The NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix Raceway was supposed to be another chapter in Bubba Wallace’s growing legacy. Instead, it turned into a gut-wrenching tale of mechanical betrayal and raw emotion.
Bubba Wallace’s frustration boiled over at the Shriners Children’s 500 in Phoenix, and a raw, expletive-filled exchange with his spotter, Freddie Kraft, painted a human picture of his heartbreak.
As Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota Camry slammed into the wall on lap 267, spotter Freddie Kraft’s voice crackled over the radio: “You good?” Wallace’s response—“F—— dandy”—captured the gut punch of a race gone wrong, a moment fans felt deeply. The
The crash stemmed from a brake rotor failure, shattering Wallace’s shot at a top-10 finish after starting 19th and clawing his way up. “Brakes blew out. Unfortunate,” Wallace later told reporters, his voice tinged with disappointment. “I didn’t have any sign leading up to that last restart there. Just noticed on lap three or four that the pedal just traveled further than it had by a little bit. So turned on my fans, came back and that was it.” It was a bitter end to a promising day for the 23XI Racing driver, who’d started 2025 strong but left Phoenix in 29th place.
The result was extremely disappointing. With 46 laps to go, Wallace was in the top 10 and he looked set to finish there, but when the brakes failed, so did his dream. He crashed into the outside wall, dragging his car along as if he were doing a poor impression of Ross Chastain’s Hail Melon. Eventually, it meant a 29th-place finish. However, Wallace didn’t let it affect his feelings.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Practice and Qualifying Nov 2, 2024 Martinsville, Virginia, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace 23 during cup practice at Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville Martinsville Speedway Virginia USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJimxDedmonx 20241102_tbs_db2_075
Talking to his wife, Bubba Wallace found his silver lining. “And even Amanda, we were texting after the race and she was like ‘I’m surprised you’re not upset’ or something along those lines. But she’s used to the bad days and I’m a pain in the ass, so she was quite surprised. If it all ended today, it’s ok because I have a good family, and we’ll be fine. It just wasn’t meant to be, and I was trying to understand that pretty quick.”
Speaking about his season so far, Wallace said, “It’s a bummer. We didn’t have the best of start or the best of mid-race for our Leidos team. But I feel like we finally got our big break and cracked in there in the top 10. I was going to make something of it, trying to survive. It just got ripped out from underneath us..
Still, the Phoenix disaster stings for a driver ranked 12th in points, 19 above the playoff cutline. After his 2022 Kansas win, Wallace’s consistency has faltered, but fans see his near-win at Michigan in 2023 and playoff runs as proof he’s close to breaking through. The only positive from the 2025 season was win at the Daytona Duels and his subsequent Top 10 finish at Atlanta. Wallace knows the pressure is on his shoulders. After a disappointing 2024 season, most didn’t expect him to be rewarded with a new contract, but Hamlin and Co. kept his faith in him.
With new crew chief Charles Denike joining 23XI, there’s hope for a turnaround. Kraft’s still by his side, and together, they’ll chase that next victory. As someone who’s followed Wallace’s journey, we will be relating to his pain but a comeback is right around the corner.
Team owner Denny Hamlin feels confident Denike’s addition would be the change Wallace needs. “I think that those two can really do something special this year. We’ve crossed paths but that’s it. He’s [Denike] coming in fresh. He was with a Chevy Truck team now going to a Toyota Cup team, so literally it couldn’t be a bigger transition for him. From what I’ve seen and what I’ve heard, he’s doing a fantastic job.”
How Bubba Wallace’s spotter keeps things light
15 years ago, when Mike Herman Jr. asked Freddie Kraft, “I’m spotting for Ty Dillon, but there’s this kid, Bubba Wallace, is looking for a spotter for K&N, would you mind doing it?” he didn’t know it would be the start of a partnership that lasted to this day! And when Kraft isn’t spotting for Wallace, he’s on podcasts and replying to Reddit comments.
In one such instance, Wallace responded to a question on Reddit that asked, “Does anybody else like Bubba Wallace?” Kraft chose the funny reply when he said, “Nope. Guy’s a b-m.” In another instance, when a fan asked Kraft if he would continue to spot for Wallace, he replied, “Unfortunately…I’m stuck. No one else will deal with his a–.” It’s what defines their relationship together. Instead of keeping things serious all the time, Kraft likes to have fun and keep things light for Wallace and the rest of the fans.
As for the rest of the team, they have big things planned for the Las Vegas race. Making the announcement on X, 23XI revealed a new livery for Wallace’s car. “he No. 23 team is gearing up for flight in Las Vegas. We are bringing stealth speed with Air Force this year in the new B-2 Stealth Bomber inspired scheme.@USAFRecruiting @BubbaWallace.”
Whether the livery will prove lucky for the #23 team remains to be seen, but Wallace is certainly all fired up for the race.
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