Parenthood has a way of knocking the cool right out of you, and NASCAR drivers are finding that out the hard way. One day they’re sideways at 190, the next they’re Googling “is this color normal” at three in the morning.

We’ve watched Chase Elliott turn into a softie with his dogs, seen Kyle Larson juggling dirt races and diaper bags, and laughed when Bubba Wallace posted about baby spit-up on a firesuit. It’s the great equalizer: no matter how many trophies you’ve got, a tiny human can bring you to your knees with one blowout.

Ryan Blaney is the newest member of that club. He and his wife Gianna welcomed little Charley not long ago, and Ryan’s been giving the world a front-row seat to the rookie season of dad life. From sleepy selfies to proud “she smiled at me” posts, he’s all in. But this week, he took it to another level with the most dad tweet possible.

“We’ve moved on from the tar phase to the mustard phase. I gotta tell ya, I prefer mustard.”

He posted this simple update about the current diaper situation. That’s it. No filter, no sponsor mention, just a grown man who wins races for a living giving a public service announcement about baby poop colors. And honestly? The entire internet lost it in the best way.

Because every parent knows exactly what he’s talking about. The tar phase is that scary, black, sticky stuff that shows up the first couple of days and makes you wonder if you should call a priest. Then comes the mustard phase: bright yellow, seedy, smells weird, but at least looks like actual baby poop.

Ryan picking a side in the great poop debate is peak new-dad energy, and fans are piling on with love, laughs, and a whole lot of “just you wait” warnings. It’s the kind of moment that reminds everyone these guys are normal people when the helmet comes off. Blaney can thread a car three-wide at Talladega, but right now he’s negotiating diaper changes and figuring out which wipes work best on mustard.

And he’s doing it with the same chill humor that makes him one of the most likable guys in the garage. Fans on X have hilarious tips, advice, and reactions.

Parenting and poop go hand in hand

“Just wait for the first diarrhea and they rocket across the room like they’re taking off from Cape Canaveral.” Every new parent gets this warning, and every veteran parent has the war story to back it up.

One minute you’re changing a diaper, the next you’re diving for cover as the kid launches a surprise attack that hits the wall ten feet away. Ryan’s still in the calm mustard waters, but the veterans are already laughing because they know what’s coming.

“It’s just right now. Wait until the walking phase.”

Oh yeah. The walking phase is when the real fun starts. Once those little legs figure out how to run, the house becomes an obstacle course, and every cabinet is fair game. Diaper changes turn into wrestling matches, and somehow the mess multiplies by ten. Ryan Blaney’s got a few months of relative peace before Charley turns into a tiny tornado.

“Yeah tar phase is quite a shocker when you don’t expect it as a new parent.”

Nothing prepares you for that first meconium diaper. It looks like motor oil and sticks like glue. Half the comments are parents remembering the panic of thinking something was seriously wrong, only to learn it’s totally normal. Ryan surviving that and living to joke about it is a rite of passage.

“The up-the-back army green phase is next.”

Ask any parent about blowouts, and watch their eyes glaze over with trauma. That’s when the poop decides the diaper is optional and heads north instead. Onesies, socks, the changing table, sometimes the ceiling, nothing is safe. The army-green era is coming for Blaney, and the comment section is basically a support group.

“Wait until he gets big enough to remove the full diaper and play in it like a mud puddle!” This one makes every parent shudder. Toddlers discover the diaper comes off, and suddenly the crib looks like a modern art exhibit.

There are legendary stories of kids finger-painting the walls or turning a stuffed animal into abstract expressionism. Ryan’s still in the cute mustard stage, but the veterans are already passing the torch of trauma.

Blaney’s tweet did exactly what good dad humor is supposed to do: it made thousands of parents nod, laugh, and feel a little less alone in the trenches. Charley might be tiny, but she’s already got her dad wrapped around her finger and turned one of the smoothest guys in NASCAR into a poop connoisseur with zero shame. Welcome to the club, Ryan. The mustard phase is just the beginning.