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Brandon Brown (racing driver)

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Brandon Brown
Brown at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2021
BornBrandon Lee Brown
(1993-09-14) September 14, 1993 (age 31)
Woodbridge, Virginia, U.S.
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
150 races run over 7 years
2022 position17th
Best finish11th (2020)
First race2016 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 (Richmond)
Last race2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (Phoenix)
First win2021 Sparks 300 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 20 0
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
22 races run over 4 years
2017 position97th
Best finish25th (2016)
First race2014 American Ethanol 200 (Iowa)
Last race2017 Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 1 0
Statistics current as of November 5, 2022.

Brandon Lee Brown[1] (born September 14, 1993) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving for several teams including the No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro for Brandonbilt Motorsports.

Brown inadvertently became associated with politics after winning the 2021 Sparks 300, when NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast's misstating of a crowd chant led to "Let's Go Brandon" becoming a political slogan used against U.S. President Joe Biden.

Racing career

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Early career

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Brown first started racing when he was ten, driving go-karts at King George Speedway before moving to dirt track racing, winning the 2006 World Karting Association Mid-South Region Jr. championship. Two years later, he won the Jr. Restricted Light and Heavy Division championships, followed by the VDKA Series and Jr. Restricted Light and Heavy Division championships in 2009.[2] In 2010, Brown began competing in the Whelen All-American Series with family-owned Brandonbilt Motorsports,[3] winning a race and eventually the Virginia Rookie of the Year Award.[2] The next year, he won three races at Old Dominion Speedway.[4]

NASCAR

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Brown's No. 68 Xfinity car in 2019

In 2014, Brown made his Camping World Truck Series debut at Iowa Speedway,[4] finishing 25th after starting 27th.[5] He made two more starts in the year, with a best finish of 19th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.[6]

The following year, he attempted eight races but failed to qualify for three. After starting the season with a 29th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway,[7] he ended the year with a best finish of 14th at Dover International Speedway.[6]

In the 2016 season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Brown finished a career-best fourth place.[8] Brown made his Xfinity Series debut at his home track of Richmond International Raceway in September 2016. Brown increased his Xfinity Series schedule in 2017, with intentions of running ten races in addition to select Truck races.[9]

After driving a full-time Xfinity Series schedule in 2019 for 2 teams, Brown drove the No. 68 Chevrolet for Brandonbilt Motorsports the following year. He made his first appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, finishing 12th in the regular-season standings, but was eliminated following the first round.[10]

In 2021, Brown tied his best career finish with a sixth at Daytona,[11] followed by an eighth-place finish at the Daytona Road Course.[12] He improved on his best finish at Phoenix when he finished third after various leaders were forced into the wall on an overtime restart.

At the Sparks 300 at Talladega in October 2021, Brown was in contention throughout the latter part of the race after escaping the first big wreck that took place on lap 88. As the race started late in the day because of the Truck race that was completed just earlier, there was a chance that the race would be called early if another caution had come out as it was starting to get dark. With a push from behind, Brown, who was not in the playoffs, was able to narrowly get ahead of Brandon Jones and Justin Allgaier in time when the final caution of the race came out with 13 to go due to another big crash. The race was ultimately called with five laps to go due to darkness, and Brown would score his first career Xfinity Series win in his 114th start.[13]

Sponsorships

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Coastal Carolina University, Brown’s alma mater, served as a primary sponsor on Brown's truck and Xfinity car during the early part of his career.[9][14]

When his team was struggling to find sponsorship during the 2021 season, Brown made a Twitter video in June 2021, dressing up as a 'used car salesman' in an attempt to promote his team and find available sponsors for upcoming races.[15] The video paid off as Brandonbilt Motorsports announced they had secured enough sponsorship, including one from American PetroLog,[16] a provider of logistics services for the petrochemical industry, as well as cryptocurrency company TradeTheChain.com, to finish off the rest of the season.[17]

