“Stfu Freddie”: Bubba Wallace and spotter share hilarious exchange following a Kyle Larson fan’s instigation

Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson
NASCAR Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace (left) and Kyle Larson (right) [via Imagn, Getty]

NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace asked his spotter Freddie Kraft to shut up amid a hilarious banter on X, formerly known as Twitter. Kraft got the joke right away and stopped running his “big mouth”. Let’s take a look at how it all started.

Kraft was impressed with how Kyle Larson tried his best to pass fellow racer Christopher Bell during the Non-Wing Outlaw A Main of the 2025 Tulsa Shootout. According to him, Larson pulled “hail melon” moves around every corner for five straight laps while battling the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

But the fan on X mistook Kraft’s comment for a jibe at the Hendrick Motorsports ace. Therefore, they wrote,

“Always someone taking a swipe at the 5 car (driven by Larson in the Cup Series). Every.single.time. Every time he does something great, there’s always some trashy dude that has never driven a racecar trying to down play his accomplishments. People like Freddie who are backmarker spotters, have a big mouth and a large following, yet zero driving experience, are the biggest thing holding oval racing back.”

Kraft was confused, as he was the one lauding Larson for his performance in the first place. He responded to the fan’s comment, saying,

“Wut?”

In the meantime, Wallace joined the conversation. Reiterating the fan's comment about Kraft being "big-mouthed", the speedster wrote,

“Yeah, stfu Freddie."
“Roger. Shutting TFU,” replied Kraft.

Wallace is currently preparing for the upcoming season of the NASCAR Cup Series. He will return behind the wheel of the No. 23 Toyota Camry under the banner of 23XI Racing, a soon-to-be three-car team owned by Cup Series regular Denny Hamlin and former NBA star Michael Jordan.

The series kicks off with the non-point-paying Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2. The race will stream live on FOX with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 8 pm ET onwards.


Freddie Kraft confirms return with Bubba Wallace’s NASCAR team

Freddie Kraft will be back atop the No. 23 pit box in 2025, marking the continuation of one of the most iconic driver-spotter partnerships in NASCAR. Notably, Bubba Wallace and Kraft have been working together for several years now, and their relationship dates back to when Wallace used to drive in the Craftsman Truck Series.

When asked by a fan (on X) named Kelly Taylor whether he would be spotting for the Toyota pilot in 2025, Kraft wrote,

“Unfortunately Kelly I’m stuck. No one else will deal with his a**.”

Bubba Wallace played along as he, too, responded to the fan’s question, saying,

“Hope not.”

Kraft and Wallace have two wins together as of today, one at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021 and another at Kansas Speedway in 2022. However, the Alabama native has been winless since then.

Last year, Wallace finished 18th on points picking six top-5s and 14 top-10s on the way. In 2025, he will pair with Charles Denike as his new crew chief. His old crew chief Bootie Barker, will assume a different role within the organization, overseeing race performance, strategy, and car preparation.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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