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. Tyler Reddick’s mistake, on the final lap, benefited Cole Custer as he took the No. 00 Ford Mustang to victory lane, in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway. Was this one of the best Pocono finishes, in recent memory? Lambeth: Without a doubt, this was one of the most exciting Pocono finishes in a while. Tyler Reddick and Cole Custer put on a show for the fans, on the final lap. Reddick was driving so hard that he tagged the wall a bit, at the entrance of Turn 1, trying to defend Custer. Ultimately, a slight bobble in Turn 3 cost him the victory. Custer was in the right place at the right time. Nevertheless, these young guns are proving their worth in the sport. Lee: Although the Xfinity Series has a short bill of history at the “Tricky Triangle,” that was one of the most exciting races I’ve ever watched at Pocono in quite some time. Those final laps were so much fun, although Tyler Reddick almost kept it together after bouncing off the wall. Cole Custer managed to steal the win. That type of racing is what will forever give merit to the tagline, “Names Are Made Here” 2. Brandon Brown earned a 13th-place finish in last Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Tricky Triangle. This ties his career-best result. Are you impressed with the performance of Brandonbilt Motorsports? Lambeth: It is always a nice sight to see one of the smaller teams, in the Xfinity garage, obtain decent results. Brandon Brown is displaying his talent behind the wheel, challenging quality competition in the Xfinity Series. This organization continues to improve each week. Lee: Solid finish for one of the smaller teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series garage! Brown has had a solid season as a whole. He currently has an average finish of 16.6, which is up seven positions, in comparison to last season (23.6) It’s always great to see smaller organizations make progress on a year-to-year basis. 3. Should we listen to Kyle Busch and stop asking “package questions?” Lambeth: At this point of the season, I think we should finally have enough information to make a fair evaluation of the package. In my opinion, it works well at some places but not others. One size cannot fit all. Honestly, I do not blame Kyle Busch for getting frustrated. I think we all know how he feels about the package loud and clear. Lee: Package? We talking about the package? Kyle Busch has had enough questions about it and he has all the reason to say that. The package won’t change and it’s what we will have until 2021 possibly. The speculation needs to just come an end on everyone’s end, if we're being honest. Bottom line is that the package has had some success and some failures so far this season. 4. Racer.com’s Marshall Pruett revealed a plethora of information within the motorsports community, specifically dealing with the future of hybrid technology. What are your thoughts on this type of technology? Does anything surprise you from Pruett’s piece? Lambeth: I think hybrid technology is the inevitable future of motorsports. Whether you like it or not, it is definitely going to happen someday. It is a matter of when, not if. As long as we find a way to prevent what happened with the LMP1 hybrid class, I think the major series in motorsports should evaluate the move. We cannot have teams trying to outspend one another or it will kill the sport. You do not want a two-car Toyota LMP1 race. The most surprising thing from Pruett's article is near the very end. It concerns the possibility of the ACO separating itself from the WEC and realigning with IMSA. If that turns out to be true, it would send massive shockwaves throughout the sports car racing community. Talk about a game changer. Lee: Based on the current state of the world, none of that surprises me that the thought of hybrids continue to spark within motorsports. Hybrid technology is going to come in full force within the next decade or so. The one thing that also stuck out to me is the likelihood of the ACO splitting from away from it’s “baby,” the WEC and trying to make ties with IMSA. That itself could be a groundbreaking moment if it does happen in the future. 5. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East put on an entertaining show last Saturday evening at Memphis International Raceway. With just 20 points separating the top-5, in the championship standings, do you think the K&N level produces some of NASCAR’s closest racing? Lambeth: If you are not watching the K&N Series East and West, then you are truly missing out on some of the best stock car racing. Despite low car counts, the drivers put on a show. Plus, both championships remain wide open, so it is anyone's game. The schedules consist of short tracks, road courses and a dirt track. Honestly, it does not get much better than that! Lee: The NASCAR K&N Series has been rather good this season and, thanks to FansChoiceTV, we are now able to witness and be part of the entire season. I think this series and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series are the most underrated divisions in stock car racing. If you haven’t watched yet, you get a plethora of tracks, drivers and just flat out great racing! 6. In a rare moment, Scott Dixon crashed out of Race 1 at Belle Isle, leaving him in quite a hole for the championship. However, the usual Dixon showed up to win Race 2, recovering from the poor, previous result. The Iceman is now 52 points behind championship leader Josef Newgarden, heading into Texas this weekend. When things seem to go south, how does Dixon continue to salvage something out of nothing? Lambeth: Simple. His name is Scott Dixon. He is a five-time IndyCar champion for a reason. Whenever you think he is going to have a bad weekend, Dixon always pulls a rabbit out of his hat. Crashing out of Race 1 put him in a hole. However, he managed to pull himself out a bit by winning Race 2. Despite being 52 points back, do not count him out for the championship. We still have a good amount of races remaining. Do not be surprised if the Iceman heads into the season finale at Laguna Seca, fighting for his sixth title. Lee: In this moment, I think people need to realize that Scott Dixon is one of the most underappreciated drivers at times and let alone champions of IndyCar. The five-time champ has won at least one race for the last 14 years and he will continue that streak after winning at Belle Isle. At age 38, he is quite the savvy veteran. It almost seems like he has never lost a step and is always a threat to win the race or championship. 7. Marcus Ericsson earned the best result of his IndyCar career, in Race 2 at Belle Isle. The Swedish racing driver crossed the finish line in second-place. The series rookie picked up his first podium, since his days over on the European racing ladder. How significant is the result for an ex-Formula 1 driver, who came across the pond to continue his career? Lambeth: This is a huge result for Marcus Ericsson. The ex-Formula 1 driver has shown signs of decent speed throughout the season. However, luck usually does not fall his way. In Race 2, Ericsson put together a complete race and stood on the podium. This should give him some confidence as we enter the second half of the season. It must be a wonderful feeling to come from the F1 environment to IndyCar, where a driver stands a better chance of making a difference behind the wheel. In the future, I think IndyCar will continue to attract drivers from the F1 world. Lee: The young Swedish driver came home in second-place in Race 2. His constant growth this season has finally paid off. It will be interesting to see how the former Formula 1 driver performs for the remainder of the IndyCar season!
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