Brandon Brown, the NASCAR driver famous for winning Talladega and getting swept up in a political anti-Biden chant is speaking out. In a Newsweek op-ed, he said that he has been hounded for commentary and interviews constantly and advised to stay silent for his career’s sake.
He said in his new op-ed that he had to finally speak out. But he didn’t really say anything extremely controversial though. Brown more so seemingly just wanted to acknowledge what happened and that he understands many are frustrated with politicians in these times of division.
As you probably already know, when Brown won the infamous race, many in the audience were chanting “f— Joe Biden”. A reporter wrongly claimed that the audience was cheering “let’s go Brandon” to support’s Brown’s race performance.
As a way to get creative about the “FJB” chant, many used the opportunity to turn “let’s go Brandon” into code for the other thing, as a way to say it more places, and dab on the mainstream media in one fell swoop. Lots of songs, t-shirts, and other items have been sold since then. But Brown has been silent largely, until now. He said in his op-ed in part:
I am Brandon, the NASCAR driver and unlikely meme. A 28-year-old who now finds himself in the middle of the American political conversation. As a pro driver, I never expected to be in the passenger seat of my own viral moment.
On October 2, I won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega—my first major win. It was a hell of a moment for me, my family, my team and my sponsors. It’s cliché, but it is a moment I had dreamt about my entire life.
He went on later in the article to mention the gas prices many have been angry about, although anger at Biden is far beyond just gas prices in our view:
Listen, I buy more gas than most. I don’t like that $4 per gallon has become the norm. I know the cost of everything is rising and I know first-hand that making ends meet can be a struggle for middle-class folks like me.
I have no interest in leading some political fight. I race cars. I am not going to endorse anyone, and I am certainly not going to tell anyone how to vote.
He wrapped up his story by saying:
To my fans, to NASCAR fans and to everyone who has chanted my name: I dedicate myself this upcoming season to compete hard on the racetrack and to spotlight issues that are important to me and to millions of Americans across the country.
“Let’s Go America.”
Read the full op-ed here.
Many may see this as a low-key nod to those chanting “let’s go Brandon”. Others may see it as a way to diffuse the situation. It’s hard to tell exactly what he’s going for other than trying to say something unifying.
It certainly wasn’t a condemnation of that chant, so many on the left will not be thrilled. We will stay tuned to see if he says anything more on the matter in the near term future.
One thing is for sure, Joe Biden has not enjoyed the chant. Some even speculated he is avoiding public events because he is afraid he may hear the chant.
We can be sure Vice President Harris hopes nothing like this happens to her.
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