NASCAR has been the birthplace of many great friendships, but at the end of the day, emotions are a complicated subject in the sport. Bubba Wallace’s admission that he was jealous of his friend Ryan Blaney’s 2023 success made all the talk in the offseason. With the new season within a hand’s reach, the 23XI Racing star has reasoned the way he felt with Blaney’s own jealousy of Chase Elliott in 2020.
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Wallace said in an interview with Today, “You know, he said that when Chase Elliott won the championship, he went into depression. So I guess when best friends win a championship and you don’t, it sends you down a dark path.”
Blaney and Hendrick Motorsports star driver Elliott have been close friends since a very young age. When Blaney lifted the title at the Phoenix Raceway last year, Elliott had been there up on the stage with him sharing the joy. Blaney did the same for Elliott when he won the championship in 2020. However, it appears that the happiness wasn’t without some friction in the mind.
Reasoning the feelings as human, Wallace continued, “I never knew it was that kind of a stigma to talk about it. It is such a weakness. It’s labeled a weakness, right? But it is actually being very brave to come out to talk about it. I have no problem telling you what my feelings are.”
How Ryan Blaney responded to Bubba Wallace being depressed because of his championship
Talking to Peter Stratta at the NASCAR Awards Ceremony in Nashville Blaney acknowledged Wallace’s emotions about his title. He also noted his jealousy of Elliott and said, “When Chase won the championship in 2020, he and I are really great friends, I was super happy for him. But you are kind of jealous. You’re like, ‘Man, I want to be that guy. I want to be in that spot.”
He added, “Like, you get jealous of the guys in your group that have success and I’m the same way. I think everyone is internally, whether they express it or not.” Blaney’s words of support and understanding of Wallace helped the 23XI Racing driver recover from depression.
Blaney continued at the ceremony, “He is just super hard on himself and you try to pick him up, right? The other night I told him ‘Man, you did great. Tenth in points, you made a good run in the playoffs.’ OK, he didn’t win, but I mean, he had a great year.”
With the 2024 season just a few days away, none of the friends will, hopefully, be left feeling jealous in the end.
