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. Last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race produced some solid results for a few underdogs. Who stands out to you and why? Lambeth: Josh Williams. He scored the second top-10 finish of his Xfinity career. In my opinion, he is one of those drivers that can maximize his equipment. It would be interesting to see what he could do in equal equipment, competing against the top Xfinity teams. However, Williams can punch above his weight and get respectable results for his current team. Without a doubt, his result was a good day for Mario Gosselin's operation. Lee: Ryan Sieg. He finished in the top-five at Las Vegas and kept the momentum going into Fontana. After finishing fourth, in Saturday’s race, I think it was great to see the RSS Racing entry put together another solid finish. His team has trended in the right direction so far this season. It’ll be interesting to see how this progresses in 2020. 2. After failing to make the playoffs last season or win a race, in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Harrison Burton scored his first career Xfinity win at Auto Club Speedway. How do you think he will fare with Joe Gibbs Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program and beyond? Lambeth: Despite a disappointing 2019 season, I believe that Harrison Burton has a bright future in NASCAR. His first Xfinity win last weekend in Fontana will be followed by more trips to victory lane. Honestly, I do not think that his Kyle Busch Motorsports tenure was any indication of his talent or potential. I feel the same way about Todd Gilliland, who is now driving for Front Row Motorsports in the Truck Series. In all honesty, I think Burton is in a good position to be successful for years to come. Lee: Harrison Burton picked up a big time win at Fontana, after having a rough 2019 season in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. He moved up to the Xfinity Series to join Joe Gibbs Racing. In just the third race of the season, he was able to capture his first career win. I think the lack of immense pressure is going to help the young driver develop moving forward. There’s a long way to go in the season but I don’t think it’ll be a single win season for Burton. 3. Alex Bowman dominated the Auto Club 400, winning his second career NASCAR Cup Series race last Sunday at Fontana. In a contract year, do you think we will see a more determined Alex Bowman? Lambeth: With this being a contract year for Bowman and many others, in the Cup garage, there will be obvious pressure to perform. Winning races is definitely a good way to start building a case to stay. Bowman's victory at Fontana was a huge statement. When given a competitive piece, he can go out there and dominate. So far, I have seen a different Alex Bowman. He seems more determined and locked in. If he can have more races like Fontana, it would not surprise me if we eventually see a contract extension. However, as we all know, you need sponsorship to compete. That could be a factor in determining the driver of the No. 88 car next year. Lee: Heading into 2020, Bowman was already facing pressure after Nationwide departed as a sponsor. Doubling down on that, it is a contract year. He had a fast car all weekend from practice to the race itself, leading a total of 110 laps. An early win isn’t always an indicator for long-term success but it’s good to get a win on the board early. Hendrick Motorsports, in general, looks good so far. It’ll be interesting to see how the remainder of the year goes. 4. As a new addition to the Next Gen car, NASCAR confirmed the switch to a single lug-nut design, which is a departure from the longtime use of five lug nuts on each tire. Based on some fan reactions on social media, this move will not please everyone. Do you think the switch is a good move for NASCAR? Lambeth: If you look at other disciplines, they use the single lug-nut design and have been doing it for numerous years. NASCAR is finally catching up with times. Personally, I do not have a problem with it at all. As we know, a good number of fans have expressed their displeasure about the change. In general, folks are not always open to change when it occurs. My best advice is for NASCAR fans to appreciate the pit stops all year long, and the skills that tire changers must possess to hit all five lug nuts, getting them tight during each pit stop. This will be the last year that we will see the "traditional" pit stop in the Cup Series. When 2021 arrives, we will enter a brand new era with the Next Gen car. Ready or not, this move is going to happen and there is nothing we can do to change NASCAR's decision. Lee: A lot of people knew it was coming, but it has finally been made official to the public. Of course, in the long history of NASCAR, a multi-lug wheel has always been the design but that will change heading into 2021. While the choreography of a pit stop will remain, it still left many people mad. My thought initially as much as people want the cars to appear like each car's respective counterpart is another step closer. Down to the style of the BBS rim, this should be the last thing people should be vexed about. Most of those people should’ve been gone when template bodies, electronic fuel injectors and digital dash came around (@ me I’m serious). 5. Multiple Cup drivers have accepted Kevin Harvick’s challenge to beat Kyle Busch in any NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race that he enters. While some folks do not agree with Cup drivers entering Truck or Xfinity races, is “The Bounty” a good thing for NASCAR, in terms of exposure for the Truck Series? Lambeth: I guess you could say that we are set to have some "Buschwackers" enter the Truck Series, in the next few weeks. Any full-time Cup driver has an opportunity to win $100,000, if they can beat Kyle Busch in a Truck race. While it is awesome watching the regulars form their own identities, this could be a great way to further expose the Truck Series to fans missing out on the action. I know that some folks primarily focus on the Cup Series only. Having drivers such as Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson in the field provides potential to bring more eyes to the series. I cannot wait to see if any Cup driver or regular can take down the mighty Kyle Busch. Lee: I think it will bring some extra attention to the Truck Series for the next few weeks. This is also good for the series since they are coming off their small break after the Las Vegas race. All of the names involved are already household names in NASCAR and should draw some extra eyeballs to the series. I wish there were more things like this being done just like the old Winston Million and the No-Bull 5. 