Bubba Wallace’s spotter pinpoints situation that could "severely hurt” JGR’s chances of NASCAR Cup Series championship

Bubba Wallace's spotter Freddie Kraft recently talked about the situation that could "severely hurt" JGR's chances at the Cup Series championship title. During the Door Bumber Clear podcast, Kraft opened up about the drivers filling the two remaining spots for the finale race that could stir up Joe Gibbs Racing's chances.

JGR driver Denny Hamlin became the first driver to clinch a spot in the Championship Four race this season after winning the South Point 400. Following that, his teammate Chase Briscoe won the next race, the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, becoming the second contender for the Cup Series championship.

This still leaves two spots open for the playoff-qualified drivers to secure their berths in the finale race. Reflecting on that, Freddie Kraft pointed out that if Christopher Bell fails to advance to the Phoenix race, it will allow Hendrick Motorsports or Team Penske drivers to compete in the championship race. He claimed that this situation might be troublesome for JGR and stated [38:30]:

"If all three make it, it's spot on. But if—for Bell to miss—that means somebody like Logano, Blaney, Byron, or Chase is going to win this race, and then, you know, Larson's going to beat them on points. So if you’re telling me that Logano and Blaney are going to make it, that severely hurts their chances."

Christopher Bell leads the Cup Series playoff points table with a 37-point buffer over the cutoff line. Followed by Kyle Larson sitting 36 points above the qualifying line. Meanwhile, Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney rank sixth and seventh with 38 and 47 points below the line.

---

"Can't thank Ty enough": Chase Briscoe praised his JGR teammate after securing a spot in the finale

Chase Briscoe won the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway held on Sunday, October 19. His JGR teammate Ty Gibbs helped him secure the win during the closing laps of the 193-lap race, pulling a last-minute maneuver, giving Briscoe a chance to take the lead.

The #19 Toyota Camry XSE driver qualified second for the main event with a best time of 52.50 seconds and a top speed of 182.40 mph. He was only 0.02 seconds behind the pole sitter, Michael McDowell. Despite a good start, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver lost multiple spots in the initial stage. However, he recovered in stage two and clinched the stage win.

In the final stage, the race was sent into overtime, and Hendrick Motorsports drivers were leading the race. Following that, suddenly, Kyle Larson fell short of fuel and broke the flow of the race, handing Bubba Wallace the lead. However, Chase Briscoe saw an opening and took his chance to get back in the lead. His teammate Ty Gibbs helped him and pushed Wallace until Briscoe was back in the lead.

Reflecting on the same, the JGR driver stated:

"[Ty Gibbs] was the whole reason I won the race. He was extremely committed from the get-go, really did a good job of keeping up tight so to Bubba so I could keep pushing him along. And then when I made my move, he went with me, selfless in the fact of going for his first win, easily tried something different, pushed me, incredible team effort. Can't thank Ty [Gibbs] enough."

The final race of the Round of Eight, the Xfinity 500, is scheduled at Martinsville Speedway on October 26, 2025. The 500-lap race will be broadcasted on NBC Sports, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and HBO Max at 2 p.m. ET.