Bubba Wallace’s Spotter Suggests Elaborate Expansion for Playoffs After Failing To Make It to the Round of 8

For Bubba Wallace, the 2023 Cup Series season has been one of transformation. The once brash and overly aggressive driver has shown signs of maturity and race management of the highest order at times this year. That is what helped the 23XI Racing star to finally break his playoff curse and make it two rounds into it. But all things must come to an end, and so did Bubba Wallace’s playoff run. Interestingly, his spotter suggested NASCAR make some changes to the playoff format right after he was eliminated.

Anyone who has followed NASCAR after 2004 knows only four drivers will have a shot at winning the gold at the end. The championship race at Phoenix has been a spectacle for a number of years. But it has its problems. With all the changes NASCAR has made to the 2024 calendar, perhaps it wouldn’t be far-fetched to look at other tracks that can host a championship race in the future.

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That is the matter that came up on a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast which featured eminent NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass. While the conversation began with the new schedule, it eventually gravitated towards there being only one race to win the championship. That too, has been held on the same track for a number of years now.

Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, is not a fan of this. According to him, having just one title-deciding race isn’t fair to drivers or fans. A variety of tracks would enhance the experience for viewers and would add that element of uncertainty going into each new season.

“The thing I hate about Phoenix being the championship race is it just comes down to whoever wins the race off pit road on the final pitstop,” Freddie Kraft said. “That’s all that like…at Homestead in your car is good, you know we’ve seen it in years past, Homestead, if your car is good, you can go up there and race and potentially beat the guy. You know, Martinsville, you can move the guy out of the way if you need to. Phoenix, it’s just whoever wins the race off pit road is your champion, and I don’t think that should be decided that way.”

Bob Pockrass agreed with the spotter but iterated that the title race should not be held at one track, like Homestead, every year. He raised a very valid point when he said that it would give a massive advantage to drivers who are good on the track and vice versa for those who aren’t.

Freddie Kraft agreed with the well-respected NASCAR journalist and said, “That’s another reason why I think it needs to be more than a single race to decide your champion.” This implies that NASCAR should expand its playoff schedule to include more than one race to decide the championship.

Freddie Kraft’s driver, Bubba Wallace, unfortunately, made his exit from the playoffs at Charlotte Roval. NASCAR played a big role in his elimination and the 23XI Racing driver was having absolutely none of it after the race.

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Bubba Wallace holds nothing back as NASCAR cost him a playoff spot

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With only 22 laps to go, Bubba Wallace was caught in a collision that involved Daniel Suarez and Austin Cindric. As a result, the 23XI Racing star was forced to cut a corner and NASCAR didn’t take too kindly to that. They slapped Bubba with a stop-and-go penalty, due to which his track position worsened even further and he could not score the necessary points.

“It’s such a B.S. rule. I lost so much track position and I didn’t completely come to a stop, but I got blown through a chicane, so I thought I’d just keep my momentum up and get back going, fall back in line, and you can race it out from there. But we had to stop on the frontstretch, and we’re the only series that does that a** backwards, so not surprised,” Bubba Wallace said in the post-race interview.

The NASCAR fandom has been divided ever since the incident took place. Some fans argued that Bubba Wallace had no other option, and he did not even gain any track position. Others say that the rules must be followed no matter the driver or circumstance. What are your thoughts on the matter?

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