Bubba Wallace’s spotter offers a tribute of thanks to NASCAR driver’s “bada**” dad and first responders fighting the ‘terrible’ LA wildfires 

Freddie Kraft, who's Bubba Wallace’s longtime spotter,showed admiration for NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley’s father who's a first responder aiding with the wildfires in Los Angeles. In a heartfelt post on X, Kraft called Smithley’s dad a bada** while also showing gratitude to all the others risking their lives to stop the fires.

The tribute was shared in response to a tweet from NASCAR driver Garrett Smithley, who thanked his father and other emergency personnel for their ongoing efforts to fight the fires. Garrett wrote:

“Thanks Dad and all the first responders and volunteers fighting these fires”

Retweeting it, Kraft acknowledged and appreciated the effort by Smithley’s dad, RK Smithley. He wrote:

“For anyone that wasn’t aware, Garrett’s dad is a badass.”

Previously, Garrett had shared an update about his father’s work towards getting the fires under control. He shared on X that his father was on his way to California, in a 10 Tanker aircraft, the Tanker 914 to assist in firefighting operations on the ground. He shared a tweet on January 19 that read:

“Dad is heading to Cali right now with @10Tanker, Tanker 914 is flying now”

The wildfires have taken over 60 square miles, destroyed more than 12,000 properties and led to at least 24 fatalities.

Around 180,000 people have been displaced, with evacuation orders for more than 150,000 people still underway. The financial loss from all of this is projected to reach at least as high as $150 billion, which makes it one of the costliest wildfires in U.S. history.

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Bubba Wallace's spotter, Freddie Kraft, explains why fans should join the Chili Bowl Pool

Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft took to X, on Jan. 9 to rally the NASCAR community to take interest in the 2025 Chili Bowl Nationals. The races started from 12 January onwards, in Tulsa, Oklahoma where the midget racing is held every year.

Bubba Wallace's spotter, Kraft, did so by promoting Chili Bowl Pool, which is an unofficial fantasy game for fans where the players select drivers that are competing in the Chili Bowl and earn points based on the performances of their chosen driver.

He also mentioned how the pool isn’t something fans should do just from the prize-winning point of view, and that it's a great way of giving those interested, a better fan experience. Watching the races becomes more interactive when one closely tracks what their chosen driver is doing.

"If you’re into the Chili Bowl and want a reason to make every race a little more interesting, check out Corey’s pool, Hundreds of entries, big prizes — makes it a little more fun to watch, unless your picks suck."

The Chili Bowl Nationals got done with the Practice round on its opening day on Sunday, January 12.