Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

NASCAR Driver Who Inspired 'Let's Go Brandon' Lacks Sponsorships After Leaning Into Anti-Biden Slogan

NASCAR Driver Who Inspired 'Let's Go Brandon' Lacks Sponsorships After Leaning Into Anti-Biden Slogan
James Gilbert/Getty Images

NASCAR driver Brandon Brown may have to sit out races this year due to a lack of sponsorships after leaning into the far-right slogan based on his name.

Brown is the Brandon referenced in the popular far-right refrain "Let's Go Brandon," a coded phrase that means "Fu*k Joe Biden." It was coined after a journalist at a 2021 NASCAR event misreported the crowd's chants of "Fu*k Joe Biden" as "Let's Go Brandon" in reference to Brown, the winner of the event.


After leaning into the viral fame his namesake slogan provided, Brown is now stepping down from a race this Saturday after his main sponsorship, an anti-Biden cryptocurrency named after the slogan, went defunct.

He is now being replaced in this weekend's race and is likely to face a similar fate in future races as well. 


In the wake of the "Let's Go Brandon" incident, Brown tried to duck away from the viral moment, telling the The New York Times in a December profile titled "Brandon Just Wants to Drive His Racecar" that he had an aversion to politics. He told the Times:

“Our whole navigation is, you want to appeal to everybody, because, all in all, everybody is a consumer."
"I have zero desire to be involved in politics."

Two weeks later however, Brown leaned in, accepting sponsorship for his entire next NASCAR season by a cryptocurrency called Let's Go Brandon, despite NASCAR's public objections.

The coin is now essentially worthless and is also a central component of an ongoing ethics investigation into disgraced former far-right Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn, who promoted the cryptocurrency without disclosing his investments in it.

The cryptocurrency is also the subject of a class-action lawsuit, in which Brown was named as one of the defendants.

Brown has belatedly returned to distancing himself from the slogan and movement he previously embraced.

Earlier this month he participated in an event with a children's book author who has tried to put a positive spin on the catchphrase by writing a children's book about her autistic son Brandon, who thought the "Let's Go Brandon" chant was in reference to him.

But being linked to a slogan beloved by the anti-Biden far-right has unsurprisingly alienated sponsors who don't wish to be associated with America's strain of increasingly extremist conservatism.

Brown lamented the situation he has found himself in while speaking to racing news site Frontstretch:

"I’m still viewed as a political figure."
"I can be viewed as divisive because of the chant. It’s really hard to convince companies that, ‘Hey, that’s not me. That’s just what the crowd was chanting.’ It does make it hard."

On Twitter, some lamented that Brown had gotten caught in the crossfire of America's culture wars.


But many felt Brown brought it all on himself.







Brown told Frontstretch he will be racing in his usual car, Number 68, for two upcoming races, but the car will likely be driven by other racers who can secure funding for the rest of the season.

More from Trending

Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic
Disney/Marvel Studios

Pedro Pascal Adjusts Accent

Pedro Pascal was advised to tone down the Mid-Atlantic accent for his upcoming role as the stretchy Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards in Fantastic Four: First Steps.

In a video interview with Vanity Fair, he reflected on his past and current work and talked about working with a dialect coach for the Marvel movie, which is set to premiere on July 25th.

Keep ReadingShow less
Country Singer Gavin Adcock went on a drunken rant over Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" success.
Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Country singer rants over Beyoncé album

Country singer Gavin Adcock became the title of his next album, “Own Worst Enemy,” after going on an unhinged rant about the legitimacy of Beyoncé's Grammy-winning and record-breaking Cowboy Carter in the country music genre.

Adcock, whose upcoming album is set for release next month, was filmed during a live performance last weekend, complaining that Beyoncé and her album are not “country music.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Dionne Warwick; Tiny Chef
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images; @ToonHive/X

Dionne Warwick Is Ready To Go To War With Nickelodeon Over 'Tiny Chef' Cancellation

You know your campaign against a show's cancellation is achieving widespread attention when you get people like venerated singer Dionne Warwick advocating for you.

Nickelodeon's The Tiny Chef Show was recently cancelled, much to the dismay of its viewers and creators. It was also a genuinely surprising decision, since the show has won an Emmy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman relaxing in sunhat and sunglasses
Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash

People Explain Which 'Small Luxuries' They Can't Live Without

Many of us have committed to being fairly financially frugal and not overspending on silly, unnecessary things.

That is to say, sometimes, it's fun to splurge on something one time to see what it's like to experience that small luxury.

Keep ReadingShow less
two women in emotional distress seated on couch
Ben White on Unsplash

People Who've Experienced Grief Share The Most Tone-Deaf Things They've Heard

Grief, loss, trauma are all part of life. But for most people, the emotions and reactions that go with them are difficult to witness.

So they rely on platitudes to fill any holes in conversation. That's rarely a good idea.

Keep ReadingShow less