Bubba Wallace spotter admits Denny Hamlin “disappointed” him, makes his stance clear on what would’ve happened if the roles were reversed

Bubba Wallace’s playoff hopes took a major hit at Kansas Speedway when his own team co-owner, Denny Hamlin, made contact with him on the final lap. The incident handed the win to Chase Elliott.

On the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Wallace’s spotter Freddie Kraft was asked about Hamlin’s decision to put his driver into the wall during overtime. Kraft admitted the move left him with mixed emotions.

“You know, I would think that Denny would want one of us to win the championship. I mean, his number’s on the building, isn’t it?” Kraft said. “I’m not really mad at him. I’m a little disappointed.” [29:50]

Kraft also shared his thoughts on whether the outcome would have been different if the roles were reversed.

“I think if the roles were reversed, he would be rather disappointed in us as well. So, I don’t really know. I mean, obviously, it’s just guys racing hard.”

The Kansas race itself was full of drama. Hamlin had controlled much of the afternoon, leading 159 laps and sweeping the stages. But due to mechanical trouble, he lost most of his power steering. However, Hamlin was still in position to win during NASCAR Overtime.

On the final restart, Wallace held the lead with Hamlin chasing from sixth. As the two Toyotas entered Turn 3, Hamlin made a move to Wallace’s inside. The cars made contact, sending Bubba Wallace into the outside wall. Both drivers lost momentum, and Elliott surged past to take the win by just 0.069 seconds.

The fallout was immediate. Hamlin, chasing his 60th Cup win and a chance to tie Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time list, had to settle for second. Bubba Wallace, meanwhile, dropped out of playoff contention, sitting 26 points below the cutline heading into the Roval.

---

Bubba Wallace shares his thoughts on the Kansas incident

Only a week after his incident with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs at New Hampshire, Denny Hamlin found himself in the middle of another Toyota showdown, this time with Bubba Wallace at Kansas.

After leading the most laps, Hamlin made his move in overtime. As he tried to pass Wallace in Turn 3, he made contact that forced Wallace into the outside wall. Speaking to Dalton Hopkins after the race, Wallace made his feelings clear.

“I’ve always been big on how you race me is how I race you. No matter who you are, what it is, we race hard every week. Toyota drivers race hard every week, but we respect each other. There’s a fine line that sometimes gets crossed, and you have to understand that, but we got one more race at the ROVAL.”

He added that the next race at Charlotte’s Roval is a must-win. He said,

“For me, it’s a must-win there, but we’re gonna go and do what we did today; fight hard and just make the most of it.”

Bubba Wallace will enter that race as the only 23XI driver in the playoffs. He sits 12th in the standings, 27 points below the cutoff line. Through 31 races, the Alabama native has scored five top-five finishes, 13 top-10s, and a win at the Brickyard 400 in July.