Brandon Brown never asked to become a meme, but now that he is one, he might as well capitalize.
Brown, the NASCAR driver who indirectly sparked the “Let’s go, Brandon” craze when a trackside reporter misheard the crowd’s chants, has landed a full-season sponsorship for his Xfinity Series car, according to multiple reports.
LGBcoin, a cryptocurrency named for the infamous political dog whistle, was the “only serious prospect” Brown had for 2022 sponsorship, according to Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern.
The red, white and blue paint scheme quickly spread across social media and on LGBcoin’s official website.
In explaining its decision to sponsor Brown, LGBcoin said in a statement, in part: “Brandon is a talented and passionate racecar driver, focused on perfecting his craft to take his skills to the highest level. His kindness and charm are unrivaled. Recently, Brandon spoke out for the first time since the infamous post-race interview that birthed a meme to share his thoughts and make clear that he has ‘no interest’ in politics. As Brandon pointed out, it’s weird to hear something that has been chanted only by your friends and family turned into a political meme. He doesn’t love the negative connotation and he’d like to redefine the phrase into something more positive.
“We can’t blame him. This country needs more positive and good-natured people like Brandon and that’s just one of the many reasons why we support him.”
On the one hand, Brown’s acceptance of LGBcoin’s logo on his car seems to conflict with his earlier statements of wanting to stay out of the political fray — considering his paint scheme and merchandise are likely to become very popular with fans of only one political viewpoint.
On the other hand, auto racing requires money, and if major corporate sponsors truly were scared away due to Brown’s unfortunate connection with a politically charged phrase not of his making, then it’s understandable why he’d cash any check to be able to compete.
If Brown’s LGBcoin Chevrolet ends up taking the checkered flag at any race next season, it will be interesting to hear what the fans chant then.
