NASCAR Driver Brandon Brown Has 'Zero Desire to Be Involved in Politics'

NASCAR driver Brandon Brown does not approve of the "Let’s Go Brandon" memes that have been dominating social media as well as the chants that have been heard at mass events, public gatherings, and even in Congress.

Instead, the 28-year-old, who has admitted he has no interest in being dragged into the political sphere, thinks it is time for a new slogan — "Let's Go, America," according to a new interview with The New York Times. 

Brown became an overnight sensation in October after winning his first NASCAR event at Talladega Superspeedway. However it was not his victory that fueled the memes but instead the crowd in the stands that were shouting "F**k Joe Biden." An NBC reporter at the race incorrectly reported that fans in the stands were chanting: "Let's go Brandon." Since then, the phrase is everywhere, and Brown is having a hard time separating himself from it, and the political meaning attached to it.

"I have zero desire to be involved in politics," he told the Times. 

"This whole Talladega race win was supposed to be a celebration, and then it was supposed to be something that I was able to use to move up, and I really wanted to capitalize on that," he stated elsewhere in the interview. "But with this meme going viral, it was more of, I had to stay more silent, because everybody wanted it to go on to the political side. I’m about the racing side."

Brown pointed out that he did not know enough about politics to "form a true opinion," which is why his focus remains on racing. 

In a column for Newsweek, Brown admitted he was afraid of being dropped by his sponsors and decided to stay silent on the matter.

"All the advice I got from those around my racing career was to stay quiet after that now-famous interview. No one knew how my sponsors would react and, in my world, there is no car to drive without the sponsors," he wrote. "So, I kept quiet. I turned down more press requests than I imagined someone could ever get — especially someone just starting his NASCAR career. I was afraid of being canceled by my sponsors, or by the media, for being caught up in something that has little to do with me."

However, now he is speaking out. In the column, Brown admitted he understood people's frustration but had 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 explained. "But I'm also no longer going to be silent about the situation I find myself in, and why millions of Americans are chanting my name. I hear them, even if Washington does not."

Brown added that, when the opportunity presents itself, he will address the issues he is passionate about, "or the problems we face together as Americans."

"How you vote is none of my business. Instead, I will use what free time I have to highlight the struggle we all feel and share, as Americans," he noted. 

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