'Let's Go Brandon' Crowd Pinching Pocketbook Of NASCAR's Real Brandon

CHARLOTTE, NC — Brandon Brown is a 28-year-old stock car driver in NASCAR, but his fame is now tied to the newly coined — and vulgar — euphemism “Let’s Go Brandon” instead of his moves on the track, or signature win at Talladega, where the now-famous phrase was born.

Brown’s career in motor sports began at age 10 when the Woodbridge, Virginia, native began racing go-karts, eventually graduating to NASCAR in 2014.

It wasn’t until the 2021 Sparks 300 at Talladega, Alabama, that he wheeled the family-owned Brandonbilt Motorsports Xfinity car to the checkered flag, and it was there on the front stretch that his name would become inextricably linked to politics.

As Brown accepted the checkered flag and stood in front of the Talladega grandstands, fans behind him chanted. The broadcast reporter interviewing Brown said the fans were chanting “Let’s Go Brandon” in the victorious moment, but instead it was a clearly audible chant saying “F--- Joe Biden.”

A right-wing conservative rallying cry was born there on the worn asphalt in Alabama, the phrase quickly spreading nationwide.

The chant has affected Brown, who now lives in North Carolina, in different ways. The driver first joked on Twitter that he was “Mr. Worldwide now” when BBC published an article about the divisive chant, with a half-hearted smiling emoji. The good spirits, though, may have faltered now.

Merchandise with “Let’s Go Brandon” — even with NASCAR’s logo on it — has been sold in independent novelty shops and by singer Kid Rock advertising his Nashville bar.

Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida ended a speech with “Let’s go Brandon” and a fist pump. The phrase is now a regular feature in online comments, and it hasn’t faded in the weeks since the NASCAR Xfinity Series race took place.

An Associated Press report claims that the sponsorship funding mechanism for Brown’s team has experienced trouble following the chant, with companies concerned about marketing the driver amid the political connotations.

This is especially troubling to the family-owned team, based in Virginia, that was on the verge of closing down earlier this year. According to the Frontstretch podcast, Brown almost hung up his fire suit.

“Every credit card [was] maxed out, bank account maxed out, we'd sat down as a team and talked about it,” Brown had said.

Could the “Let's Go Brandon” chant hurt their financial outlook even more?

Likely not, according to experts.

Joe Favorito, who has 35 years of experience in sports marketing and public relations, said Brown has done well by not directly addressing the chant.

“He has handled himself very well and has even made light of the situation, which I think plays really well for him,” Favorito told Patch.

Favorito advised that Brown keep his head down and not associate with the phrase.

“We can only control so much in our lives, so keep sticking to what works as best you can and don't get dragged into the trivial or something that is not about you,” he said.

Favorito believes that with time, the association will diminish, and the phrase will lose its association with the driver himself.

“This has little to do with him as a person or a brand,” Favorito said, comparing it to how the name “Karen” has become a symbol not tied to any one person named Karen.

Doug Shabelman, the CEO of Burns Entertainment, which specializes in sports marketing, said companies might hesitate to actively promote the driver right now, but it’s likely not a long-term problem for him.

“They might pause for a minute and see how this goes,” he said. “My thought is that these things tend to be short-lived, especially things associated with a political cycle.”

He said in terms of working with corporate sponsorships, Brown can base his success on his talent.

“If Brandon is successful and wins and has a great personality and an agent who knows how to market his correct style and does it in an above-board way and somewhat ignore it, he’ll be fine,” Shabelman said.

He added: “As long as he stays out of the fray and continues to perform well, sponsors and advertisers will come to him.”

Brown and Brandonbilt Motorsports declined comment at this time.