial thoughts on the the 2019 aero package? How do you feel about the reaction on social media? Lambeth: Based on the footage from the test, I believe that it is still too soon to make a fair assessment of the 2019 aero package. Of course, the cars were much closer together and it seemed difficult to pass the leader. I am not praising or trying to down the package, but I think we need to wait until we have a 40-car field in racing conditions before casting judgement. In my opinion, we need to give it some time and a couple of races. Then, feel free to assess the package after giving it a chance. The reaction on Twitter was largely negative, for the most part. I understand that you will not please everyone with the rule changes. However, what is the point in repeating the same negative comments over and over all day long? This accomplishes absolutely nothing. There is a difference between constructive criticism and downright negativity. After a while, the repetitiveness really gets old. I cannot imagine if we have to hear the negativity each week until November. I am struggling to understand why some choose to criticize a product that has not experienced the real test yet. After we get a couple of races under our belt, then we will see if the 2019 aero package is a success or failure. Lee: Gotta crack my knuckles for this one... The 2019 aero package has been the biggest talking point since NASCAR announced it last season. Needless to say, I spent a good deal of time watching the package live. So far, I’ve noticed that it’s hard for drivers to pass the leader. Also, a lot of the mid-pack drivers were able to pass each other quite a bit, especially during the cooler session in the evening. However, in an age of instant reaction, (virtually what social media has become) it’s very easy to just automatically agree with every single person and hate the new, on-track product. I understand the frustration from fans to an extent, but let’s face it, none of what we saw was true, racing conditions. None of this has been used in a full race yet. Therefore, there’s only so much you can really take from the test session. Actually, let the product marinate before you prepare to judge something. This aero package might be interesting to some people while others might downright hate it. There’s no way that people in real life have this much energy to be negative about everything, it’s frankly unhealthy. Give something a chance like most would do anything else. 4. Last Friday night, five new members were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame: Jack Roush, Alan Kulwicki, Davey Allison, Roger Penske and Jeff Gordon. In your eyes, how did each individual make an impact in the sport? Lambeth: A great group of individuals were inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame this year. Starting with Jack Roush, he is a legendary team owner, who has won NASCAR championships at each level of the national series. His commitment to the sport, plus the start of the Roush-Yates alliance helped transform Ford Performance. Roush has certainly accomplished a lot during his time in NASCAR. Alan Kulwicki was an old school racer. The 1992 Winston Cup champion took the fight to teams with better funding. Kulwicki did things his own way and won the title as an owner/driver with limited money pouring into the program. This is probably something that will never be replicated at NASCAR’s premier level ever again. His death was a dark day for the sport. I must admit, I had no idea who Kulwicki was until the “Dinner with Racers” podcast deeply explored his career. After learning about Kulwicki, it made me really respect what he did with little, in comparison to the bigger organizations. Prior to his tragic death, Davey Allison was having a very successful NASCAR career, following in the footsteps of father, Bobby Allison. If the helicopter crash did not occur, I wonder what Davey Allison would have accomplished throughout the remainder of his career. For both Kulwicki and Allison, there is certainly a question of what ifs. Roger Penske is a household name in multiple disciplines of motorsports. He has accomplished more than most team owners could dream of. “Penske Perfect” earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame. Although “The Captain” has earned many significant honors throughout his life, there is still more for him to accomplish. Finally, Jeff Gordon is credited for taking NASCAR mainstream. His personality off-the-track and driving talent helped the sport grow its recognition to a national audience. When the common individual heard the word, “NASCAR,” Gordon’s name would come to mind. It brought new eyes to stock car racing as the sport continued to grow. When you add four Cup championships, 93 Cup wins, winning the most prestigious NASCAR races multiple times and completely dominating certain tracks during his career, Jeff Gordon could be in the conversation as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all-time. Lee: For starters, this was my favorite class next to the Class of 2015 that has the addition of Wendell Scott. First, Jack Roush is an absolutely storied man in the history of NASCAR, one of the pioneers of modern safety in NASCAR racing with his invention of the roof flap that has saved plenty of drivers over the years. Let alone, he is one of the greatest car owners in the history of NASCAR. Alan Kulwicki was the true definition of a guy who made something out nothing. His historic championship run in 1992 is one that I don’t think we’ll ever see again. Although his determination and efforts will likely never be seen again, I believe he is one of the