"Let's Go Brandon"

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Main article: Let's Go Brandon

After his first win at Talladega, Brown was being interviewed at the start-finish line by NBC Sports reporter Kelli Stavast, when many in the crowd began to chant "Fuck Joe Biden."[18] Stavast stated, "You can hear the chants from the crowd, 'Let's go, Brandon!'"[19] It is unclear whether she legitimately misheard the chant or whether she intentionally misquoted it.[20][21]

This gave rise to the political slogan "Let's Go Brandon" as a euphemism against Biden. Brown initially responded to the new political slogan with the lighthearted tweet, "To all the other Brandons out there, You're welcome! Let's go us".[22] However, he was privately ambivalent about the phrase, because it overshadowed his Talladega win and threatened to scare off corporate sponsors, who were leery of controversy.[23] His plan originally was to simply ignore the phrase, but as several months passed and it remained in widespread use, he worried that his silence was perceived as a tacit endorsement of the sentiment.[23] Later that month, the Associated Press reported that Brown's Brandonbilt Motorsports team, which is family owned, was struggling to acquire sponsorship as companies were hesitant to support him due to his indirect association with the chant and its political undertones.[24][25]

In December 2021, he broke his silence on the matter in an interview with The New York Times in which he stated that, though he was a Republican, he wanted "to appeal to everybody" and had "zero desire to be involved in politics". Brown expressed his wishes for the slogan to instead be used in a positive context.[23] He also published an op-ed in Newsweek, in which he took a more mixed stance, stating that he was "not going to endorse anyone", but that he was "not going to hesitate to speak about issues I am passionate about, or the problems we face together as Americans".[26]

LGBCoin sponsorship

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On December 30, 2021, Brown announced that meme coin Let's Go Brandon Coin (LGBCoin) would become his primary sponsor for the full 2022 season.[27] However, the sponsorship was rejected by NASCAR, who added that it had not been approved at the time of Brown's announcement. Brandonbilt Motorsports and LGBCoin's investors disputed NASCAR's statement, citing communications between the team and NASCAR officials, while LGBCoin manager James Koutoulas threatened legal action.[28] Brown eventually signed a two-year personal endorsement deal with LGBCoin.[29]

Personal life

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Brown graduated from Coastal Carolina University in 2018 with a degree in communication;[30] he was also a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.[2] The school served as a primary sponsor on Brown's truck and Xfinity car during the early part of his career.[9][14]

Brown's father and team owner, Jerry, underwent "aggressive" treatment for cancer after being diagnosed during a routine check-up on April 7, 2020.[31] Brown revealed that his father was cancer-free on August 26.[32]

