For sports fans, it is always a refreshing sight when athletes from various walks of life sit down and discuss how each of their sports is different. 

That is exactly what happened when Bubba Wallace and Ryan Blaney joined NFL athletes Will Compton and Taylor Lewan for an episode of the Bussin with the Boys podcast.

On the show, the athletes discussed several aspects of their respective sports. One topic that came up was the style of coaching, or the manual used to get the best message across in the best way possible from coach to athlete. 

Wallace, a racer brought up the hard way, said, “Our coach talk is way different than what you guys go through, ‘Hey m*********** you need to get your s*** together.’ Like we got a, ‘Hey man, you want to go out to lunch, let's talk about our performance.’ And it needs to happen because we got a lot of softies in our sport.”

Wallace didn’t mince his words as he explained how NFL coaches tend to be much more direct in their criticism compared to NASCAR.

He also gave a clearer picture when asked if that kind of culture has always prevailed or if there was a shift.

The NASCAR driver elaborated, “Think it’s gone, so, you went from more mechanical people to now more engineering background. And so people coming from four-year degrees or master’s degrees and in college and looking at computer screens and not having their a** chewed out, you know?”

Wallace explained how the way the new coaches and crew had been treated during their college years affected their own manners and interaction style.

Unlike the older generation, who were more hands-on and straightforward, Wallace felt that the newer "softies" were gentler in their approach.

Wallace on the way he was raised and the Feedback he expects

Bubba Wallace has always had it tough. Currently, the only person of color in the Cup grid, Wallace has always used his platform as a base to raise his voice against discrimination. 

Facing racial discrimination right through his formative years in racing is what hardened Wallace’s shell. Wallace recalled how he was raised and compared it to the "gentle parenting" that is the norm now.

“I remember getting my a** beat when I was a kid. Not beat, that sounds terrible, but also the switch  and now this gentle parenting s*** I think that applies to a lot of people in life and their adult ways.”

Wallace was clear that if he isn’t up to the mark or if he's making mistakes, then he wants things straight, not sugar-coated to make the criticism easier to swallow. 

Wallace said, “I’ll be the first person to be like, hey, we f****** s***** and then I’m the a******. Then they’re taking you out to lunch, being like, hey, so the way you came out those guys earlier, we need to nurture the relationship…. I’m like, no, when I s*** you better f****** tell me.”

Wallace's words gave a glimpse into how the racing world in general is changing. But it seems he prefers the efficiency of the old ways over the civility of the new.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit