Spotting in NASCAR is no walk in the park. These guys are perched way up above the track, acting like the eyes and ears of the driver below. Every split-second, they’re feeding info to drivers flying at over 150 mph, surrounded by 670-horsepower beasts, inches away from other cars. But Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, had a little extra “excitement” during Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
While some drivers fought for a spot in the round of 8, Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, battled bees on the track.
Bubba Battles While Brett Swats Bees
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Speaking on the Dirty Mo Media’s Door Bumper Clear podcast, Kraft revealed to his co-hosts that he took on an unexpected enemy in the middle of the race when bees decided to crash the spotters’ stand. It was, quite literally, a buzz he never saw coming. “I told Bubba yesterday, I think they thought I was Winnie the Pooh!” Kraft laughed, joking that the bees seemed convinced he had “honey in his pocket.” With a slanted roof above them, the bees appeared out of nowhere, swirling around like a NASCAR swarm of their own.
At first, Kraft could barely believe it was happening. “I’m getting pelted in the face with hundreds of bees!” he recalls yelling over his headset. Bubba’s crew chief, Bootie Barker, was laser-focused on keeping Wallace fast, so he just responded, “Yeah, just keep his entry speed up.” But Kraft, swatting bees and dodging stingers, shouted back, “No, for real. I’m literally getting attacked by bees up here!”
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Kraft was not the only one dealing with the issues of bees at Homestead. Race winner Tyler Reddick’s spotter, Nick Payne, faced his own battle with the bees. However, Payne braved the incident to keep his driver in the mix, and his efforts were rewarded well when Reddick rode the wall in the last lap to take the victory.
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Who knew NASCAR spotters needed beekeeper suits to survive a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?
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It’s safe to say it wasn’t exactly a distraction-free environment to be spotting in, especially since Wallace was dealing with his version of a “hornet’s nest” on the track. Surrounded by other drivers fighting for every inch, Bubba Wallace was racing for position and trying to keep up the momentum—likely without a clue his spotter was dealing with a swarm of his own.
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After the bees finally buzzed off, you’d think Kraft could relax a bit. But just as the coast seemed clear, in came Ken, a friend of Kraft’s and a regular track visitor, with a tray of treats. Cookies, and brownies—delicious, but also a bee magnet. Kraft was quick to send him packing, jokingly (but not really) telling him, “Get away from me! I don’t want these things to come back!”
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While Wallace didn’t manage to snag a high finish, rounding off the day at 18th, Kraft’s experience up top will go down as one of the more “unique” spotting stories in NASCAR. Between dodging bees, directing Wallace, and winning it all with Tyler Reddick, it was a wild day for the 23XI Racing team. NASCAR races come with unexpected challenges, but no one would’ve guessed “dodge a swarm of bees” would be on Kraft’s to-do list.
So next time Homestead Miami rolls around, Freddie Kraft might bring a beekeeper suit, or at the very least, make sure Ken leaves the brownies at home. For fans, it was just one more reason to love the unpredictable quirks of the sport, where anything—even a bee invasion—can happen.
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Who knew NASCAR spotters needed beekeeper suits to survive a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway?