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“What the F*** He Was Thinking”- 23XI Insider Unmasks Bubba Wallace’s Crew Chief’s Hand Behind Alex Bowman Controversy
“What the F*** He Was Thinking”- 23XI Insider Unmasks Bubba Wallace’s Crew Chief’s Hand Behind Alex Bowman Controversy
Starting behind Shane van Gisbergen in sixth place at the Chicago Street Course, Bubba Wallace was optimistic about securing his fourth top-five finish of the season. If luck was on his side, the 23XI Racing driver could have even sneaked a win, securing a playoff spot. However, the race didn’t pan out the way Wallace would have wanted, largely due to Alex Bowman. The Hendrick Motorsports driver attempted to clear his windshield on Lap 25, but missed the mark, taking a wrong turn and causing Wallace to spin.
However, according to Bubba Wallace’s spotter Freddie Kraft, 23XI Racing crew chief Robert “Bootie” Barker was also at fault for having a questionable strategy. Speaking on the ‘Door Bumper Clear’ podcast, Freddie Kraft said, “We did have a terrible strategy yesterday. We were in front of Alex Bowman in Turn 4 when it was raining. I wish Bootie didn’t put us there, I don’t know what the f*** he was thinking.”
With rain coming down hard, ideally, an earlier stop may have helped Wallace. The incident was a major blow to Wallace, but the No. 23 driver managed to claw his way up to finish 13th, making the best out of a bad situation.
But the story doesn’t end there. With Alex Bowman enjoying his race win in Chicago, Bubba Wallace took his revenge by door-slamming into the Hendrick Motorsports driver in the cool-down lap. The situation may land him in hot water, as NASCAR has said that officials will look into the incident to determine if further action needs to be taken.
NASCAR typically issues penalties on Tuesday evenings, and a possible disciplinary action could seriously impact Bubba Wallace’s playoff hopes. The 30-year-old is currently involved in an intense playoff hunt, having entered the weekend in Chicago 51 points behind Alex Bowman and just outside the playoff cut line.
However, Bowman has defended Bubba Wallace’s actions, saying “He barely hit me. It was fine, and it was plenty deserved.” He even called on NASCAR to not penalize Wallace and appeared apologetic as he said, “I’d be mad, too. I ruined his day. I just messed up. I’ve been embarrassed about it since it happened. I tried to call him during the rain delay and I shot him a text.”
Talking about the incident further, Kraft agreed with Bowman that Wallace shouldn’t be penalized. “I agree with Alex Bowman, shouldn’t be a penalty. Cannot run into people under caution, cooldown laps especially.”
Kraft pointed out that the race saw a similar incident with Chase Elliott hitting Daniel Suarez in the cooldown lap to back for their wreckage earlier in the race, but there hasn’t been much debate over that.
“Unfortunately for the people that would like to throw Bubba out of the sport forever and ever and ever, it happens every week. It happened twice yesterday, Chase Elliott drives up and doors Daniel Suarez after the yellow flag. I didn’t see anybody crying,” he added.
Irrespective of the comments from Bowman and Kraft, NASCAR could consider punishing Bubba Wallace for unsportsmanlike conduct. Considering that Carson Hocevar was docked 25 points and received a fine of $50,000 for deliberately spinning Harrison Burton under caution during the Ally 400 on June 30, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Wallace could face a similar punishment.
However, “Bootie” Barker- the man who made the controversial call in Chicago- is also a major support system if Bubba Wallace and his fans want to see the #23 car scratch the victory lane and, hence, the playoffs.
He may have got a call wrong at Chicago Street Course, but Bootie Barker was also single-handedly responsible for making one of the best calls that 23XI Racing has seen all year.
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A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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