The highly anticipated NASCAR playoffs are finally set to begin in just a few days’ time. An elite group of 16 drivers made it to the next level after an intense clash at the Daytona International Speedway and will be seen next at the Darlington Raceway. Before then, as is tradition, the Insider are back again in front of the cameras and mics to share and reflect thoughts. And as they always do, the hosts of the podcast ‘Door Bumper Clear’ too pitched in for another interesting episode.

Discussing the narrow gap through which 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace managed to scrape through to the final 16, his spotter and podcast host Freddie Kraft disclosed an opinion that might come as a shock for his NASCAR crew.

Spotter reveals a scenario that may see Bubba Wallace eliminated

Coming back from Daytona, Freddie Kraft recapped the night with his driver and discussed their maiden entry to the playoffs. In an attempt to understand the spotter’s thoughts, podcast co-host Brett Griffin mentioned how there used to be only 10 entrants in the playoff stages of NASCAR’s earlier seasons and asked, “It’s now 16. That is probably 16 out of 28 contenders. Is 16 too many?”

Freddie Kraft responded, “Yeah, I think so (…) I feel like it’s half the field.” 

Going further to address his opinion, he talked about how good cars miss out on making the playoffs in the Xfinity and Truck series. He said, “You know, I think it should be… like 10. I mean, you will have to lay out the format differently. Because the numbers don’t work out the same. But, I mean, make it hard. It’s the playoffs! It’s not supposed to be easy to get in.” 

However, considering that Bubba Wallace stands at the bottom of 16 drivers who made it in, his spotter surely can’t hate the current scenario a lot. Were his opinion of having only 10 cars in the playoffs a reality, entries like Bubba’s would have to be shut down.

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The 23XI Racing star’s close-cut entry to the playoffs

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Going into Daytona, Bubba Wallace raced under the condition that no new winner must emerge from outside the cut-off line, regardless of his own performance. Despite a few close calls by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and former champion Chase Elliott, none from outside the fray managed to secure the win. This automatically propelled Bubba Wallace into the playoff stages.

Bubba finished the race in P12, but that’s not something the driver nor his team would be pondering too much on. Through the combined efforts of commendable crew members, the 23XI Racing star beat drivers with a lot to their names and progressed forward. Post the race, Bubba Wallace did not fail to appreciate the efforts of his spotter. As per Motorsport.com, he said Freddie Kraft was “one of the best up on the roof. Gets us through that a lot. That’s what helps our resume here with the speedway stuff.”

With appreciation pouring in from all sides, his own spotter expressing an opinion that would leave him hanging back might take Bubba Wallace aback. Regardless, both Bubba and Freddie will be awaiting their first playoff race at the weekend to prove that their ingress wasn’t just luck.

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