On Saturday, the #23 was the only non-playoff team in the top five at Bristol, with a determined Bubba Wallace achieving his personal best by finishing third behind Chase Elliott and race-winner Kyle Larson. At 30 years old, Wallace is experiencing his best statistical season in the top tier, even though he remains without a win. The atmosphere in the 23XI Racing garages is still upbeat, despite a difficult weekend marked by the elimination of four playoff drivers, which has left the NASCAR community feeling heavy.
Freddie Kraft, the spotter for the 23 team, expressed concerns about a possible “weak link” among the remaining Round of 12 contenders as they head to Kansas next weekend. The key question is whether this driver deserves to be in the championship race, especially with contenders like Ty Gibbs, Brad Keselowski, and Martin Truex Jr. not advancing.
The standings could change significantly as the Hollywood Casino 400 begins the next round of eliminations in Kansas. Kraft believes Daniel Suárez might have been a bit too fortunate to advance past the first round.
On the September 23rd episode of AskDBC, Kraft and fellow spotters Brett Griffin and TJ Majors discussed who they found most surprising in the Round of 12. Kraft suggested Suárez was the biggest surprise, given the performance of others like Cindric, who was running well. He stated, “I didn’t think Suárez would make it out of the first round.”
Kraft elaborated, noting that he preferred to race against Suárez rather than the two Gibbs drivers who were eliminated, highlighting that even though half of Joe Gibbs Racing has not won, they still outscore Trackhouse Racing 6-to-1 in wins. While Alex Bowman has more top finishes than the JGR duo, he still trails in stage points.
Brett Griffin, on the other hand, cited Chase Briscoe as his surprise pick, given the challenges facing Stewart-Haas Racing. He emphasized how impressive it is for Briscoe to succeed amid those difficulties. Briscoe’s performance highlights the unpredictability of the win-and-in playoff format, demonstrating that anyone can win on any given day, which reflects NASCAR’s goal of maintaining competitive balance.
