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Bubba Wallace's spotter, Freddie Kraft, believes that NASCAR has a "money over talent" issue. In a recent podcast appearance, Kraft talked about racing being an expensive affair, even for multi-million dollar outfits such as Joe Gibbs Racing, and the alleged preference for drivers with financial backing over others.
On the popular podcast Door Bumper Clear, Freddie Kraft claimed that talent alone is not enough for a driver to break into the Cup Series today. Kraft also spoke about the influence of money in modern-day NASCAR.
"This sport right now is based on money over talent, it's simple as that. The money means more than the talent. If you have money, you can get in the car. We see this this week with some of the announcements at Joe Gibbs (Racing). I don't want to bash anybody but Joe Graff is going to run five races, he didn't qualify in an RCR (Richard Childress Racing) car," Kraft said.
With costs steadily rising to build NASCAR Next Gen cars, Kraft claimed that teams tend to bring on drivers backed by sponsorship money alongside talent behind the wheel for a shot at the big leagues.
While money's growing influence has been a norm in motorsports worldwide, it is safe to say that NASCAR is also not immune to the fact that racing is an expensive sport. Denny Hamlin had reportedly described driving the current crop of cars as "racing lambos" on the track.
Bubba Wallace's expectations from the new Toyota Camry XSE Cup car
Heading into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, Bubba Wallace will be seen behind the wheel of the newly released Toyota Camry XSE along with other Toyota drivers.
With the car undergoing a host of changes, most notably to its aerodynamic profile affecting its handling on track, Bubba Wallace spoke about his expectations from the car in an interview with frontstretch.com.
Wallace was quoted as saying:
"I'm excited. Hopefully, we get some good data and figure out what this new car brings just from the data and conversations we had about it, it looks really good for us. From paper to reality will be a massive difference so hopefully it all lines up."
The new car will be seen in action for the first time next season during the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on February 4, 2024, at 8:00 pm ET.
