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LONG POND, PA – JUNE 27: Bubba Wallace, driver of the 23 DraftKings Toyota and Chase Elliott, driver of the 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet talk prior to the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series – Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 on June 27, 2021 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA. Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUN 27 NASCAR Cup Series – Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 Icon2106271215

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LONG POND, PA – JUNE 27: Bubba Wallace, driver of the 23 DraftKings Toyota and Chase Elliott, driver of the 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet talk prior to the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series – Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 on June 27, 2021 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA. Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire AUTO: JUN 27 NASCAR Cup Series – Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 Icon2106271215
NASCAR is a tough sport. It is a fact that was perceived as an opinion until a few years ago. But then drivers like Bubba Wallace explained why NASCAR is as much a sport as any other ball game, and that they too are athletes.
But what about the other people involved in NASCAR apart from the drivers? Those that make the car go as it goes and where it goes, the crew chiefs and the spotters.
Because if the general opinion is that someone who spots for a NASCAR driver has it easy, then Freddie Kraft, the spotter of Bubba Wallace, is here to change their mind.
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Recently, Kraft responded to a tweet by Eddie D Hondt, who is the spotter for JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports as he had tweeted, “So, you wanna be a NASCAR spotter. Easy job, “clear / not clear” Big money, fancy planes, exciting life 😂😂”
Kraft seconded his fellow spotter’s take as he replied, “If you wanna know what it was like spotting today there’s a simple simulation. Get in your car, set the cruise at 40 mph. Stick your head out and the window, and try and keep your eyes open.”
If you wanna know what it was like spotting today there’s a simple simulation.
Get in your car, set the cruise at 40 mph. Stick your head out and the window, and try and keep your eyes open. 😂 https://t.co/hmSaZQRuxV
— Freddie Kraft (@FreddieKraft) March 5, 2023
Bubba Wallace had claimed his team would be ready for 2023
Ahead of the 2023 season, Bubba Wallace had claimed that while last season they were getting up to speed with the Next Gen car, in the coming season they’ll have better luck, and that he’s prepared.
“I’m ready for next season to start,” he said, speaking to RACER Magazine’s Kelly Crandall. “Just having conversations [recently] about how we are so much better as a team and as a manufacturer from Phoenix [race] one to Phoenix [race] two, it just makes you think about how much better you’ll be starting the year off.”
“It took us all year to figure out this car; we’re still figuring it out day by day.”

USA Today via Reuters
Feb 15, 2023; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace (23) speaks to the media at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
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Vegas will be another opportunity for Wallace & Co. to have a good race
Despite Wallace’s pre-season comments, things haven’t turned out to be the way he or his team would’ve wanted. This is all the more concerning considering they had a pretty decent run in the second half of the season.
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However, two races into this season, it’s pretty clear Wallace and his #23 team have neither made further progress nor have they built off that good run from the end of last season.
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HAMPTON, GA – MARCH 20: The pit crew services Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing McDonald s Toyota during the running of the 64th annual NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on March 20, 2022 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, GA. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: MAR 20 NASCAR Cup Series – Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Icon2203203054500
In fact, based on the first two races of 2022 and this season, they had a better start last season. Because in 2022, Wallace’s finishes from the first two races were 2nd place, and 19th place. This season, it’s 20th and 30th.
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