NASCAR Condemns ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Chant

NASCAR has issued a formal statement denouncing the anti-Joe Biden “Let’s Go Brandon” chant that originated at an Xfinity Series race last month.

NASCAR Distances Itself From ‘Let’s Go Biden’ Chant

Steve Phelps, NASCAR’s president, told the Associated Press that the top motorsports series in the United States does not want to be associated with politics “on the left or the right.”

He added that NASCAR will be pursuing action against any illegal use of its trademarks on merchandise boasting the slogan. 

This came after retired baseball star Lenny Dykstra posted a photo to Twitter that showed a man eating breakfast at a New Jersey hotel wearing a black “Let’s go, Brandon” shirt alongside NASCAR’s trademarked color bars.

“We will pursue whoever (is using logos) and get that stuff,” Phelps said in response to the image. “That’s not OK. It’s not OK that you’re using our trademarks illegally, regardless of whether we agree with what the position is.”

Related: NASCAR Mandates Sensitivity Training For Kyle Busch

‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Origins 

This chant originated Brandon Brown won his first career NASCAR race in Alabama, and the Talladega Superspeedway crowd at the Xfinity Series race chanted “F— Joe Biden” during his interview.

NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast then incorrectly told Brown that the fans were chanting “let’s go, Brandon!”

Full story here: NASCAR Births A Legend: The Origin Story Of ‘Let’s Go Brandon’

“Let’s go, Brandon” has since become a rallying cry for those who are against Biden.

“It’s an unfortunate situation and I feel for Brandon, I feel for Kelli,” Phelps said. “I think unfortunately it speaks to the state of where we are as a country. We do not want to associate ourselves with politics, the left or the right.”

This is a stark reversal to NASCAR’s lengthy history of allowing political candidates to use its races as campaign stops.

Former President Donald Trump served as the honorary starter at the Daytona 500 last year, and the sold-out crowd made the Super Bowl of NASCAR feel more like a campaign rally.

Phelps, however, said this week that NASCAR respects the presidential office.

‘We’re Not Happy’ About ‘Let’s Go Brandon’

“Do we like the fact that it kind of started with NASCAR and then is gaining ground out elsewhere?” he added. “No, we’re not happy about that.”

NASCAR has gone increasingly “woke” in the past year, banning the display of the Confederate flag at the request of Bubba Wallace, the only black full-time driver.

Wallace was allowed by NASCAR to wear an “I Can’t Breathe” shirt on pit road and to run with a Black Lives Matter paint scheme in one race.

Read also: Bubba Wallace Says He’s Still Getting Booed One Year After Noose Hoax

NASCAR can try to distance themselves from “Let’s Go, Brandon” all they want to, but this train has left the station, and this chant seems here to stay!