Brandon Brown, the driver of the No. 68, who became famous for the “Let’s Go Brandon” chant after he won his first Xfinity Series race at Talladega last year, is now lacking sponsorship and has been forced to give up his seat in the car to Austin Dillon for the upcoming race at Indianapolis.
The “Let’s Go Brandon” chant started when NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast falsely claimed that fans in the stands were cheering “Let’s Go Brandon” instead of “F*** Joe Biden” after Brown claimed victory at Talladega.
Brown would seemingly secure funding for his car at the beginning of this year with a full season partnership with LGBcoin.io announcing on Twitter, “I’m excited to welcome LGBcoin.io aboard my No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro as our 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series full season primary partner!”
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
However, after approving of the partnership deal, NASCAR later rescinded it with The Washington Post reporting, “The announcement was premature, apparently based on an okay granted over the Christmas holidays by a NASCAR employee who was not authorized to sign off on the relationship.”
The Post’s reported added, “It wasn’t until Tuesday that NASCAR executives reviewed the sponsorship proposal and decided against it.”
Max Marucci a spokesman for Brandonbilt Motorsports tore into NASCAR for their decision saying, “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.”
He continued, “The bottom line is that Brandonbilt Motorsports followed the standard process for sponsor and paint scheme approval and received approval from a NASCAR official empowered to make those decisions, and who makes those decisions on a regular basis. This official then confirmed and reiterated that we had received approval in a phone conversation after the announcement was made.”
“We are disappointed that NASCAR leadership has chosen to rescind approval of this sponsorship and feel they should have the confidence to own their decision to backtrack and not gaslight a team or a driver,” Marucci added.
He concluded, “Like every team, we rely on productive and friendly working relationships at all levels of NASCAR. Unfortunately, NASCAR leadership’s handling of this situation now threatens to strain our relationships and places us in an incredibly awkward position, yet again.”
Earlier this month, Brown tried to distance himself from the viral “Let’s Go Brandon” chant saying, “I’ve just been hopeful that I could make it a positive, I could have my name back and not have it be so divisive and scary, where it wouldn’t be a political statement for my friends and family to cheer me on during a race.”
To that end, Brown teamed with Sheletta Brundidge who wrote a children’s book for her son, Brandon, titled “Brandon Spots His Sign.” The book was inspired by Brundidge’s son who saw all the Let’s Go Brandon” signs and believed they were people cheering him on and inspired him to try swimming and remove the training wheels from his bicycle.
At Road of America, Brown’s car featured the book on its hood.
Hey @roadamerica 👋 Our #68 @teamchevy Camaro has arrived, and it’s rocking that #BrandonSpotsHisSign hood! #AutismAwareness
Get your copy of @ShelettaIsFunny’s book here 👉 https://t.co/Hgs7e1peR3 pic.twitter.com/iefbgHIHD3
— Brandonbilt Motorsports (@BMSRaceTeam) July 1, 2022
Now, Brown and his Brandonbilt Motorsports team announced they are struggling to find sponsorship and have made the move to have Austin Dillon drive the No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro for the Pennzoil 150 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while Brown will race the No. 47 Chevrolet for Mike Harmon Racing.
A statement posted to the team’s Twitter states, “Brandonbilt Motosports (BMS) announces today a driver change for the upcoming Pennzoil 150 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway which will see Austin Dillon behind the wheel of the No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro.”
It continues, “Coming off a third-place finish in last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at New Hampshire Speedway, Brandon Brown looks to continue his strong on-track performance this weekend at Pocono Raceway and hopes to carry the same energy to Mike Harmon Racing where he will pilot the No. 47 Chevrolet in a one-race agreement at The Brickyard.”
“The decision for a driver change was not made easily as Brown has been the face of BMS since its humble beginning as a family-owned and operated organization, however the choice was mutually agreed upon due to a lack of sponsorship funding,” the statement explained.
Jerry Brown the co-owner of Brandonbilt Motorsports added, “We are diligently working to secure the necessary funding that is needed to keep Brandon in the No. 68 for the remainder of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and we look forward to his return the following weekend at Michigan International Speedway.”
Brown is currently 13th in the Xfinity standings, one position out of the playoff race and 61 points behind Landon Cassill.
What do you make of Brown’s struggles to find a sponsor?
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