There are drivers who stay calm and collected on the radio and others who lose their minds. Bubba Wallace is a bit of both. However, his buddy and fellow NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney is a loose cannon.
Ryan Blaney has a tendency to yell, cuss, and scream while in the car. He gets incredibly frustrated and lets his emotions fly. It is not uncommon for him to express his anger to his crew chief or to other drivers on the track.
Talking on Stacking Pennies this week, Bubba Wallace was asked how he rates himself on the radio and he explained a little bit about his relationship with crew chief Bootie Barker.
“Also he’s [Bootie] the type like, okay we’re boys, so whatever you say to me I know you’re pi--ed off in the moment,” Wallace explained. “I’m not going to get hurt feelings. And he’ll tell you ‘Dude I’ve played football all my life, I had it way worse than what you say.’ So, it’s like having people understand that instead of going back to the shop the next day and everybody’s butthurt. Because we say s**t, we’re in the car for three and a half hours.”
When it comes to the scale of 1 to Ryan Blaney for how fired up he is on the radio, Bubba Wallace didn’t answer. However, he did point out a little double standard for him and his friend.
“Dude, we’re going to go there,” Wallace said. “This guy can drive around b****ing, screaming, throwing the bird. ‘Oh man, he’s passionate.’ Bubba Wallace gets out and flips off his manager behind camera, ‘He just flipped off America, f*** him!’ What?!”
Bubba Wallace has controlled his emotions more
The Bubba Wallace of 2022 and early 2023 is no longer around. In the last year and a half, the new Wallace has been behind the wheel. One who is more confident, genuinely confident, not just pretending to be.
When he has had mistakes, like that stuck lug nut earlier this season, he hasn’t let it ruin him. Put aside the tangible results on the track, like his improved qualifying runs, short tracks performances, and even road course skills. The biggest change has been staying level.
Often it is said the top drivers don’t get too high and don’t get too low. When you can maintain your composure, you can compete in high-stress situations. If you get yourself worked up and let it affect performance, things don’t go right. Being an expecting father might help him keep things in perspective as well.
Bubba Wallace started the season with two top-5 finishes. Then he had a few slip ups. P35 at Vegas and P29 at Bristol. Has he let that lead to DNFs or worse results? No, he’s built off of it and in the last two races has finishes of P4 and P7 going into Talladega, a strong track for the 23 team. Could a win be around the corner as well?
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