23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace had a three-word reaction to Ryan Blaney's recent proposal to longtime girlfriend Gianna Tulio. Blaney and Tulio have been in a relationship for the past three years.
On December 12, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion got down on one knee for his girlfriend, Tulio, and popped the question. Blaney made the news of his engagement public on December 16.
Soon after the 2023 Cup Series champion made the announcement, congratulatory messages started flowing in for the couple. Ryan Blaney's friend Bubba Wallace also expressed his joy for the newly engaged couple, sharing a message on his Instagram stories that read:
"Bout Damn Time."
Wallace was referring to the fact the couple got engaged after three years of dating. Blaney and Tulio made their relationship public back in July 2020 by posing together on Instagram, when they went on a trip to a ski resort town located in Vail, Colorado.
Three years later, the couple is officially engaged. The #12 Team Penske driver picked a special date for the event, '12-12-23', as revealed by Tulio on Instagram.
Ryan Blaney has had a year of unprecedented success, adding his engagement ring to the Cup Series title ring he earned last month.
Bubba Wallace shares advice for Cup Series returnee Noah Gragson
NASCAR Cup Series rookie Noah Gragson was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the 2023 season. His campaign was marred with poor results and a suspension from the sanctioning body for liking an insensitive post.
Gragson has now completed his sensitivity training and has been reinstated by the governing body. He will be returning to the Cup Series grid in 2024, piloting the #10 Stewart Haas Racing Ford.
Bubba Wallace wants the 25-year-old to make the most of his second chance, and he gave some advice to the #10 SHR driver.
"I told him, I'm like, ‘Man, this is your time right now to reflect, grow up and that things can change in a matter of seconds, obviously, and so utilize this moment, learn from it, and show up and be better'," Bubba Wallace was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
Wallace believes Gragson has put genuine effort into becoming a better person over the past few months. He added:
"I took it as he was genuinely wanting to be a better person. And so I hope that's true. And we'll see what happens. Everybody makes mistakes, and, Noah, just from his voice and kind of the passion behind what he was saying, it sounded genuine. We'll find out."