With two races already done in the Round of 16, the third race of the 2023 NASCAR Playoffs awaits plenty of entertainment. While the first two races have helped Denny Hamlin gain places in the NASCAR Cup Series table, it could have easily been so much better last Sunday. However, what has come as a surprise is one of Bubba Wallace’s team members reactions to Hamlin’s decision-making.

Clearly, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was unfortunate at Darlington to have missed out on a win with a tire issue. Without fussing much about the missed opportunity, he looked fresh at Kansas and should have won there had it not been for his defensive approach.

Bubba Wallace insider criticizes boss Denny Hamlin’s Kansas move

Last Sunday, Tyler Reddick triumphed with a late move in the race to beat 23XI Racing boss Denny Hamlin and secure the checkered flag. While the #45 driver deserves a lot of appreciation for his act, Hamlin could have stopped him from doing so had it not been for his questionable decision-making.

The 42-year-old led 63 laps in the Hollywood Casino 400 and was sailing towards victory unchallenged before a caution came out. With six laps remaining, the restart saw Hamlin start in the outside lane. However, when his competitors got closer, the JGR driver was guilty of focusing too much on his rear-view mirror.

This allowed Reddick a window of opportunity which he capitalized on perfectly. After dominating the race once again, Hamlin let it slip in one of the most unexpected fashions. Naturally, his decision has been a subject of discussion on multiple platforms as it was on the Door Bumper Clear podcast.

It was then that Bubba Wallace’s spotter slammed his boss for his act. Freddie Kraft said, “Denny scr**ed up. He should have just, focused on what was going on in front of him. He lays back, they take off, he’s got a three-car lane gap in front of him. But if he stays up there on their a** and lets Kyle [Larson] lay back two cars on him, guess what happens? He’s middle of three by the time we get to turn one because Kyle’s coming 10 more miles an hour faster than he is.”

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Kraft went on to elaborate on his frustration. He said, “This is a terrible restart on Denny’s part because of the fact that he’s trying to combat what’s going on behind him instead of just taking off because it cost him to race. He would’ve been outside of Tyler into turn one if he just gets a decent restart and Tyler can’t move up to the middle and then get to the top and clear them for the lead.”