Every other Toyota was breathing fire, lapping and annihilating the competition except for a few, including the #23 Camry of Bubba Wallace. The 23XI Racing driver duo of Tyler Reddick and Wallace weren’t having any fun at Bristol and finished the short track bonanza on a bitter note, coming across the lines 30th and 29th.

Bubba Wallace was one of those drivers who was affected by extra tire wear and was seen as less enthusiastic than he normally would have been. The reason is quite simple: neither the driver nor his team anticipated such a turnaround, and Wallace was caught in the rut and was seen abusing even his spotter friend, giving him an earful.

Emotions reach their peak as Bubba Wallace gives his spotter an earful

Posting the ninth fastest qualifying time, Wallace had what it took to win Sunday’s race. He had plenty of experience; he had a fast car, a potent spotter, and a crew behind him to power him. However, the driver just couldn’t get a hold of himself in the fast-paced, close-quarter bonanza. The special resin used on the track made the race hell for the unsuspecting, and consequently, only five drivers who started the race could end up in the lead lap when the race ended.

The reactions were evident as the radios went bonkers, with drivers and teams scrambling to find a solution and gain the upper hand as the rubber shreds from the tires started to fill the half-mile track, making it near impossible for drivers to navigate. Even an experienced driver like Wallace got into the ‘marbles’ and was very frustrated with the race.

To top it off, his buddy and spotter, Freddie Kraft, was supposedly eating his head as per Wallace’s reaction, and he had no other option but to shut him up with an earful. Speaking on the Dale Jr Download, Kraft mentioned the incident, saying, “He was tired of me talking because we were holding onto an I don’t know, I thought a tire went down and he just got in the marbles and I was like, pit if we need to but we got to go like there’s 10 laps to go in the first stage I said, don’t pit if you don’t have to like, stay out because you’re only going to lose a lap because you like maintain like, I’m running through all the scenarios and he’s like, please just shut the f*ck up, I was like, copy that shutting the f*ck up.” 

23XI Racing’s three-car setup for COTA

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FIA World Endurance Champion and Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe principal, Kamui Kobayashi, is all set to return to NASCAR for a cameo, taking up the part-time responsibility of piloting the #67 Camry for 23XI Racing at Circuit of the Americas on March 24. Subsequently, Kobayashi will join full-time racers, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, hoping to work together and have a strong afternoon on the 3.41-mile road course.

While his NASCAR debut last year at the Indy road course did not pan out the way he wanted, given his desire to race in NASCAR, he might as well make his second outing more memorable this time. “It’s my dream, actually, it’s such a big sport in the United States and racing in Europe, I never had the chance or opportunity to race NASCAR. I think the opportunity will be challenging for myself because it is such a different category,” said the driver to AP last year.

The team welcomed the driver with a brief “X” post that read, “He’s back, Kamui Kobayashi rejoins 23XI Racing for his second career #NASCAR Cup Series start as he takes on COTA with teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick.“

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As stated by the Japanese driver, if he succeeds, he will make sure more Japanese talents join the sport under Toyota’s banner, eventually bringing more eyes to the sport.