NASCAR Recants ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Sponsorship Approval – Bans LGB-Themed Car

NASCAR has reportedly rejected the “Let’s Go Brandon”-themed car of Xfinity Series driver Brandon Brown, who had signed a sponsorship deal with cryptocurrency meme coin LGBcoin.

This comes six days after Brown revealed his new car with the letters “LGB,” a reference to both LGBcoin and the anti-Joe Biden phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” printed on its side.

Cryptocurrency meme coin LGBcoin.io signed on as Brandonbilt Motorsports (BMS) primary partner for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) season.

The announcement was made by press release on December 30, here’s an excerpt:

The partnership marks the latest crypto outfit to back a NASCAR driver and team, a growing trend not only in motorsports but across all professional sports leagues. In 2022, BMS driver Brandon Brown will sport an eye-catching red, white, and blue livery with the logo and wordmark of LGBcoin aboard his No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro for all 33 races of the NXS season.

“We are thrilled to partner with Brandonbilt Motorsports and Brandon Brown for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season,” said James Koutoulas, LGBcoin HODLer and founder of Typhoon Capital Management. “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.”

 “We are proud to support Brandon this season, to help him continue his American dream,” said Koutoulas. “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.’”

NASCAR Rejects Let’s Go Brandon Car

CNN reported that executives at NASCAR reviewed the sponsorship proposal on Tuesday and notified Brown’s team of the rejection later that day.

Max Marcucci, a spokesperson for Brown’s team, said on Sunday that NASCAR had given the team written approval on the sponsorship and paint scheme on December 26.

Yesterday, on the day the decision was announced, Marcucci said that NASCAR called and “apologized for any confusion and miscommunication,” adding that the deal “needs to be reviewed at a higher level.”

Related: NASCAR Condemns ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Chant

Brandonbilt Motorsports Releases Statement

Brandonbilt Motorsports released the following statement to CNN about the situation on Sunday:

“We are very aware and appreciative of the process required to approve sponsors and paint schemes and would not attempt to circumvent that process. 

Brandonbilt Motorsports submitted our most recent sponsors and paint scheme to NASCAR, following the standard approval process that we have undertaken many times before without issue. We received written approval on the sponsors from a NASCAR Racing Operations official on December 26, 2021. The team subsequently moved forward with an announcement only after being provided with this approval. 

The sponsor approval was unambiguous — the first four words of the email from NASCAR state, ‘The sponsors are approved …’ The only feedback offered was related to minor graphic design changes to ensure legibility on the track at 170mph.”

‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Origins

“Let’s Go Brandon” is a phrase that stems from a chant that started after Brown won his first career race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama in early October.

As Brown was being interviewed, the crowd began chanting “F**k Joe Biden,” but the interviewer mistakenly said that they were saying “Let’s Go Brandon.”

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

In November, NASCAR President Steve Phelps tried to distance the sport from the chant.

“I feel for Brandon,” 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. We obviously have and we’ve always had, as a sport, tremendous respect for the office of the president no matter who is sitting.”

“I think it’s an unfortunate situation,” he added. “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.”

It should be noted that last year, NASCAR allowed Bubba Wallace to drive a car with the word Black Lives Matter written on it. It seems that the sport has no problem with political slogans being on cars when they promote liberal causes, but NASCAR draws the line when it’s a conservative phrase.

Makes you wonder.