“He was on our a** like he should have been”: Bubba Wallace’s spotter defends Ricky Stenhouse Jr. wrecking his driver at Atlanta

Freddie Kraft has recently come out to defend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. after the JTG Daugherty Racing driver pushed Bubba Wallace prior to the checkered flag. The contact during the last lap of the race resulted in the 23XI driver losing multiple positions, but Kraft believed that Stenhouse Jr. was not at fault.

The Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart saw multiple wrecks in all stages of the race, but the one nearing the end of the Atlanta race was the most humongous. The wreck collected multiple drivers such as Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, and Harrison Burton, among others.

The wreck was triggered after Chase Elliott pushed Chastain from behind, which put the #1 car against the wall. As Chastain fell back, he made contact with Wallace. This slowed the #23 car, and Stenhouse Jr. came from behind to wreck him and move past.

Soon after the race, fans began to believe that it was the JTG Daugherty Racing driver's fault that ruined Wallace's day. However, Kraft, Wallace's spotter, stepped up to justify Stenhouse Jr. on X. He wrote:

"I don’t think Ricky did anything wrong. Looked like we got tight, hit the 1 and he was on our ass like he should have been coming to the checker. Sh*t happens."

Stenhouse Jr. finished the race in 14th place, whereas Wallace went on to cross the line in 29th.

Joey Logano picked up the victory in the maiden playoff race ahead of his teammate, Ryan Blaney, and Trackhouse Racing's Daniel Suárez. This was the Team Penske driver's second victory of the season and 34th in the overall Cup Series career.

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Bubba Wallace shared his take on the Charter dilemma between NASCAR and 23XI Racing

Bubba Wallace (23) races during the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn

Bubba Wallace recently touched upon the ongoing tussle between NASCAR and 23XI Racing over the charter agreement. As per the latest developments, Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan's team decided not to sign the new Charter agreement, one of only two teams to do so.

23XI revealed that NASCAR did not provide a fair bargaining opportunity, and this was the sole reason for their non-compliance. Their withdrawal from the Charter deal means Bubba Wallace's NASCAR future is still uncertain.

Speaking about this, the 30-year-old said to Frontstretch,

"It's frustrating to see where we're at, because that impacts my life and livelihood and everything moving forward for my future."

Wallace could not qualify for the playoffs after he failed to win a race in the 16 NASCAR regular season races. His teammate Tyler Reddick, however, qualified for the playoffs and took the regular season championship.