NASCAR reviewing plan by Let’s go Brandon driver to be sponsored by crypto named after the phrase
NASCAR has said it will review a Let’s go Brandon paint job on the car driven by the man who inspired the chant – despite previously green-lighting the sponsorship.
The review came days after Brandon Brown announced he’d compete in the 2022 season in a car emblazoned with the logo of new cryptocurrency firm LGBcoin – whose initials stand for Let’s go Brandon.
According to CNN, Brown, who previously said the phrase had cost him sponsorships, was given written permission by NASCAR bosses to use LGBcoin as a sponsor.
But the organization now appears to have done a U-turn, and claimed the controversial sponsorship was not cleared by senior bosses, CNN reported.
Brown’s spokesman Max Marucci said the paint job was approved by NASCAR in late December, but on the day it was unveiled he was called and told that the racing body ‘apologized for any confusion and miscommunication,’ and said that the deal ‘needs to be reviewed at a higher level.’
No further information has been shared on the sudden change, and it is unclear if Brown will be allowed to continue with the sponsorship.
Let’s go Brandon has become a polite way of cursing the president, and was coined after Brown won a race in September, with racegoers filmed chanting ‘F**k Joe Biden’ from the stands during his live TV interview.
NBC reporter Kelli Stavast claimed those chanting were actually saying ‘Let’s go Brandon,’ with the phase quickly entering the national consciousness.
Brown announced the partnership on Twitter Thursday in a tweet that read: ‘I’m excited to welcome @LGBcoin_io aboard my No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro as our 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series full season primary partner!’
NASCAR is currently reviewing the deal, which is something the auto racing company does for every racecar’s sponsor and paint scheme
NASCAR driver Brandon Brown announced that he plans to compete in the 2022 season in a car sponsored by the cryptocurrency meme coin LGBcoin – named after the politically charged ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ chant he unwittingly inspired
He accompanied the news with a glossy video of himself walking up to his red, white and blue Camaro emblazoned with the LGBcoin logo.
Brown, 28, was much lesser known before he unintentionally sparked the anti-Biden chant after NBC sports reporter Kelli Stavast confused the crowd jeering ‘F*** Joe Biden‘ for ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’ at a NASCAR event in Alabama on October 2.
The driver has since catapulted himself – and the phrase – into stardom.
He spoke out last week about the effect the chant had on his professional career, saying he’s had a hard time finding sponsors and is now viewed as a ticking time bomb despite never expressing any of his own political views, beyond disclosing that he is a Republican.
Yet he now appears to have warmed to his unintentional notoriety. According to The Post, a spokesman for Brown’s Fredericksburg-based team, Brandonbilt Motorsports, said on Sunday that the team had received written approval of the sponsorship from a NASCAR official on December 26.
‘We are proud to support Brandon this season, to help him continue his American dream,’ James Koutoulas, LGBcoin holder and founder of Typhoon Capital Management, said in a press release.
‘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,”‘ he added.
After securing funding from a portfolio of crypto entities this past year, Brown – who is being referring to as ‘America’s Driver’ by the cryptocurrency – is now the first NASCAR driver to land multiple crypto deals.
Brown announced the partnership via Twitter on Thursday
The driver spoke out last week about the effect the chant had on his professional career, saying he’s hard time finding sponsors and is viewed as a ticking time bomb despite never expressing any political views, beyond disclosing that he is a Republican
He also distinguishes himself as an early attractor for meme and crypto partnerships.
‘Having the financial support of LGBcoin is incredible, especially at such a pivotal time in our team’s growth as we work to build to the next level of competition,’ the pro-racing driver said.
‘From wondering if we would have the financial means to continue to compete, to my first major win (at Talladega no less), to becoming an unintentional meme, this past season was a rollercoaster.’
Brown continued: ‘The support of sponsors like LGBcoin empowers us to be as competitive as possible and I’m looking forward to competing hard on the track in 2022.’
LGBcoin is a new, decentralized meme cryptocurrency similar to Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. It has been dubbed ‘America’s Coin’ and aims to inspire positivity and unity, grounded in a strong belief of the American dream, according to its creators.
‘We are thrilled to partner with Brandonbilt Motorsports and Brandon Brown for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season,’ Koutoulas shared.
‘Brandon is not only an incredibly talented driver, but also a thoughtful individual wise beyond his years. His commitment and singular focus on his profession is inspiring and his personal story is one that we can all be proud of – an American story of success and perseverance. Brandon is truly America’s Driver.’
LGBcoin has achieved a market capitalization of more than $300million in less than six months.
And the price of the cryptocurrency increased by 41.1 percent over the last week despite having fallen one percent in the last 24 hours.
