On Episode 138 of Unmuffled we have a special storytellers edition with NASCAR Cup Series spotter Freddie Kraft. Freddie came up through the ranks of the sport through Modified racing and made a successful leap to building a career at the top of NASCAR. In addition to his role as a spotter, he’s also part of the wildly popular Door Bumper Clear podcast from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media company. We touch all the bases with Freddie, from the roots of his career, to making the jump down south, his longtime relationship with Bubba Wallace, dealing with all the negativity that comes from some in the sport, how his role on Door Bumper Clear came about and much much more.
Episode 138 of Unmuffled is presented by our Patreon marketing partners from New England Racing Fuel, Swanson Buick/GMC, LifeCare Family Chiropractic, Mid-State Site Development, Monaco Ford, SAFCO Foam, Broad Brook Brewing Company, Tick Mike’s Organic Tick & Mosquito Spray, Mid-State Site Development, Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, Compressed Air USA, Hoosier Tire East, MidState Compressor, Casagrande Builders, Falmouth Ready Mix, Wheelers Auto, Rent A Race Car New England, Sign Pro, North End Auto Parts, Magna Steel Sales, JDV Productions, NASCAR, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Riverhead Raceway, Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway.
Two shows with spotters in a row. Like it. Couch Racer, Door Bumper Clear with a steady diet of jocularity and hi-jinks not really my cup of tea. Sit one of these guys down for a structured interview with serious questions, give them room to roam and the insights, perspectives, relationships and associations that ensue have my rapt attention for the full hour plus.
The stories these guys have about their journey to being top spotters is always unique and interesting. I’m convinced to be a spotter it takes dogged determination, consistency, intelligence and good judgment. To be at the top level (pun intended) of the sport you need to be special. Kraft mentioned mastery of the peripheral details. That sort of nugget is what I tune in for.
All good stuff but the meat on this bone was Wallace. Controversy magnet Bubba Wallace, what would Kraft have to say about that relationship and the regular swirl of emotion that seems to follow him at regular intervals. Interesting that in the exchange racism, bigotry and intolerance were being asked about and described but those specific words were never used. Sugar coated for sure but for good reason. You can’t be insulting a significant percentage of the racing population even though what is being described is racism, bigotry and intolerance. Seeing the dance going on around those words actually made it all the more impactful in my view.
NFL fans will know who broadcast analyst Tony Romo is. Recently he’s come under fire for showing up for broadcasts unprepared. After all if you’re paying a guy 17 million that only works a few hours one day a week for 6 months it’s not unreasonable to expect him to be prepared. No sugar coating by Freddie Kraft as far as driver focus was concerned. He checked the ingenuous box by observing Wallace might have not been completely focused his first year with his current team thinking the team was destined to be successful. Well that didn’t happen, he locked in last year and clearly got results in the second half of the season. 15 races, mid July to mid October Wallace scored 8 top 10’s including a win, second and third.
If you ask me who were the best NFL QB’s in the history of the NFL I could probably come up with a reasonable list as well as reasons for their ranking. I might be able to come of with a list of the greatest NASCAR drivers but couldn’t begin to explain their ranking other then win record. I know it takes more then driving. It’s mastering relationships, making owners, sponsors and crew members believe that you’ve got the goods then proving it on the track many times is brief windows of opportunity. The top team drivers get opportunities all the time to be in a position to win. Many others only get rare opportunities. I’d include some of our Northeast guys like Ron Bouchard, Jimmy Spencer and Greg Sacks in a list of dozens of drivers that showed they had what it took at rare special times.
Take out the race factor and Bubba Wallace is one of dozens of drivers that has proven he had the goods in a couple rare instances. So how’s Wallace rate this special attention getting singled out and roundly trashed as a driver even after he’s proven he’s got the goods?
Everyone will draw their own conclusions on that. Suffice to say Bubba Wallace is a hot topic in CUP drivers. Having his spotter relate what life is like working with him and taking shrapnel in the process as well as telling his own unique story gets this Unmuffled an A+, must hear, rating.