“‪‪Haters back to their caves!‬”: NASCAR fans praise Bubba Wallace for his heartwarming tribute to spotter Freddie Craft’s late father

Bubba Wallace paid tribute to his spotter Freddie Kraft's late father in the Cook Out 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway. The 23XI Racing driver raced bearing late Tommy Kraft's name on the window visors of his #23 Toyota Camry.

Freddie Kraft's father suffered a heart attack earlier last week and was admitted to the hospital as updated by the #23 spotter. A few days later, he broke the tragic news as he announced the death of his father via a note on social media.

Tributes poured in from NASCAR fans for Freddie Kraft, who wasn't present at Richmond Raceway. Bubba Wallace followed up with the class act on Sunday with his wholesome tribute garnering universal support.

Bubba Wallace and Freddie Kraft have been working together for more than a decade. Wallace paid tribute to Kraft's father driving a brilliant race at Richmond finishing second in Stage 1 and was classified 12th after taking the checkered flag.

Wallace, more often than not, gets criticized for every move as his critics keep a close watch on him. But his wholesome tribute at the three-quarter mile oval in Richmond has won the hearts of NASCAR fans.

Fans hailed the #23 Toyota driver for his awesome gesture on social media as one user claimed that Wallace had silenced his haters.

"Haters back to their caves!"

Here are a few other reactions:

Late Tommy Kraft was a multi-time champion at Riverhead Raceway in New York. He was also a member of the Wall of Fame of the track. His legacy is continued by his son in NASCAR Cup Series guiding the #23 Toyota driver.

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Bubba Wallace speaks about the "frustration" in the emotional race

Emotions were in turmoil for the 23XI Racing driver, who was racing for Tom Kraft and had a frustrating pitstop in the second stage of the race. Bubba Wallace and teammate Tyler Reddick were dominating the Cook Out 400 in the early stages finishing 1-2.

Wallace then had trouble in his pitstop but he bounced back to claim a top-five finish. He was later shuffled back in the late restart and finished 12th.

“Once I get past the frustration, I know it was a really good day for us,” Bubba Wallace said on pit road post-race. “Emotional day. I just happened to look right at the door."

"Freddie’s dad passed away, so racing with a lot there. He was driving the s— out of it. You know, I told him at the start of the race, like I’m just gonna sit back and let him wheel it, and man, we were awesome," he added.

Wallace who entered the race 27 points above the cutoff line, doubled his points advantage consolidating 15th place in the standings.