Getty Brandon Brown will make limited starts in the No. 68.
The situation involving Brandonbilt Motorsports’ newest partner has taken another turn. The NASCAR Xfinity Series team issued a statement alleging that the sanctioning body approved the addition of LGBcoin.io, a meme cryptocurrency playing off the “Let’s Go Brandon” phrase.
Brandonbilt Motorsports’ released the statement on January 2 and said that the team is very aware of the process required to approve sponsors and paint schemes. The team said that it would not try to circumvent the process before claiming that the sanctioning body had approved both the sponsor and the scheme in written form.
“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,” the team said in the statement. “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. We will continue to work with NASCAR and look forward to resolving this matter and clearing the air as soon as possible.”
NASCAR Issued Statements to Media Members After the Partner Announcement
NEWS: @LGBcoin_io joins @brandonbrown_68 and Brandonbilt Motorsports as full season primary partner for the 2022 @NASCAR_Xfinity Series season!
Press release: t.co/N2pgIdgsnt
Brown and Brandonbilt Motorsports announced that LGBcoin.io had joined the team with a video and a press release on the morning of December 30. Several hours later, media members received statements from NASCAR putting the partnership in doubt.
Motorsport.com first reported that NASCAR had not actually approved the addition of LGBcoin.io and that the team had “jumped the gun” with its announcement. According to multiple reports, NASCAR said that the team had not gone through the approval process and that a decision would not take place for multiple weeks.
There were several questions about what appeared to be a break in communication, but a veteran insider provided some context. Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal reported that NASCAR had started examining the possibility of banning political sponsorship in 2020 and that it appears that “there’s movement toward implementing it” for the upcoming season.
This Story Will Continue to Create Conversations
Did NASCAR issue approval before the announcement or was there a miscommunication? A clear answer may not ever come to light. However, there is a certainty that this situation will continue to create conversations.
If the partnership falls through and results in Brandonbilt Motorsports entering the season without LGBcoin.io on the No. 68 Chevrolet, there will be discussions about one of NASCAR’s smaller teams and its yearly pursuit of partnerships.
If the deal goes through, there will be discussions about the scheme and the meaning behind the meme cryptocurrency. Some fans will support NASCAR’s decision to approve the sponsor and the scheme, whether due to excitement about his funding or due to their political beliefs. Others will take offense after seeing the red, white, and blue car making laps at the various tracks on the circuit and will potentially compare it to other political schemes from the past.
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