Bubba Wallace Claims Best Friend Ryan Blaney’s Biggest Success Left Him Badly Hurt—“You Winning The Championship Sent Me Into Depression”

They say there’s nothing greater than the friendships you make along the way in your career. Just ask Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney. However, Blaney’s 2023 Championship win is a wound yet to heal for the No. 23 driver, although Bubba Wallace arguably had his best season in the Cup Series this year.

Whilst everyone expected to see Bubba Wallace celebrate his best friend’s victory at the after-party, he was already on a flight headed towards home to reflect on missing out on what every NASCAR driver dreams of. Only a few days later, he took to Instagram to share with his fans that he wasn’t feeling it after the season despite his friend’s brilliance. But that’s not all, as Wallace reveals the exchange he had with Blaney just a few days after his crowning moment.

Despite his best friend’s dominance, Bubba Wallace can’t shake an eerie feeling

In a video shared by Kenny Wallace on YouTube, the No.23 driver reflects on the time Ryan Blaney called him after he had presumably gone through Bubba Wallace’s Instagram confession. He shared, “He called me a couple of days later and I was like, man I guess you winning the championship sent me into depression, damn, like congrats, but I didn’t wanna see that.”

After hearing Wallace’s grief, Ryan Blaney quickly pointed back to 2020, when he found himself in a similar situation. Chase Elliott, a good friend of Blaney’s, won the championship, leaving the 2023 champion feeling somewhat jealous. Blaney also added that it was more in Wallace’s nature to be overly critical of himself, even when he’s doing great. The reigning champion would share words of encouragement with his best friend whenever he could. He told Bubba, “Man, you did great. Tenth in points, you made a good run in the playoffs.’  

But this problem faced by Wallace was nothing new. He reflected on the times he dealt with bouts of depression even though the world around him celebrated Wallace’s achievements, “I won that race, got home and sat on the couch looking at a blank TV, like damn, we just won a legend car race, you did something right and had fun and doesn’t matter but the season ends and your best friend wins, doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter when it’s going to hit you.”

Running along the same lines, Blaney had also attributed Wallace’s grievances to the fact that most drivers would succumb to their competitive nature even if the championship went to a friend, especially when the age group is the same, it adds insult to injury when a driver loses out. Whilst Bubba Wallace isn’t new to the sport by any means, the expectations and criticisms that the only full-time Black driver in the Cup Series would make even the best fold.

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin Warns Bubba Wallace To Watch Out Amid Creeping Playoff Desperation

However, during tough times, there’s nothing like the support of family. And what sport provides a better family feeling than NASCAR itself?

Bubba Wallace’s wife and Michael Jordan come to his rescue

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When Bubba Wallace is feeling down and depressed, there’s nothing quite like the presence of his wife that comforts him. The no.23 driver was quoted by APNews, “I wake up and my wife’s there. She’s like, ‘How are you feeling today?’ And it’s like, one of those days.” Wallace also added the level of attention Amanda Carter pays to his needs. “We keep each other on our toes. We play video games together. So she’s a massive help. And then the next thing you know, clock strikes 5 o’clock and it’s like, ‘How’s it going?” and I’m good. It just kind of blows over.”

And it’s not just his blood-related family that helps him deal with the stresses of performing at the highest level. Denny Hamlin shared how co-owner Michael Jordan’s involvement with 23XI Racing has done wonders for Wallace’s confidence. While reflecting on Wallace’s 2022 season, which was a lot more of a damage limitation than anything else, Hamlin added, “Maybe some things he’d say in the media, we’d have to do some work on the backend to make it right. Michael really helped in stepping in and voicing his opinion on it, and making Bubba step up as a leader.”

READ MORE: Ryan Blaney Takes Championship Celebrations to the Sky as He Kicks Back With Best Friend Bubba Wallace & GF Gianna Tulio

With a squad of caring family members and team members surrounding the budding racer, it’s only a matter of time before Bubba Wallace puts his losses to the side, just like Ryan Blaney did with Chase Elliott in 2020.