NASCAR driver Brandon Brown, whose win led to "Let's Go Brandon" becoming picked up as a more polite way of saying "F*ck Joe Biden" has taken on cryptocurrency sponsor Let's Go Brandon Coin ($LGB), whose Twitter bio shares that it is "a meme coin inspiring patriotism" and is available on Coinbase Wallet and Uniswap. Brown was going to paint "LGBcoin.io" on his car. Reports are now indicating, though, that the fate of the phrasing is "in limbo."
John Peter's headline for USA Today on Friday read that "NASCAR driver Brandon Brown's new paint scheme that references vulgar anti-Biden meme in limbo."
As he wrote:
Max Marcucci, a PR strategist who represents the racecar driver and Brandonbilt Motorsports, said NASCAR provided written approval of the car’s paint scheme and sponsorship for the upcoming season of the Xfinity Series, NASCAR's second tier.
"We didn't freelance this,'' he told USA TODAY Sports, referring to NASCAR's rules.
But after Brown's team announced the agreement on Thursday, with a news release along with video and photos of the car, NASCAR informed Brown's team it still is reviewing the details, according to Marcucci.
Video and photos of Brown standing in front of his No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro show the red-white-and-blue paint scheme that includes "LGBcoin.io," the official name of the cryptocurrency coin, across the rear quarter-panel.
Peter goes on to admit that the meme became popular after a reporter claimed the crowd chanting "F*ck Joe Biden" during an interview following Brown's win was actually "Let's Go Brandon."
Peter also went on to explain:
James Koutoulas, a leading holder of LGBcoin, said NASCAR approved the sponsorship deal contingent on the use of the LGB acronym, rather than spelling out “Let’s Go Brandon,’’ for the paint scheme on Brown’s car.
Marcucci said he could not confirm that because he was not involved in those talks.
NASCAR did not respond to multiple attempts for comment.
Fox Sports and Motorsport.com both reported that NASCAR said the deal has not been approved and, according to Motorports.com, Brown’s team “jumped the gun’’ in publicizing the move.
But Marcucci said NASCAR provided written approval for the sponsorship deal before Brown’s team publicized it.
“I don’t know where the disconnect was," Marcucci, vice president at LEVICK, a crisis public relations firm in Washington D.C. “I don’t know what happened, any internal conversations. But we’re just going to try to work through whatever happens next."
Again, to reiterate, it wasn't going to say "F*ck Joe Biden" or even the full "Let's Go Brandon." It was "the official name of the cryptocurrency coin, across the rear quarter-panel," as Peter himself wrote. Further, to refer to the "anti-Biden meme" as "vulgar" and "crass," as he later does in his piece, shows just how sensitive the left and their allies in the mainstream media have become.
Then again, this sadly is pretty much a given considering the reactions following President Joe Biden repeating "Let's Go Biden" on Christmas Eve, as we've highlighted at Townhall.
Reporting from Lauren Egan and Sarah Bronston with NBC claimed on December 24 that the phrase was "a right-wing slur," as Katie and I have previously highlighted when it comes to pointing out the freakout from the left.
The media freakout started long before President Joe Biden uttered the phrase, though, especially from The Washington Post, as Katie and I also highlighted in October.
Sure enough, The Washington Post also got in on the coverage with Brown's partnership. In her piece for the outlet, Liz Clarke referred to the phrase as "a coded vulgar insult," "a divisive message," and "a coded message of animus."
She closes her piece with a melodramatic tone, claiming "The question NASCAR now faces regarding Brown’s LGBcoin sponsorship is whether it will allow a car to be used as a billboard to promote a product that its manufacturer insists is patriotic yet is viewed by many as a coded message of political hate."
As multiple reports have pointed to, NASCAR has been wary of getting involved in what is deemed a political phrase. And, as Peter explained further, having "LGBcoin.io" is a compromise for Brown, who had previously repudiated politics and the possibility of scaring off other sponsors.
The Let's Go Brandon Coin Twitter cover photo declares "LET'S GO BRANDON: America's driver endorses America's Coin." There's also a pinned tweet from Thursday's announcement that has Brown coming across his car that has the message.
??R???? R?????? please ??: Number 68 @NASCAR driver @brandonbrown_68 endorses @LGBcoin_io , America’s Coin!#letsgobrandon #letsgoamerica pic.twitter.com/fzqKyG8n6y
— Let's Go Brandon Coin ($LGB) (@LGBcoin_io) December 30, 2021
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