Brandon Brown’s Sponsorship Encounters Potential Issue

Getty Brandon Brown has achieved success with Larry's Hard Lemonade.

Brandonbilt Motorsports, the team behind Brandon Brown’s No. 68 Chevrolet, announced on Thursday, December 30, that a new primary partner, a meme cryptocurrency called LGBcoin, had joined for the entire 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Hours later, news surfaced that the sanctioning body has not yet decided if it will allow the sponsorship.

According to FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass, NASCAR said that it has not yet approved the LGBcoin scheme playing off of the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon.” He added that all sponsorships have to go through a formal process, which has not taken place. NASCAR will announce any decisions in the coming weeks.

NASCAR must approve every sponsor and scheme that teams use during the season. There are no specific guidelines about what makes the cut and what doesn’t. There are schemes featuring alcoholic beverages, medications, grills, and all manner of other products. NASCAR has also allowed political messages in previous seasons. The Go Fas Racing stock car featuring a Trump 2020 scheme is a previous example.

Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal provided some more context about the situation. He reported that NASCAR first began looking at banning political sponsorship in 2020, which would only apply to schemes at the track and similar things. He noted that “there is now movement toward implementing it” for the 2022 season.

The Press Release Referenced Brown’s Comments About Changing the Phrase

GettyBrandon Brown prepares for qualifying at Nashville Superspeedway.

Prior to the announcement that LGBcoin had signed on to be a full-time primary partner, Brown wrote an opinion piece for Newsweek. He talked about becoming a meme due to something out of his control, and he explained that he had remained quiet due to being uncertain about how his sponsors would react.

Brown noted in the article that he has no interest in leading a political fight, endorsing any political figure, or telling anyone how to vote. Instead, he suggested an alternate chant, “Let’s go, America,” while saying that he would occasionally speak about issues that Americans face.

The press release from LGBcoin referenced this new alternate chant. James Koutoulas, LGBcoin HODLer and founder of Typhoon Capital Management, said in a statement that if the company does its job right, people will hear “Let’s Go Brandon” and think and feel, “Let’s Go America.”

NASCAR Tried to Distance Itself From the Phrase

There is no clear answer as to whether the sanctioning body will allow the LGBcoin scheme and sponsorship during the 2022 Xfinity Series season. However, NASCAR President Steve Phelps has tried to put some separation between the organization and the chant.

Phelps met with reporters on November 5 ahead of the championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway. He said that NASCAR is not happy about the fact that the chant started at a race and become something massive elsewhere.

“I feel for Brandon,” Phelps said, transcript courtesy of USA Today. “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.

If Phelps’ comments are any indication, there is a possibility that NASCAR will not approve the partnership and the red, white, and blue scheme. Though this is not a guarantee. The sanctioning body could ultimately decide to issue approval in the coming weeks.

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