Hello, motorsports enthusiasts! Welcome to 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 Ankrum won the first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race of his career, which was also the first series victory for DGR-Crosley. What did you think of the wild, fuel mileage finish? Starting and parking with NEMCO Motorsports at Iowa and Gateway turned out to be a smart decision to keep Ankrum playoff eligible, right? Lambeth: Wow! What an exciting way to produce a first-time winner. Fuel mileage races never fail to disappoint. Ankrum is the defending K&N Series East champion, so he earned his way to this level of the sport. He had some good runs this season and put together a solid performance. Luckily, he had enough fuel to get him to the checkered flag. Starting and parking is not an ideal situation, but it kept Ankrum eligible for the Truck Series championship. If he missed Iowa and Gateway completely, I am pretty sure that it would have been a difficult one to swallow, after winning at Kentucky. Luckily, Joe Nemecheck was able to help him out at those two races. Hopefully, Ankrum will be able to find sponsorship, in order to support a potential title run. Lee: Tyler Ankrum notched the first win of his career at Kentucky last Thursday night for DGR-Crosley. I thought we had quite the unusual race at Kentucky and it made for a very interesting show under the lights. I think to finish out the season they have no choice but to start-and-park the ride so that they can afford to make the playoffs. 2. Michael Annett has improved significantly, obtaining five top-5s and 12 top-10 finishes, at this point of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season. In 2018, Annett only scored three top-10s and no top-5s. Is he doing a solid job proving his doubters wrong? Lambeth: Annett is definitely hushing everyone, who said that he needed to be replaced at JR Motorsports, due to a poor 2018 season. To be honest, I had my doubts as well, like many others. I am glad that he proved me and others wrong. Since winning the season opener at Daytona, Annett has produced a list of solid finishes. Although the current season is far from over, I believe that his form is at an all-time high. Him and crew chief Travis Mack are a solid duo. Lee: Annett has slowly but surely came around this season and has shown an excellent level of consistency, since getting a win at Daytona this season. Him and Travis Mack have made quite the duo on track and I would mark him as the “dark horse” of the playoffs. Don’t be surprised if he makes a deep playoff run. 3. Kurt Busch edged out his younger brother Kyle Busch, winning the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, in thrilling fashion. Thoughts on the finish? Lambeth: The Busch brothers put on one heck of a show for the fans. I liked how they raced each other hard, while showing respect on the track. It was nice of Kyle to let his older brother have a win (sarcasm). Lee: What a battle we had at the end of the race at Kentucky between the Busch brothers last Saturday night. I thought the finish was one you’d think we would have gotten more of through both of their Cup careers. 4. What in the world is happening between Rich Energy and Haas F1? Lambeth: In all of my years of watching motorsports, I have never seen such a bizarre situation between sponsor and team. Apparently, this is a form of an attempted coup d'état within Rich Energy to overthrow CEO William Storey. Ultimately, this has turned into a massive, embarrassing, public relations nightmare for both Rich Energy and Haas F1. Lee: Another mess of a sponsor has hit the racing world. Rich Energy doesn’t fall short of being a pure joke. From the odd tweet sent out on their page, to all of the mishaps throughout the season, it doesn’t surprise me at all. 5. Lewis Hamilton won a record sixth British Grand Prix, scoring another victory in his home country. However, the week for the British racing driver started with a little controversy. A journalist from the Guardian questioned Hamilton’s “Britishness.” Do you think this was a fair question? Should we even be concerned about others living differently than us? Lambeth: What does an individual’s lifestyle have anything to do with his nationalism? If I decide to move to Canada someday, it does not mean that I am no longer associated with the United States. I think it is ridiculous to question Lewis Hamilton’s way of life. He is entitled to live anywhere he wishes. Living outside of Great Britain does not make him any less of a British citizen. At the end of the day, we should only be concerned about our own interests, instead of worrying about the lives of others. Like Hamilton said, it is interesting how he is always singled out for his different lifestyle. You would never hear folks complain about someone such as Jenson Button. Lee: Six wins for British driver Lewis Hamilton at Silverstone is an absolutely amazing accomplishment for him. While there’s nothing wrong with having an opinion, I think this journalist needs to sit this one out. He’s living his best life (Shoutout Lil Duval) and he does it the way he wants to. It should never bother someone that much; just a poor question from the Guardian. 6. Jean-Eric Vergne survived the mayhem on the streets to Brooklyn, becoming the first back-to-back champion in Formula E history. Also, the Frenchman is the first driver to win multiple titles, in the electric racing series. During his Formula 1 career, Vergne saw the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat graduate to the senior Red Bull F1 organization from Toro Rosso. Meanwhile, Vergne never advanced and found himself out of F1, at the end of 2014. Eventually, he settled in Formula E and earned two-consecutive championships. Motorsports journalist Joey Barnes proposed something interesting to consider. Who do you think got the best deal from Red Bull’s decision to promote Ricciardo instead of Vergne? Vergne is an eight-time Formula E race winner and two-time champion. Ricciardo has a total of seven F1 wins and zero championships. Plus, he is currently driving for midfield competitor Renault, who is not taking the fight to the front of the field. Lambeth: This is a tricky question. I guess a response depends on what an individual considers most important. While Formula 1 is considered the pinnacle of motorsport, only a select number of drivers have a realistic shot of contending for a driver’s championship. If you are not in a good seat, then the chances of becoming a world champion seems like a fantasy. Ricciardo proved worthy of the promotion to Red Bull, which eventually led him to seven victories. Unfortunately, some teams have too many drivers and not enough seats. As a result, Vergne departed the F1 paddock and started a new career in Formula E. If we are basing an answer on championships and a better opportunity to compete for wins, then I believe that Vergne got the better end of the deal. Would you rather drive for an F1 team, running in the midfield, or go to Formula E for a more realistic chance at winning races and titles? However, one could also argue that Ricciardo is the winner, since he remains active on the F1 grid. Formula E used to be viewed as a home for F1 outcasts. As the series evolved, it seems that more people have respect for Formula E. Also, drivers from other series are showing interest in the championship. Lee: This question can be debated all day long on who got the better end of the deal. However, I think it’s almost impossible to compare the two championships with Formula E being one thing and Formula 1 being another. If I’m in Ricciardo’s position and he happens to win a Formula 1 title someday, I think having Formula 1 World Championship is much better than having a Formula E title. Don’t get me wrong, Formula E is great and I couldn’t be happier for Vergne, but it just doesn’t hold as much weight to me, in terms of winning a title in that series compared to Formula 1. 7. How special of a moment was it for the motorsports community to witness Robert Wickens drive a car around the streets of Toronto, prior to the NTT IndyCar Series race? Lambeth: It was such an incredible sight to see. Wickens is such an inspiration as he continues to fight hard, recovering from his injuries suffered in the Pocono crash. Watching him drive on his home turf, thanks to Arrow Electronics, is something that we will remember for a long time. It has been remarkable to watch his progress, 11 months after the horrific crash. Lee: Seeing Wickens back at the track for one is always a great thing. The guy has made incredible strides in his recovery and is quite the inspiration! Unbelievable it’s almost been a year since his crash, certainly wishing him the best in his recovery moving forward! Special Note: Make sure to check out Kobe's remix of Old Town Road, titled Old Town Track, which is based on the desire of having a future Cup race at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville.
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