Big Blow for Michael Jordan’s $60 Billion Ally as Bubba Wallace Insider Calls Out Own Sponsor

In a high-stakes scenario, the final Daytona race held particular significance for Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s #23 driver, Bubba Wallace. The race essentially acted as a do-or-die moment for his playoff hopes. As tensions soared, Wallace found himself on the defensive side as his playoff spot was nearly hijacked by rising talent Ty Gibbs.

With immense pressure Bubba Wallace and his team knew that there was no room for error; every move needed to be calculated to perfection to secure that coveted playoff position. But could they perform under such suffocating expectations?

However, an unexpected hurdle emerged. Bubba Wallace’s spotter divulged that the team faced a unique obstacle.

Freddie Kraft exposes the color of a roadblock

In a curious twist of fate, Bubba Wallace reached the finale of the Daytona Night Race. Sponsored by the $6 billion company Columbia Sportswear, Wallace’s #23 car sported a sleek black paint scheme. However, as night fell over the racetrack, Freddie Kraft, Wallace’s spotter, found it increasingly difficult to distinguish the black car in the dim lighting.

Complicating matters further, Wallace’s teammate Tyler Reddick also featured a black paint scheme, courtesy of Monster Energy. Astonishingly, two other drivers—Riley Herbst with his #36 and Ty Gibbs driving the #54—shared identical Monster Energy schemes. How would this affect the team’s strategy?

Freddie Kraft didn’t mince words when he conveyed his concerns and stated, “We do pit stop and we leave and Booty [#23 crew chief] gets on the radio and he is like ‘We might as well be running camouflage car there because I can’t see s**t.’ I was like good news is I said I looks just like the monster cars on track and there’s only three of them this week.”

Kraft took it a step further, urging for some flexibility, “Can we come up with, allow these guys to change the scheme a little bit, because there are three identical Race cars.”

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Despite these unconventional setbacks, Bubba Wallace and his team persevered, securing their spot in the playoffs. Wallace later heaped praise on his spotter, Freddie Kraft, for navigating these unique challenges.

Bubba Wallace lauds Freddie Kraft for guiding the eyes in the sky

Daytona is notoriously associated with colossal wrecks that can abruptly alter the course of a race. So it’s not surprising that drivers, spotters, and teams alike are on high alert whenever they take on this iconic track. After finishing in 12th place at the Daytona finale, Bubba Wallace had nothing but praise for his spotter, Freddie Kraft.

During the post-race interview, Bubba Wallace said, “That was the most stressful but also the most locked in I’ve ever been. Knowing that this place is mostly out of your control, I just tried to focus on doing the things that I could do.”

“Missing that wreck was massive. Appreciate Freddy. He’s one of the best up on the roof. Gets us through that a lot. That’s what helps our resume here with the speedway stuff”

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