The current price is $0.00000156 per LGB.
On Thursday, the price was $0.000001 per LGB.
In wake of the new sponsorship, Brown – who is being referring to as ‘America’s Driver’ by the cryptocurrency – is now the first NASCAR driver to land multiple crypto deals
After securing funding from a portfolio of crypto entities this past year, Brown is now the first NASCAR driver to land multiple crypto deals
Brown’s sponsors last year were The Original Larry’s Hard Lemonade and Trade the Chain Crypto company.
It remains unclear if the two crypto firms are connected. DailyMail.com has reached out to both LGBcoin and Trade the Chain for comment and clarification.
Last week, Brown spoke on how he was struggling with sponsorships due to the polarizing ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ chant.
‘It got extremely difficult for us,’ Brown told Sports Business Journal.
Brown previously said that he wants the phrase to be something positive and productive such as ‘Let’s Go America!’ rather than creating a code for ‘F*** Joe Biden’ (Pictured: Biden on December 27)
‘If you’re a national corporation, that means you sell to all consumers … and unfortunately, when you get dragged into the political arena, people want you to take a side.
‘I’ve never been put in a position where it’s, “OK, what side are you on? Left or right?” So it’s hard for a brand to want to attach to somebody who might be kind of divisive in their consumer base. If I’m going to divide Coca-Cola, why would they want to talk to me?
‘So the short answer is it’s been tough to connect with partnerships just because it’s kind of viewed as a ticking time bomb: “What is he doing to choose or say and how would that effect our consumer base?” It’s too much of a risk. I understand it on their side but it’s made it really hard to tie everything down.’
He also revealed that he is a Republican but is determined to continue focusing on his career in professional racing rather than politics.
Brown noted that he and his representatives have attempted to get something taken down a couple of times in the past that was affiliated with the chant.
NASCAR has also rallied around protecting Brown and the company’s name in order to prevent any affiliation between them and the chant.
‘The unfortunate part is it’s my name and my career that are at stake and the risk is high. If I do something wrong in this arena, my name as a driver falls off very fast,’ Brown said of the chant
The popular anti-Biden phrase ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’ has become code for ‘F*** Joe Biden’
The phrase was created at a NASCAR event on October 2 after sports newscaster Kelli Stavast thought the crowd was cheering for Brown by saying ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’ rather than ‘F*** Joe Biden’
‘NASCAR and I are kind of in the same boat about what to do here, but I don’t think anyone has the right answer,’ Brown added.
‘The unfortunate part is it’s my name and my career that are at stake and the risk is high. If I do something wrong in this arena, my name as a driver falls off very fast.
‘Even a career in NASCAR if I didn’t make it as a driver, trying to get another job in the community, I’m always going to be the “Let’s Go Brandon” guy. I’m always going to be known for that and how I handled this situation.’
Since the phrase was popularly called out, the chant has reached other professional and college sporting events by trolling conservatives.
Merchandise based around the phrase has also been sold out of a ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ store recently opened in Massachusetts. There are also around 12,000 listings on eBay for products related to the chant.
A song was even influenced by the popular phrase and recorded by Bryson Gray. It topped the charts on iTunes.
In addition, 23 trademark filings have made for a version of the phrase but none actually belong to Brown, according to the US Patent & Trademark Office.
The ‘Let’s Go Brandon!’ chant inspired a merchandise store in North Attleborough, Massachusetts centered around the phrase
An Oregon dad named Jared Schmeck (left) repeated the phrase to Biden (right) during a NORAD Santa Tracker event on Christmas Eve that was held virtually for children and their families
An Oregon dad named Jared Schmeck later repeated the phrase to President Biden himself during a NORAD Santa Tracker event on Christmas Eve that was held virtually for children and their families.
‘I hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas as well. Merry Christmas and Let’s Go, Brandon,’ Shmeck said after his kids told Biden what they wanted for Christmas.
‘Let’s Go Brandon, I agree,’ the president said in response.
Brown previously said that he wants the phrase to be something positive and productive such as ‘Let’s Go America!’ rather than creating a code for ‘F*** Joe Biden.’
‘I don’t want it to just be the substitute for a cuss-word. I mean, if it’s making it more polite, then, by God, I guess, go ahead,’ he said.
‘This whole Talladega race win was supposed to be a celebration, and then it was supposed to be something that I was able to use to move up, and I really wanted to capitalize on that, but with this meme going viral, it was more of, I had to stay more silent, because everybody wanted it to go on to the political side. I’m about the racing side.
‘The issue is, I don’t know enough about politics to really form a true opinion, so I really focus on racing,’ Brown added.
