Having a friend who relates to your feelings is a rare luxury to have and Ryan Blaney is a testament to it. After winning his first Cup Series Championship, and being the man of the hour at the 2023 NASCAR Awards in Nashville, the No.12 Ford Mustang driver didn’t forget to mention his best friend Bubba Wallace.

In Blaney’s moment of rejoicing, it was his best mate Bubba Wallace, who didn’t shy away from expressing jealousy and even feelings like “depression.” Reflecting upon Wallace’s reaction, the 2023 Cup Series Champion remains unfazed as he made a guilty confession.

Ryan Blaney expresses candidly, mirroring Bubba Wallace’s reaction

Peer pressure is something that is not uncommon and is prevalent even at the highest level of motorsports. No matter how dominant a driver is, the ignition to ace among those of a similar age group knows no bounds. This can easily take a toll on anyone’s mind, be it their best mate.

Attending the award function, Ryan Blaney defended Wallace as he shed light on his own experience that dates back three years. He talked about how he had difficulty being happy for a friend and having professional jealousy simultaneously. He said, “When Chase won the championship in 2020. You know he and I are really great friends, I was super happy for him, but like you are kind of jealous like man, I want to be that guy, I want to be in that spot. Same with Larson in 2021. Larson and I aren’t as good of friends as me, Bubba, and Chase but like he’s a younger guy in kind of my age range, you want to be there right?” he added.

Blaney openly admitted how in sports one always compares themselves to others, whether they show it or not. He said, “You always kind of compare yourself to your age range, I feel like and I think that’s part of it, 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.” 

Ryan Blaney being a close confidante of Bubba Wallace knows him to an extent that others don’t. He expressed that despite ending the season at a career-best position of #10, Wallace was far from being happy. Blaney said, according to AP News, “It’s just kind of how Bubba is, you know he’s very hard on himself. He is just super hard on himself and you try to pick him up, right?”  

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The true confession unfolded when the Team Penske driver called Wallace and heard the Alabama native lifting the weight off his chest and admitting his envy over his best friend’s win.

Bubba Wallace’s honest confession to the Penske driver

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After his friend’s triumph at the season finale in Phoenix, Bubba Wallace thought it would be best to avoid the victory after-party and everyone else and head back home. He did so before anyone could possibly figure out what exactly happened.

In a video shared by Kenny Wallace on YouTube, the No.23 driver confessed, “He [Blaney] 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.”

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Despite being on the best of terms with Ryan Blaney, Wallace failed to find joy in his friend’s success. However, as Blaney bluntly pointed out, in the world of sports, it sometimes becomes quite difficult to forget our setbacks and celebrate others’ triumphs.