Bubba Wallace opens up about depression after Ryan Blaney's championship
After watching one of his best friends win the 2023 Cup Series championship, Bubba Wallace didn’t feel like celebrating. Ryan Blaney and Wallace have been friends for years. Off the NASCAR track, they hang out and celebrate each other’s accomplishments – after Phoenix, Wallace didn’t want to celebrate.
In fact, Bubba Wallace got fairly emotional, opening up on his Instagram Story at 3:42 in the morning after the championship race. Not only did he have the best season of his NASCAR career, 10th in the standings and a playoff run, but Wallace’s pal was the champion!
None of that was comforting at the time. Jenna Fryer of the AP spoke with Wallace and Blaney about the dynamic. Bubba wasn’t ready earlier this month, but now, in Nashville, he’s ready to celebrate.
“[Blaney] called me a couple days later [after Phoenix] and I was like, ‘Man, I guess you winning the championship sent me into depression. Like congrats, but I don’t want to see that,” Wallace said this week.
Of course, Ryan Blaney knows how his friend is. So, he tried to lift him up.
“It’s just kind of how Bubba is, you know he’s very hard on himself,” Blaney said. “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.”
He understands the mindset of a racer, too. Watching Chase Elliott top the sport in 2020 was a hard pill to swallow for Blaney.
“There’s seeing a friend do it, and it’s other part of seeing another young guy around your age,” Blaney said. “When Chase won the championship in 2020, he and I are really great friends, I was super happy for him. But I was also kind of jealous because I want to be that guy. I want to be in that spot.”
Bubba Wallace leans on his wife for strength
The one constant that Bubba Wallace comes back to is his wife. He talks about how she supports him when he gets low and he reflected that same sentiment this week. Talking with Fryer, Wallace opened up about the domestic front of his depression.
“I wake up and my wife’s there. She’s like, ‘How are you feeling today?’ And it’s like, one of those days,” he said. “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.
“I know it’s not that easy for a lot of people. It lingers for days and days and weeks. But you know, the grass is always greener as the sun comes up.”
Depression is something that Bubba Wallace deals with, and something tons of Americans deal with as well. Success can be a funny thing. Even when you know you have done your best, there is always that desire for more.