NASCAR Reviewing Sponsorship Deal Related To ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’ Chant
Brandon Brown, the NASCAR driver who accidentally sparked a widely popular anti-Biden chant, has announced that he would be sponsored by a cryptocurrency named after the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” starting in 2022.
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But it appears that Brown, a Woodbridge, Virginia, native and winner of the Xfinity Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Oct. 2 may have jumped the gun in publicizing photos of his No. 68, red-white-and-blue Chevrolet, which was sponsored by LGBcoin, a cryptocurrency.
I’m excited to welcome @LGBcoin_io aboard my No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro as our 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series full season primary partner!
Press release: https://t.co/yWfkonk8vO pic.twitter.com/s8PkfCtnVD
— Brandon Brown (@brandonbrown_68) December 30, 2021
Sponsors and paint schemes for all racecars must be approved by NASCAR. According to a NASCAR staffer, the LGBcoin sponsorship has not yet been approved.
Based on recent statements by NASCAR President Steve Phelps, who has been at the forefront of attempts to make stock car racing more inclusive, the racing organization may be hesitant to approve the contentious message, no matter how coded it is.
Larry J. Sabato, a political analyst and the director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, called for NASCAR to reject the sponsorship.
Sabato said in an email, “‘Let’s Go Brandon’ is nothing more than a rude middle finger to President Biden by Trump supporters — and there’s no question NASCAR fans are disproportionately pro-Trump. For the most part, NASCAR has admirably tried to disassociate itself from partisan and racist nastiness, so let’s hope they do the right thing and nix this sponsorship deal. … This is not the image NASCAR should want to project.”
The NASCAR President, Phelps called it “unfortunate” that the racing body was associated with the anti-Biden chant.
Phelps said, “We do not want to associate ourselves with politics, the left or the right. We obviously have and we’ve always had as a sport tremendous respect for the office of the president no matter who is sitting. … Do we like the fact that it kind of started with NASCAR and then is gaining ground elsewhere? No, we’re not happy about that. But we will continue to make sure that we have respect for the office of the president.”
Phelps added that NASCAR would prevent the phrase from being used in conjunction with the NASCAR logo or NASCAR trademarks.
It is unclear if Brown announced his sponsorship before recognizing NASCAR must approve sponsorships.
The news release issued by Brown makes no direct mention of Biden but solely characterizes the cryptocurrency. The founder of the cryptocurrency, James Koutoulas, said Brown is “truly America’s driver.”
In a news release, Koutoulas says, “We are proud to support Brandon this season, to help him continue his American dream. If we do our job right, when you think of us, and you hear, ‘Let’s Go, Brandon,’ you’ll think and feel, ‘Let’s Go America.’”
Stay tuned to The Scoop for any updates.