6. Recently, Carlin Racing completed a successful IndyCar test session, with drivers Max Chilton and Felipe Nasr posting solid lap times at Sebring International Raceway as the team prepares for the upcoming NTT IndyCar Series season. Focusing on Nasr, do you think his impressive testing numbers will earn him IndyCar seat time throughout the year? Lambeth: After reading the story of Nasr's unique journey to the most recent Sebring test, it is quite evident that he truly wants to be an IndyCar driver. According to RACER, team owner Trevor Carlin called him at the very last minute and Nasr made his way to the bumpy Florida circuit. On such short notice, Nasr arrived at Sebring and put up decent lap times. It is hard to question the Brazilian driver's talent behind the wheel. I feel that he was robbed of showing his true potential in Formula 1. Then, he arrived in America and won the IMSA DPi title with Action Express Racing in 2018. All Nasr needs is an opportunity and his testing performances during the offseason is a strong case for him to get some IndyCar starts. Lee: Nasr has had quite a journey alone just to get to IndyCar as it is. He’s clearly a talent that the series would appreciate over time and his lap times from Sebring are a clear indication of his pace. 7. The opening round of the 2020 Super Formula season at the Suzuka Circuit has been postponed, due to the worldwide Coronavirus outbreak. Other races around the globe have been called off as well. In addition, we could see more auto racing events face potential cancellations if the virus continues to spread. As members of the motorsports community, should we take this stuff seriously? Lambeth: For starters, I do not have the expertise to speak intelligently about this subject. However, I can recommend that folks in the motorsports community should pay attention to the Coronavirus outbreak. Some racing events overseas have already been postponed as a safety measure to prevent the virus from spreading. Will it eventually impact NASCAR, IndyCar or IMSA races in the United States, since the virus is beginning to spread across the country? We do not know yet. But I will advise that race fans educate themselves about the virus, be prepared for the worst possible outcome, avoid panic, do not completely dismiss the threat and WASH YOUR HANDS! Lee: Personally, I don’t have the expertise either to speak fully on what to do and not do in this situation. However, I think it should be something to pay attention to for any racing series across the globe. Of course, I think it will be interesting to see if it has an impact anywhere else. If you aren’t washing your hands for some reason, please do as you move around from one place to another. Bonus Point: Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will come out of his stock car racing retirement, entering the NASCAR Xfinity Series road course race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stewart-Haas Racing is set to field an extra Ford Mustang for the Indiana native alongside Xfinity regular Chase Briscoe. Despite being out of a stock car for a while, do you think Smoke will be a contender for the victory? Lambeth: Since nobody can rely on a notebook, it should make things interesting when Tony Stewart returns to NASCAR competition. Stewart has remained active on the dirt racing scene, so he has not completely stopped racing yet. However, 2016 was the last time he competed in a NASCAR race. A lot has changed since then, but I am confident that we will see a competitive “Smoke” at the Indy road course. Fans in Indiana are probably planning a trip to the Brickyard to see their hometown driver race in NASCAR for the first time in a few years. Lee: On Wednesday morning, we got a surprising announcement that Tony Stewart would participate in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis this summer. I think the Indiana native will perform well on the road course at Indy. It should be a fun rave and adding “Smoke” to the show should make it more fun. Bonus Point: Beginning in 2021, the Busch Clash will no longer run on the Daytona oval as NASCAR switches to the same road course layout as the Rolex 24 endurance race. In addition, Speedweeks will transition into a single-week event. What are your thoughts on the changes? Lambeth: Given the recent nature of the Busch Clash, I think most people would agree that a change was necessary. It is quite refreshing to see NASCAR decide on using the Daytona road course for the exhibition race. I have always wondered what a stock car race would look like on the road course and it will finally become a reality. In addition, it will be the first time we have seen a road course race under the lights in NASCAR history. As for Speedweeks transitioning to a single-week event, I think it will take some time getting used to, but I think there are definitely some positives. From Tuesday through Sunday, there will be on-track activity. I like the idea of an Xfinity/ARCA doubleheader on Saturday. I bet the 2021 schedule will be full of surprises. Lee: It was quite a shocking development. Honestly, I thought the tweet dropping the news was from a parody account. But heading into 2021, NASCAR will use the road course for the Busch Clash on a Tuesday night. I think it’s quite a shakeup that people have been asking for, since it seems to be a wreckfest during the Clash. Perhaps, this gives it a bit more meaning for drivers to be the first group to compete on the road course. With just a month before the 2021 schedule is set to be announced, it should make fans wonder what other changes will happen soon.
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