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. After taking some time to digest last Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, what did you think of the on-track action? Lambeth: In my opinion, I thought that was one of the best Talladega races in recent memory. With aero ducts and more horsepower, there was a much bigger hole punched in the air to create better racing. It seemed like the drivers were able to get huge runs and avoid stalling out. I was on the edge of my seat. There was never a dull moment during this race. NASCAR definitely got the package correct at Talladega. Moving forward, I am curious to see how the aero package performs at Daytona in July. Lee: Without a doubt, that was one of the best races I’ve watched at a superspeedway in quite some time. I think it had a little bit of everything you could have in a superspeedway race. I believe that NASCAR hit a homerun with the package. The only thing I think NASCAR is going to look at going forward is how to prevent what happened to Kyle Larson on Sunday. 2. On the final lap, Kyle Larson experienced a violent crash, resulting in the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 catching some air, hitting the wall and ending with a terrifying tumble down the Alabama Gang Superstretch. Were you surprised by Larson’s car lifting on its own, instead of getting launched by another car? Lambeth: Initially, I had no idea that Larson went for a wild ride until FOX showed the replay of the last lap crash. It was a shocking, spectacular crash. Sometimes, this is the result of racing at Talladega. Larson was very fortunate to climb out of the car unharmed. I am sure that NASCAR will do a thorough investigation to figure out why the car lifted off the ground. In the end, there will always be a chance for cars to go airborne at places like Daytona and Talladega. We cannot deny the law of physics. Lee: I’m still wondering how the car began to lift up on it’s own on Sunday, let alone why only one of his roof flaps lifted up during the crash. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a car get airborne like how his did before. Fortunately, he escaped with no injuries from the crash and I’m sure NASCAR will look into finding out what caused that. 3. Chase Elliott finally ended his bad luck on superspeedways at the Cup level, winning last weekend at Talladega. Do you think Elliott can notch multiple victories later in the season? Lambeth: Absolutely! However, I think Chevrolet is still figuring out a few things with the Camaro ZL1. When they get on top of things, I expect Elliott and other teams, representing the bowtie to make some noise and challenge the duo of Ford and Toyota. Lee: First off, congrats to Chase Elliott for picking up a huge win last Sunday at Talladega! I think he has a chance to bring a few more wins to Team Chevy this season. I believe that he has a good shot coming up at Dover and Kansas. 4. Tyler Reddick had to defend his lead perfectly, in order to hold off his hard charging competitors to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega. How did he do it? Lambeth: I am not sure how he held on for so long, but Reddick wheeled Richard Childress Racing to victory lane in Alabama. He displayed good use of defensive driving to hold off Gray Gaulding and a pack of hungry drivers. In my opinion, Tyler Reddick is a much better driver than most people give him credit for. Lee: Tyler Reddick drove one hell of a race last Saturday. At Talladega, you have to be able to have a balance of aggression and defense when leading a plate race. He did everything in his power to hold off Gaulding and the remainder of the field. I think Tyler Reddick is the most underrated champion currently in NASCAR. 5. Gray Gaulding put together the drive of his career by finishing runner-up to Xfinity race winner Tyler Reddick. Gaulding advanced to the final round of single-car qualifying and gave SS Green Light Racing a strong result for team owner Bobby Dotter. How significant was Gaulding’s performance at Talladega? Lambeth: Sometimes, Talladega provides some great storylines for the underdogs in the garage. Gray Gaulding earned a career-best second-place finish on the high banks of Talladega. He almost stole the show on the final lap, jockeying for position and doing everything possible to get around Tyler Reddick. As a result, Gaulding’s spectacular finish qualified him for the Dash 4 Cash this weekend at Dover. Bobby Dotter’s team made lots of noise and everybody knew they were there. Lee: Talladega was something that fans have been craving for all season! It was such a fun weekend and the storylines were plenty to go around, especially with Gaulding’s performance that locked him into the Dash 4 Cash at Dover. I think it’s great to see the smaller teams have a chance to mix it up with the best of the best. 6. After facing some “tough love” from his team owner, in the Truck Series, Todd Gilliland got a much needed victory in the ARCA Menards Series at Talladega. Do you think it will work wonders for his confidence? Lambeth: It is no secret that Todd Gilliland has some pressure on him moving forward, based on some comments made by Kyle Busch, his team owner, a while ago. Although it was an ARCA race, winning a race, especially when it has been a long time since your last one, can be a very meaningful and important for a driver’s confidence moving forward. As we progress through the season, I will be interested to see if Gilliland can carry the momentum from Talladega into his Truck Series program. He still has time to turn things around at Kyle Busch Motorsports. Lee: Following some heavy pressure from his team owner, I think he should have a boat load of confidence moving forward. This also should take a bit of pressure off the young man's back going through the remainder of the season. I think once he gets back in the truck, you’ll see his confidence rise up when he hits the track again! 7. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the streets of Baku usually provides some memorable moments during Formula 1’s annual visit. Which moment from last weekend stands out the most? Lambeth: I thought it was quite strange how Daniel Ricciardo put his Renault car in reverse and crashed into Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat. Ultimately, forcing both drivers to retire from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Every now and then, a talented driver like Ricciardo will make an unexpected mistake. It was a bizarre moment. Lee: I think Turn 8 during qualifying was one of the most memorable parts of the weekend to me. I’ve never seen that many crashes during a qualifying session in Formula 1. It was a pretty frantic weekend between that and Ricciardo reversing and crashing and the drama in qualifying. Baku had its wild moments once again. Extra Point: Based on McLaren Racing’s struggles with Fernando Alonso, during the test session last week at Indianapolis, should we expect teething issues and being down on the speed charts? Is it too early to be concerned? Lambeth: Since McLaren Racing is running their own operation, instead of relying on the experienced Andretti Autosport, these types of issues should be expected for any new team. Although they have a technical partnership with Carlin Racing, who is a very accomplished team globally, they are still a young team in the NTT IndyCar Series. Experience matters a lot in motorsports. McLaren will surely miss the relationship with Andretti, but the Carlin match does have potential. With Bump Day expecting to produce another round of drama, we should only become concerned if McLaren and Alonso fail to show significant improvement during the month of May. I cannot imagine what would happen if they were bumped from the Indianapolis 500. Nevertheless, the program remains in the very early stages. Like a wise man, once said, “Rome was not built in a day.” Lee: McLaren took a gamble by running its own operation with a small amount of assistance from Carlin, but I think they should have opted to work with someone with a whole lot more experience on the IndyCar side. While it is early, we still have a long way to go, in terms of teams finding speed in their cars. It would be absolutely catastrophic if Alonso doesn’t make the 500, but I think he should have enough speed to make the field. Special note: We continue to keep everyone affected by the UNC Charlotte shooting in our thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time. #CharlotteStrong #OneNinerNation
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |