Bubba Wallace spotter Freddie Kraft posts emotional tribute to his father who passed away

Bubba Wallace's long-time spotter, Freddie Kraft, shared the tragic news of his father Tom Kraft passing away on Saturday morning.

Due to the tragedy, Freddie Kraft is not with Bubba Wallace for the Cup Series weekend at Richmond Raceway. He had earlier informed his followers that his father suffered from a heart attack on Monday, and kept updating about his condition.

Kraft penned an emotional tribute to his father as he posted a note on Facebook, which read:

"It’s with great sadness that we have to share our dad Tom Kraft passed away this morning. We know everyone would like to help any way they can. At this time, we just need some time to wrap our heads around this heartbreaking news. We are thankful for all of your support throughout this long week. We will share the arrangements when they are made."

Freddie Kraft's father Tom was a racer himself, being a multi-time champion at Riverhead Raceway in New York. He was also a member of the Wall of Fame of the track.

Kraft has been working with Bubba Wallace for more than a decade and has made a name for himself in the industry with his personality. He is the co-host of the podcast Door, Bumper, Clear.

This weekend, Freddie will not be spotting for the #23 Toyota driver. Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass reported that teammate Tyler Reddick's spotter Nick Payne would perform the duties on Saturday.

For race day, Chase Elliott's additional spotter for road courses, Trey Poole, will take on the duties for the #23 Toyota team.

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Bubba Wallace's spotter expects Kyle Larson to pay back the dues to Denny Hamlin

Kyle Larson

The Kyle Larson-Denny Hamlin clash at Pocono last weekend is still fresh in the news as both drivers continue to hold their stance on the racing incident. Post-race, Larson claimed that their friendship was tarnished after the incident. He later vowed to race Hamlin differently from now onwards on his podcast.

Bubba Wallace's spotter Freddie Kraft reckoned that the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver will pay back the dues to his boss, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin. Kraft made the statement on Dirty Mo Media's Door, Bumper, Clear podcast.

"But in Kyle’s mind, this is two races now that Denny’s ran him very hard and cost him wins. You have to do something about this, or it’s gonna keep happening to you. So inevitably, when this does come back to him, and Kyle does something in return, or anybody really did cost Denny a win. He has to react the way he expects everybody else to react," Kraft said.

For the Cook Out 400 at Richmond, Hamlin starts in the second row and Larson in the seventh. Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace is sandwiched in between, starting in the third row.