Bubba Wallace’s spotter sounds the alarm on JGR after Martinsville setback: “You got to be worried”

Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, recently weighed in on Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe facing mechanical issues last Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. The day ended early for the Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, who had to leave the Virginia short track with DNFs.

It was later found that the issues stemmed from a rogue batch of valve springs. For Hamlin and Briscoe, it wasn’t the end of the world. If the same issues persist next week at Phoenix, it will cause irreparable harm to the championship campaign and the organization. Pinpointing the same, Kraft said on The Door Bumper Clear podcast (7:35),

“You got to be worried about it. I mean, it's got to be in the back of your head. They've had a lot, and we've had as well at Toyota with the 23XI cars, but starters, clutches, there's just been issues there all year long across the board.”

That day, Bubba Wallace came in 18th in a 37-car field. He made the playoffs this year but got ousted before advancing to the Round of 8. Wallace is currently the longest-tenured driver at 23XI Racing, a team that Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin co-owns.

Despite the fateful end to his championship bid, Bubba Wallace remains the only driver from the 23XI Racing camp who won during his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign. His most recent victory came in the crown jewel, Brickyard 400, which was held on July 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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Bubba Wallace earns praise for professional behavior following Kansas incident with Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin had a lot to gain if he could win the playoff race at Kansas, held on September 28. He would get an automatic ticket to the Round of 8 and leave the racetrack with his 60th career victory. So when Bubba Wallace took the lead after a late restart, Hamlin chased him hard.

On the very last lap of the race, Hamlin closed in on Wallace on his inside and attempted to pass the 23XI driver. That’s when he nudged Wallace’s No. 24, pushing it into the wall. The bickering gave away the win to Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.

Both Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin ended up earning top fives. Wallace displayed initial frustration by sticking up his middle finger, but stayed calm during his post-race media session. This impressed Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I like his attitude of going for it, and I think he has to go for it, he owes it to his team,” said Dale Jr. “I just hate it because Bubba was in a good spot and Bubba did everything all day long to put himself in a great spot, and his own team owner (cost him).”

“I think Bubba did a great job and was very professional in his interview. But he had every opportunity and every right to be frustrated about that and voice that opinion,” he added.

Now it’s just Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe representing Toyota in the championship picture. All eyes are on Phoenix Raceway, which will host the Championship 4 on November 2. Fans can watch the race on Peacock (3:30 pm ET) or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.