RED LIGHT

NASCAR Gives Thumbs-Down to ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Sponsorship Deal

The racing company had initially approved the cryptocurrency coin sponsorship, but pumped the brakes with an announcement that it would review the deal just a few days later.

NASCAR has officially rejected a sponsorship deal for driver Brandon Brown’s Xfinity Series car for the 2022 season, his team has confirmed. The sponsorship had made explicit reference to the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon,” widely understood to be an anti-Joe Biden slogan. It had been proposed by cryptocurrency meme entity LGBcoin, and accepted by Brown last Thursday. A NASCAR employee had initially approved the deal, before backtracking on Sunday with an announcement that it would review the deal. In a Tuesday statement issued hours after the company’s decision against the sponsorship, Brandonbilt Motorsports said that it felt officials had flip-flopped and gaslit Brown’s team. “NASCAR did not speak with Brandonbilt Motorsports prior to making their decision to rescind the approval and multiple attempts to set-up a conversation to address this matter went unacknowledged,” a spokesperson said, adding later, “Unfortunately, NASCAR leadership's handling of this situation now threatens to strain our relationships and places us in an incredibly awkward position, yet again.” NASCAR has offered no official comment.