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. The No. 7 Team M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3 of Maxime Soulet, Jules Gounon and Jordan Pepper won the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour. The British manufacturer scored a significant overall victory with the GT3 challenger. What makes Bathurst so special? Lambeth: Any win at Bathurst is special. It does not matter if you win the 12-hour endurance race or the Bathurst 1000 Supercars classic, just being able to say that you won at Mount Panorama should create a wonderful sensation inside. The Bentley boys finally earned a major endurance race win at Bathurst. The other competitors had a challenging time, taking the fight to the Continental GT3. Ultimately, Soulet, Gounon and Pepper formed a solid team and captured the ultimate prize. Lee: The Bathurst 12 Hour is an event that I’ve looked forward to watching over the past few years and it always delivers. However, after a wild week of racing at Mount Panorama, the Bentley got it done this year. I think this is a huge win whether or not it is the Bathurst 1000 or this event. It's always going to be special when you tackle this course and get a win. 2. The F3 Americas Championship and Honda are forming a partnership to create a scholarship for the 2020 F3 Americas champion. As a result, the champion will earn the necessary funding to compete for the 2021 Indy Lights title. In the current state of motorsports, why is this such an important move for the Road To Indy? Lambeth: In my opinion, this is a fantastic move by F3 Americas and Honda. In today’s climate, funding can be difficult to find. We often see some of the sport’s brightest talents sitting on the sidelines, due to a lack of funding. By offering an easier route to get on the Road To Indy, this presents a massive opportunity for one driver. All they have to do is win the 2020 F3 Americas title. Then, they will receive the funding to compete in Indy Lights next year. Ultimately, this could eventually lead to a seat in the NTT IndyCar Series. Hopefully, the new scholarship is the start of something beautiful within the open-wheel racing ladder system. Lee: At this level, I think moves like this are very important because it could help many drivers in the future. Funding is already hard enough to come so something like this is pretty huge. Perhaps, the next open-wheel star just needs a program like this to get his or her career underway. I can’t wait to see it make a difference in the open-wheel world. 3. World of Outlaws ace David Gravel will make his stock car racing debut this weekend. Gravel is set to drive the No. 28 KBR Development Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series season opener at Daytona. In addition, he will make select starts in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series with GMS Racing. Do you think the dirt racing sensation will have a difficult transition to asphalt racing? Lambeth: David Gravel receiving an opportunity to try out stock car racing should attract some attention. The 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion is a well-known name on the World of Outlaws tour. Next, he will try to impress on asphalt, after showing his talents on dirt. It is difficult to determine how challenging it will be for him to transition. Throughout the course of history, we have seen quite a number of drivers from dirt racing come over to the stock car world. Some transitioned successfully, some needed time to develop, while others struggled. Anything can happen but I have a feeling that Gravel will be perfectly fine. Lee: David Gravel has been a big name buzzing on the dirt side. Gravel has always wanted to give asphalt racing a shot. Just a year after winning the Knoxville Nationals, he will be racing on the high banks of Daytona this weekend. I think there will be a learning curve as he transitions to stock car racing. However, I don’t think he’ll struggle a ton but expect mistakes during his first few events. 4. What are your three bold predictions, heading into the 2020 NASCAR season? Lambeth: First, I predict that seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson will win two races, in his final season as a full-time Cup driver. While he will not claim his eighth championship, the 2020 season will be an enjoyable final ride. Next, two rookies will win at least one Cup race. I think the two victories will come from Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick or Cole Custer. Finally, at least two IndyCar drivers will compete in the Xfinity race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Raise your hand if you would like to see Conor Daly and James Hinchcliffe take on the Xfinity regulars at the Brickyard. Lee: First, Tyler Reddick will pick up a win in his first full-time season as a Cup driver. Second, I think Ty Majeski will have a knockout season in the Truck Series, after everything he’s been through in his career so far. I think he’ll take the 2020 championship this season with Niece Motorsports. Lastly, I think Jimmie Johnson will go out a winner and pick his 84th victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. 5. Prediction: 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series champion. Lambeth: Stewart Friesen Lee: Ty Majeski 6. Prediction: 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. Lambeth: Chase Briscoe Lee: Chase Briscoe 7. Prediction: 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion. Lambeth: Martin Truex Jr. Lee: Kyle Busch Bonus Point: Two-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin is set to make his NTT IndyCar Series debut, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He will drive the No. 2 Chevrolet for Team Penske. What are your thoughts on this significant announcement? Lambeth: This is great news for the motorsports community. Having a two-time champion and active Supercars driver join the IndyCar grid should create a buzz. McLaughlin has enjoyed incredible success in the Virgin Australia Supercars, and posted impressive lap times at the IndyCar Sebring test. You can almost feel how much Roger Penske thinks of him, considering that he is letting McLaughlin make his IndyCar debut in a Penske car. To be honest, I cannot tell you the last time Team Penske let a series newcomer make their debut with the Captain. Nevertheless, I am curious to see how he performs at the Indy road course. It will be interesting to see how he stacks up against teammates Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Simon Pagenaud. Lee: Like I said on Twitter yesterday, “YESUHHHHHH!” This is a pretty huge development in the motorsports world. After he tested at Sebring, it seemed pretty evident he would at least be given a chance to run in the series at some point. It’s been quite some time since a rookie made a debut for “The Captain,” so it speaks volumes. It should be a fun time when he makes his IndyCar debut. I’m super happy for McLaughlin; it should be a good opportunity for him.
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