Few driver-spotter partnerships in NASCAR are as iconic as Bubba Wallace and Freddie Kraft. The duo have been together for years now, and share a unique rapport. Whether it’s social media or the team radio, both of them are often seen making jokes about each other, which provides tremendous entertainment value for fans. Many of them look forward to hearing their exchanges, and they don’t spare each other during the off-season either.

Given their deep friendship and understanding with each other, Wallace and Kraft don’t hesitate when being brutal to each other. Such an exchange recently took place on social media, which left fans in stitches because of their dynamics.

Bubba Wallace shares a tongue-in-cheek comment on social media

Bubba Wallace and Freddie Kraft have been through a lot. The duo have been together since the Alabama native’s early days in motorsports, even when the racer was plying his trade in the Craftsman Truck Series. For any driver, having a good understanding with their spotter is key, as they have often been described as a racer’s “eyes”, helping them navigate through the traffic and help make changes in race strategies based on developments on the track. So far, Wallace and Kraft have managed to secure two Cup Series wins together, at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021 and Kansas Speedway the following year.

However, despite the deep friendship between the two, Bubba Wallace didn’t hesitate to make fun of his spotter. When asked by a fan named Kelly Taylor, “Will you still be spotting for @BubbaWallace this season??”, the 23XI Racing driver couldn’t help but say, “Hope not”. Meanwhile, Freddie Kraft wasn’t too far behind in participating in the banter, as he went on to write, “Unfortunately Kelly I’m stuck. No one else will deal with his a-s.” While onlookers might misunderstand the dynamics between the two, others know that the exchange is just the driver and spotter making lighthearted jokes with each other.

Despite their many brutal exchanges, Bubba Wallace has previously reiterated Freddie Kraft’s importance in the No. 23 crew. The duo has been forced to overcome plenty of challenges in NASCAR as well, and the 2024 season was a particularly difficult one for the 31-year-old racer. Wallace failed to secure a single win all season, while his teammate Tyler Reddick made it to the Championship 4. Unlike 2023, the driver didn’t even manage to point his way into the playoffs, despite showing periods of consistency towards the end of the regular season.

Being the only African-American driver on the NASCAR Cup Series grid has also brought about its fair share of challenges. However, both Bubba Wallace and Freddie Kraft have been outspoken advocates of diversity in the motorsports industry. The spotter regularly features on the popular ‘Door Bumper Clear’ podcast and has spoken about his commitment to social change as well. Even though Wallace has been forced to come to terms with Bootie Barker being replaced with Charles Denike as crew chief, the 31-year-old can take solace in the fact that Kraft will remain in the No. 23 team for the foreseeable future.

Fans find Wallace and Kraft’s social media exchange hilarious

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As expected, it didn’t take long before NASCAR fans shared their thoughts after Bubba Wallace and Freddie Kraft made their banter public on social media. Reading about the 23XI Racing driver joking about Kraft not being his spotter for the 2025 campaign, a fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Damn!!! Just being cold 🥶 the first of the new year! Brutal man!” While other drivers may have a more professional dynamic with their spotter, the 31-year-old has a brotherly relationship with Kraft, and one fan recognized the dynamic and wrote, “Damn the siblings rivalry is brutal.🤣🤣”.

Even though the new year marks the start of new beginnings, Bubba Wallace is content with the rapport he shares with Kraft and doesn’t hesitate to engage in banter. On that note, a fan couldn’t help but write, “Kickin off the new year with a bang 🤣🤣”. Responding to the racer’s “Hope not” tweet, a NASCAR fan felt it was unimaginable for the duo to part ways, recalling an unflattering term former crew chief Bootie Barker often used on the team radio to describe the pair. The fan said, “He has to. We can’t allow (to use Bootie’s terminology) captains d—kheads to split up. The 23 radio is the best in Nascar.”

While the focus generally tends to be on the races, the relationship between Wallace and Kraft has become so iconic over the years that fans have begun looking forward to their exchanges. Even though the social media exchange between the two was meant as a lighthearted joke, a fan couldn’t help but say, “I’ll be sad if the two of you ever split. In all my years watching racing, I never thought I’d follow a spotter-driver relationship, but good entertainment is good entertainment!” What do you think of the banter between Wallace and Kraft?