Penalties are always a hot topic. Throughout NASCAR history, fans and experts have fiercely debated penalty decisions.
Recently, Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself at odds with public opinion when he shared his take on NASCAR’s ruling on Joey Logano’s penalty. This didn’t sit well with Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, who fired back at Earnhardt for his stance.
Bubba Wallace’s Spotter Slams Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Controversial Joey Logano Penalty Take
NASCAR penalized Logano at Phoenix for going below the yellow line on a restart before reaching the start/finish line. The decision cost him the lead and resulted in a pass-through penalty. Logano made no secret of his frustration, calling the penalty “ridiculous” over the radio.
Reacting to the call, Earnhardt criticized it as “nitpicky.” The NASCAR Hall of Famer felt Logano shouldn’t have been forced to surrender the lead and serve a penalty. Speaking on the latest “Dale Jr. Download” episode, Earnhardt expressed frustration with what he saw as overly strict officiating.
“This was an interesting one for me. … Sometimes, NASCAR doesn’t call it. Sometimes, they do call it. I do not remember the last time that they’ve called it on the front, you know — the leader, particularly at Phoenix. So that was pretty interesting,” Earnhardt said.
“I thought it was pretty nitpicky. Did Joey break that rule? Yeah. … I didn’t think that Joey was trying to gain an advantage there. I don’t think he was doing anything to block the car behind him. I just think that he misjudged it.
“I felt like, considering the circumstances, it was a bit nitpicky based off how hit and miss it’s been on calling those infractions at that particular racetrack, and those moments throughout the field over the last, probably, let’s just go back five or six trips to this racetrack. It’s been, you know, they can’t get them all.
“I understand that. I’m not complaining. I don’t expect them to call all of them because they’re going to miss a few. It’s just human nature to error a little bit.
“So, you give them a little bit of grace there. But I felt like they pounced on Joey. I mean, literally just half a tire or maybe three-quarters of the left front tire down on the apron when he crossed the start/finish line. I didn’t think it was that aggressive.”
Imagine watching a football game and the WR toe is barely outta bounds, and they say we’re gonna let this catch stand. But go ahead and warn the rest of those guys we’re kind of enforcing the sidelines today.
C’mon man 😂 https://t.co/TiU1C2ofcb
— Freddie Kraft (@FreddieKraft) March 11, 2025
Kraft fired back at Earnhardt’s take with a playful analogy. He implied that if rules aren’t enforced consistently, they lose meaning and undermine the system’s integrity.
“Imagine watching a football game and the WR toe is barely outta bounds, and they say we’re gonna let this catch stand,” Kraft pointed out.