greatest NASCAR champions. Davey Allison is someone I wish I had seen compete while he was alive, from what I’ve seen in documentaries. He was a personality that NASCAR still needs in the modern era. Besides his genuine spirit, his stats are very comparable to some of our current champions and I think he would have won multiple championships in NASCAR if had he lived. After watching the mini-doc “Quest for the Empty Cup: The 1992 Championship,” I had a different level of respect for him. As for Roger Penske, he’s a guy across the board in motorsports, so you have to just give a ton of respect to him. He’s won in almost everything you could ever think of and let alone one of the greatest businessmen in motorsports. Finally and surely, a very important one, Jeff Gordon, the driver who was Dale Earnhardt’s rival for many years completed an absolutely class career. Besides being known on the race track, Gordon still has that superstar personality and vibe to match his 93 wins in Cup. Easily, he can be thrown in the conversation of being one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. The amount of attention he brought to the sport was amazing. Still, to this day, you can find someone rocking a throwback “Rainbow Warrior” jacket and everybody knows that’s a Jeff Gordon jacket. 5. The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season-opener takes place on Saturday at Daytona, while the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season begins at New Smyrna Speedway on Sunday. What type of action should we expect from each series this weekend? Lambeth: ARCA and K&N always produce close action. There are a lot of young drivers looking to make a name for themselves this season. While much of the focus will be on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this weekend, do not forget about the incredible action: ARCA at Daytona and K&N at New Smyrna. There is no better way to kickoff the 2019 season than a superspeedway and short track race. Some of the drivers competing in each event will likely be racing in Cup years down the road. Lee: A-R-C-A NIGHT IN AMERICA! Do I have to say anything else? As usual, it’s going to be a good show on the high banks of Daytona for ARCA. It’s always a treat to watch every year! I’m happy that they’ve changed the G-W-C rule which will hopefully prevent the mess of what happened last year. As for New Smyrna, that place is quite special to me since it was the first late model race I ever saw. The World Series of Asphalt Stock, along with the K&N Series, should be fun with tons of young and talented drivers! 6. On Sunday afternoon, we will set the front row for the 61st running of the Daytona 500. After qualifying, the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of 2019, The Clash, will take place on the high banks of Daytona. Who will sit on the front row for The Great American Race? Predict the winner of The Clash. Lambeth: I think Richard Childress Racing will continue their good fortunate from last year’s Speedweeks by locking down the front row. Rookie Daniel Hemric will start on pole and defending Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon will start alongside him. I predict that Brad Keselowski will begin the new season in victory lane by winning The Clash. Lee: So glad that it’s finally time for the Great American race! As for qualifying, for the 61st running of the event, I believe a car out of the Hendrick camp will take the pole. I’m going with the young gun Chase Elliott to take the pole for the Daytona 500. I’m going to switch to the Toyota side and pick Denny Hamlin to win The Clash! 7. What is your biggest hot take heading into the 2019 NASCAR season? Lambeth: I believe that Bubba Wallace and Richard Petty Motorsports will make significant gains since last season. I am predicting a top-20 points finish for the team. After a full year of experience under his belt, Wallace and the No. 43 team are ready to bring the legendary number closer to the front of the field. Although I think the playoffs are slightly out of reach, Wallace can put together some decent runs this season. The 2019 aero package could play into their favor by bringing the competition closer. Lee: One way to close a column out is a good ole’ spicy take. For my take, I can see Ryan Preece making the playoffs and he’ll be crowned the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year. His story of moving up to Cup is one I have enjoyed to watch, from his attachment to grassroots racing to roughing up Elliott Sadler at Homestead-Miami. I think he’ll have a solid rookie campaign in 2019 and will be one to watch throughout the season. Extra Point: On Monday afternoon, NASCAR announced a series of changes. Which one stands out the most? Lambeth: After so many years of frustration, NASCAR FINALLY decided that it is time to disqualify illegal cars. It never felt right to me for them to “penalize” an illegal car, but it was more like a slap on the wrist. I applaud NASCAR for developing a backbone and no longer tolerating cars that failed to follow the rules. In my opinion, this is a decision that was long overdue. As Nick Bromberg says, what a time to be alive! Lee: Well, well, a rule change that many people have wanted for quite some time, and that’s disqualifying drivers at the track for “major” penalties in post-race inspection. A lot of people have wanted this to happen for years. I really hope that NASCAR sticks to their guns on this one and truly lay down the law on illegal cars. On Monday, with all of the breaking news, this is the one that many people have come to agree on.
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