It is no secret how 23XI Racing has more often than not been the topic of discussion this season. However, this time around, the Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin-owned team has a bigger issue at hand.

With one of Tony Stewart’s employee’s questionable remarks, 23XI Racing witnessed an unexpected internal war.

Amid the Juneteenth celebration, the Chicago shootings have shocked the country. The horrific incident has already created plenty of debates around the world. Unfortunately, even the NASCAR world is divided in their opinions.

Tony Stewart’s Team Member’s Remarks Start a Controversial Debate Following the Chicago Shooting

What happened in Chicago over the last weekend was nothing short of dreadful. With the multiple shootings claiming innocent lives, the incident is strongly condemned worldwide. However, things have gone haywire in the 23XI Racing camp after one of Stewart-Haas Racing’s team members had his say on the event.

Aric Almirola’s spotter Joel Edmonds is an avid user on Twitter and more importantly, doesn’t shy from being the unfiltered himself. Post the incident, Edmonds shared a tweet that said, “60 shot over the weekend in Chicago Boogity Boogity Boogity”. 

While the tone of the tweet was questionable, it took a different direction when veteran spotter Brett Griffin got involved in the conversation.

Griffin’s comments read, “Do they arrest these people or let em just take a few days off and get back after it?” To this, Edmonds had a surprising reply. He said, “depends on your political offiliation like ny city”. This left plenty furious as many fans slammed the duo for reacting the way they did.

With the negative reactions coming in, Griffin’s Couch Racer Shop partner and Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, was left disappointed.

READ MORE – NASCAR Fans Call Out Chicago Governance’s Hypocrisy as They Unearth Media’s Negative Narrative

In fact, when he took it to social media, he ended up in a debate with his own team member.

Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing members get into a heated argument amid Chicago tragedy

Freddie Kraft was left offended, with plenty criticizing him purely because of his profession. He vented out his frustration on Twitter, saying, “Some folks preach about acceptance and inclusivity. But then turn around and disparage my entire profession because they don’t agree with the opinions of a couple guys within that profession. Seems pretty hypocritical to me”

Unfortunately, this started a war of words between him and JR Houston. Houston is the Strategy and Systems Engineer at 23XI Racing. He replied to Kraft by quoting, “Out of a solid 36 people in your profession, a solid 3 to 4 have completely made a mockery of it. I’m surprised the other 32-33 have remained silent and just let it happen. It seems like nobody wants to “stir the pot” to change the image given by the 3-4 loudest voices.”

While Bubba Wallace’s spotter argued to have used his freedom of speech, Houston had his own set of arguments.

Eventually, Kraft acknowledged being an outspoken person but demanded to not generalize every spotter based on specific individuals.

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