“Emotional Day … Freddie’s Dad Passed Away” – Bubba Wallace on the Bittersweet Weekend at Richmond

It was an emotional day for Bubba Wallace and everyone back at the 23XI Racing Garage during the race at Richmond. On the racetrack, Wallace did pretty well throughout the race, scoring good points on both the first and second stages with a top 5 finish.

Albeit, he lost out on the final stage, where he finished in 12th place. Although, along with leading 80 laps of the race, he did end up scoring 16 more points to his playoff chances this season.

But along with shining as a talented racecar driver, Wallace also shined as a brilliant person. The #23 driver paid a special tribute to a family member for his long-time NASCAR spotter, who tragically suffered from a heart attack and passed away.

Bubba Wallace wraps up an emotional weekend

The race at Richmond had someone important missing from Wallace’s crew. That person would be his spotter, Freddie Kraft. Earlier it had been announced that Kraft had unfortunately lost his father and hence the spotter would not be available for the Richmond race.

To pay tribute to the dearly departed, ahead of the race, Wallace’s team members put a few pieces of tape over his name, so the 23XI Racing driver could write Tommy Kraft’s name with a sharpie along with a heart symbol etched beside it.

The tweet itself was later reshared by Kraft, who mentioned that he did not have any words. Calling the team his family. Meanwhile, the original tweet shared by 23XI Racing mentioned, “We love you @FreddieKraft This one is for you! #ForwardTogether.“

Furthermore, after the race,  Bubba Wallace saw the name etched on his car and got emotional while he spoke with the media. He stated, “Once I get past the frustration, I know it was a really good day for us. 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.”

Who was Freddie Kraft’s father?

Just a week prior to the unfortunate tragedy in the Kraft household. Interestingly, Tom Kraft used to be a racing driver himself, in fact, a pretty good one as well. He reportedly used to race the Figure Eight car at Riverhead Raceway.

Moreover, he even won three championships at the racetrack back in 1986, 1998, and 2006. The senior Kraft ended his stint after securing 29 all-time career wins. He had also been inducted into the Cromarty Wall of Champions at the racetrack and the Suffolk Association of Figure Eight Racing Hall of Fame.

Following his racing career, Kraft ended up becoming on the NASCAR officiating team. Furthermore, the retired track announcer Bob Finan, who knew Kraft personally, stated, “Tommy knew the automotive business inside out. Buying cars, selling cars, managing repair shops was his forte. He had a way with people. Tommy was the most unselfish person I know, he’d always do for others before he did for himself, aside from racing I really believe that is his legacy”. 

With such a fantastic legacy, the senior Kraft can now lay in peace. He will always be remembered by several NASCAR fans, the Riverhead racing community, and several more who raced and worked alongside the incredible man.

Rest in Peace Tommy Kraft.