“Asking for 36 friends” - Bubba Wallace insider reacts to NASCAR not suspending Austin Cindric in right-rear hook offense

Bubba Wallace's spotter, Freddie Kraft, responded via X (formerly Twitter) to NASCAR's decision not to suspend Austin Cindric after right-rear-hooking Ty Dillon last Sunday, March 2, at the race at COTA. The circuit decided to impose a $50K fine and a 50-point deduction to Cindric's overall score.

Freddie Kraft, in addition to being Wallace's spotter, owns a NASCAR-themed podcast named Door Bumper Clear. Cindric finished P25 with his #2 Ford, while Dillon crossed the finish line P28 in his #10 Chevrolet.

The post came as a response to Jeff Gluck's (NASCAR insider) announcement of the penalty for Cindric.

"Jeff can you please ask for a MPH range that we are now allowed to right hook someone? Asking for 36 friends" said Kraft in response to Gluck's post via X.

The comment, a sarcastic criticism of the circuit's measure against Cindric, reveals his disappointment with NASCAR's decision not to suspend Austin. His outrage may have been worsened by the fact that NASCAR did suspend his driver, Bubba Wallace, for a similar right-rear hook to Kyle Larson in Las Vegas 2022.

Back when this happened, Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s chief operating officer, explained the suspension.

"Our actions are really specific to what took place on the race track. And when we look at how that incident occurred, in our minds, really a dangerous act. We thought that was intentional and put other competitors at risk," Steve O’Donnell said to Dave Moody on SiriusXM Speedway radio (Tuesday, October 22, 2022).

In Cindric's case, as per Gluck's post, NASCAR deemed the speed of the incident and the damage to the car not enough to suspend the driver. Hence, Kraft's request for an MPH threshold is required to merit a suspension. The Wednesday penalty report following COTA also included a two-race suspension for two of Kyle Larson's pit crew members for a loose tire on the racing surface.

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Bubba Wallace not missing a step toward Phoenix

After a troublesome start to the season (P29 in Daytona) but two solid races afterward, Bubba Wallace sits sixth in the overall standings with 94 points. He had a particularly good race last week at COTA, where he won the first stage. This came as a surprise, given Wallace's mixed performance history at road courses (22.7nd average place).

After the COTA race, a fan posted on his X account that Wallace won a stage in a road course before the release of GTA VI (famously delayed videogame), to which the 23XI racer answered:

"💀💀💀", Bubba Wallace responded to the fan's comical statement, via X.

Next up for Bubba and the rest of the Cup Series drivers is the Phoenix Raceway on March 9. The action starts at 3:30 p.m. ET.