“I’ve watched him grow up”: Freddie Kraft addresses Bubba Wallace’s mental pressure and how he overcame it for a Brickyard 400 win

Bubba Wallace recently took the third Cup victory of his career after winning the Brickyard 400 race last weekend at Indianapolis. With this win, the driver overcame the mental pressure and the barriers that he had due to a 100-race winless streak spanning more than three years. NASCAR spotter and a close acquaintance of Wallace, Freddie Kraft, recently opened up about the pressure and challenges that Wallace overcame for his win last weekend.

Wallace also secured his NASCAR playoff spot with his victory and heaved a sigh of relief amid all the chaos around his garage. This high will also provide a much-needed boost to the 23XI Racing team, which has struggled in its legal battle against NASCAR concerning the new charter policies. The driver celebrated his precious victory with his wife and crew members after their tremendous hard work, delivering strong performances this season.

Freddie Kraft shared his thoughts on Bubba Wallace's victory during a recent podcast:

"I've watched him grow up. When I started working, he was 16 years old... There was a shift in a year, and it's hard for him, especially. The stuff he gets on socials, you can't even imagine, some of the personal stuff he gets... It's very easy for him to go into a little shell, and this year, he's just not been able to do that. You listen to the post-race, he's talking about leading that race with 20 to go and starting to let self-doubt creep in, but he managed to fight through it and get the job done."

Bubba Wallace has faced a lot of criticism in recent years and has had a love-hate relationship with fans of the sport. Kraft's words imply that it hasn't been easy for the driver, and the win will surely motivate him more.

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"It's just sports": Bubba Wallace opens up about the treatment he receives from fans of NASCAR

Bubba Wallace took his first crown jewel race victory by winning the Cup Series race, the Brickyard 400, over the weekend. It was an emotional moment for the 23XI Racing team driver as he has faced immense scrutiny and criticism in recent years due to reasons that he has nothing to do with.

The 31-year-old driver recently expressed his mindset and way of dealing with these things after his recent victory at Indianapolis.

"I like to have fun with fans. It is what it is, but I do really appreciate the support deep down. As a guy who used to struggle with the boos for sure, I'm just wondering why. Now I understand it's just sports, and people are going to have the drivers they like, the drivers they hate, the driver they want to see win, the drivers they want to see crash, and we just go out and compete. I will say I didn't hear any noise today before the race. That was different. That was cool," Bubba Wallace said via Motorsport.

Wallace finds himself ranked 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series rankings after the last race and is finally relieved of the stress of qualifying for the playoffs. The driver will now be in action for the next race at Iowa Speedway this Sunday.

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Edited by Luke Koshi