NASCAR president Steve Phelps put out a statement late last week decrying those who would associate a recently popularized phrase among Trump supporters that originated at one of its races.
During a post-race interview with Brandon Brown, the crowd in attendance inexplicably started chanting “F*ck Joe Biden,” which an embarrassed reporter repeated on-air as “Let’s Go Brandon.”
But NASCAR wants no part of it, despite their long association with conservative fans. In the statement, Phelps says that NASCAR-branded items have been showing up sporting the phrase, and he intends to put a stop to it:
We will pursue whoever (is using logos) and get that stuff. That’s not OK. It’s not OK that you’re using our trademarks illegally, regardless of whether we agree with what the position is.
Phelps expressed his dismay at the entire situation. Fans who gleefully use the phrase apparently haven’t thought about how dumb it was to be chanting a ridiculous “political” slogan during a celebration for the guy who they paid to come see win the race. Phelps felt bad for both the racer and the reporter:
It’s an unfortunate situation and I feel for Brandon, I feel for Kelli. I think, unfortunately, it speaks to the state of where we are as a country. We do not want to associate ourselves with politics, the left or the right.
Of course, they have long been associated with the right, with drivers appearing at Trump rallies and even by honoring Trump with a job as the starter for the Daytona 500 last year. Conversely, the organization also banned the display of Confederate flags at their events, startling many longtime fans.
In the end, Phelps says, they simply respect the office of the president. His biggest regret is simply that the insanely popular phrase started at one of their races.
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