Brandon Brown, the NASCAR driver who unintentionally helped originate the viral rightwing chant “Let’s Go Brandon” (which many people believe means “Fuck Joe Biden”), has decided to partner with a memecoin based on the slogan.
LGBcoin.io, the recently launched crypto-token based on the highly partisan catchphrase, announced Thursday that it will be serving as the full-season primary sponsor to Brown and his team, Brandonbilt Motorsports, during the 2022 NASCAR season. In professional racing, such sponsorships allow companies to basically use the drivers as giant, season-long billboards — decorating their cars and, often, the driver themself, with associated corporate logos and advertising paraphernalia.
In other words, Brown will apparently be serving as a full-time commercial — both for this daffy new cryptocurrency and, supposedly, coded disrespect for the president. In a video posted to Twitter on Thursday, Brown announced the collaboration, revealing that next year he will be driving a 69 Chevrolet Camaro — coloured red, white, and blue — with the memecoin’s name printed on it.
I’m excited to welcome @LGBcoin_io aboard my No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro as our 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series full season primary partner!
Press release: https://t.co/yWfkonk8vO pic.twitter.com/s8PkfCtnVD
— Brandon Brown (@brandonbrown_68) December 30, 2021
Thus, three diabolical forces have joined (cryptocurrency, NASCAR, and partisan politics), and this whole annoying saga continues.
In case you’re out of the loop, the LGB phenomenon started way back in October — when the 28-year-old Brown won a race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. For whatever reason, the crowd that day erupted in shouts of “Fuck Joe Biden!” following his win. A reporter at the location, Kelli Stavast, heard the crowd chanting this and, seemingly confused, told the driver and her viewers they were chanting “Let’s Go Brandon!” The phrase subsequently gained popularity at conservative sporting events — and some sort of weird panic ensued.
Now, two-ish months later, the slogan has inspired explainers in the Associated Press and NPR, analysis and deep thoughts from The Atlantic, an explosion of associated merch, a shoutout from a Southwest Airlines pilot (who got compared to ISIS and almost lost his job), and, yeah, a new memecoin for the saying’s fans’ investing pleasure. Proving that he’s a true American, Brown has decided to cash-in on his unintentional designation as our country’s newest idiotic culture war flashpoint — a development that is also totally unsurprising.
Yes, quite a ride it’s all been. If you haven’t followed this whole little melodrama you’d really be forgiven because, ultimately… who cares? Shouting “fuck the President” has been a tradition in this country since probably its founding (hell, there was actually a song devoted to telling Trump to fuck himself), so it’s unclear why anyone would expect that to change now. More than anything, this turn of events is just annoying, because it means I’ll have to keep reading about “LGB” and what it all means for the foreseeable future — or at least until NASCAR season is over.