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Xfinity Series

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NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 NXSC Pts Ref
2016 Brandonbilt Motorsports 86 Chevy DAY ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL DOV CLT POC MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH
29 		CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN
25 		TEX PHO HOM
23 		117th 01 [33]
2017 90 DAY ATL
23 		LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH
25 		TAL CLT DOV
17 		POC MCH
33 		IOW DAY
37 		KEN
DNQ 		NHA IND IOW
29 		GLN MOH BRI
25 		ROA DAR
20 		RCH
27 		CHI KEN DOV
25 		CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 36th 110 [34]
2018 86 DAY
36 		ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI HOM
24 		42nd 94 [35]
90 RCH
19 		TAL DOV
28 		CLT POC MCH IOW CHI DAY KEN NHA IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR
18 		IND LVS RCH ROV DOV
22 		KAN TEX
18 		PHO
2019 86 DAY
18 		ATL
13 		LVS
17 		PHO
15 		CAL
15 		TEX
17 		BRI
23 		TAL
15 		DOV
13 		POC
13 		MCH
26 		IOW
31 		CHI
22 		DAY
6 		KEN
17 		NHA
16 		IOW
27 		GLN
18 		BRI
12 		ROA
37 		DAR
33 		IND
28 		LVS
16 		RCH
34 		DOV
11 		KAN
18 		TEX
25 		PHO
20 		15th 574 [36]
RSS Racing 93 Chevy RCH
20
Brandonbilt Motorsports 68 Chevy CLT
20 		MOH
24 		ROV
17 		HOM
13
2020 DAY
7 		LVS
11 		CAL
33 		PHO
12 		DAR
13 		CLT
8 		BRI
7 		ATL
12 		HOM
14 		HOM
36 		TAL
11 		POC
33 		IRC
11 		KEN
27 		KEN
13 		TEX
10 		KAN
11 		ROA
12 		DRC
34 		DOV
14 		DOV
16 		DAY
26 		DAR
17 		RCH
18 		RCH
11 		BRI
12 		LVS
15 		TAL
9 		ROV
26 		KAN
13 		TEX
5 		MAR
18 		PHO
12 		11th 2170 [37]
2021 DAY
6 		DRC
8 		HOM
34 		LVS
11 		PHO
3 		ATL
33 		MAR
27 		TAL
7 		DAR
24 		DOV
10 		COA
26 		CLT
4 		MOH
6 		TEX
13 		NSH
35 		POC
15 		ROA
11 		ATL
31 		NHA
17 		GLN
12 		IRC
34 		MCH
40 		DAY
34 		DAR
28 		RCH
8 		BRI
14 		LVS
22 		TAL
1 		ROV
22 		TEX
33 		KAN
14 		MAR
36 		PHO
20 		16th 620 [38]
2022 DAY
10 		CAL
11 		LVS
29 		PHO
13 		ATL
18 		COA
20 		RCH
8 		MAR
34 		TAL
30 		DOV
18 		DAR
35 		TEX
15 		CLT
17 		PIR
12 		NSH
11 		ROA
34 		ATL
33 		NHA
3 		POC
13 		MCH
13 		DAY
4 		TEX
24 		TAL
33 		17th 538 [39]
Mike Harmon Racing 47 Chevy IRC
34
B. J. McLeod Motorsports 5 Chevy GLN
32 		BRI
38
78 DAR
29 		ROV
20 		LVS HOM
Our Motorsports 02 Chevy KAN
17
SS-Green Light Racing 08 Ford MAR
19 		PHO
37

Camping World Truck Series

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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 NCWTC Pts Ref
2014 Brandonbilt Motorsports 86 Chevy DAY MAR KAN CLT DOV TEX GTW KEN IOW
25 		ELD POC MCH BRI MSP CHI NHA
19 		LVS TAL MAR
24 		TEX PHO HOM 46th 64 [40]
2015 DAY ATL
29 		MAR
DNQ 		KAN CLT
DNQ 		DOV
14 		TEX GTW IOW KEN
25 		ELD POC MCH BRI MSP CHI NHA
27 		LVS TAL MAR
DNQ 		TEX PHO HOM
32 		39th 93 [41]
2016 DAY
4 		ATL
19 		MAR
14 		KAN
12 		DOV
31 		CLT
26 		TEX IOW
24 		KEN
20 		ELD
22 		POC
24 		BRI
23 		MCH MSP CHI NHA LVS TAL
25 		MAR TEX PHO HOM 25th 153 [42]
MAKE Motorsports GTW
32
2017 Martins Motorsports 44 Chevy DAY
DNQ 		ATL MAR
27 		KAN 97th 01 [43]
Brandonbilt Motorsports 86 Chevy CLT
DNQ 		DOV TEX GTW IOW KEN ELD POC MCH BRI MSP CHI NHA LVS TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM

* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points

References

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  1. ^ "Team Event Rosters – Texas Motor Speedway – Saturday, October 24, 2020" (PDF). NASCAR. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Brandon". Brandon Brown. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  3. ^ "TRUCKS: Brandon Brown Last At Homestead; Caleb Roark Repeats As LASTCAR Champ". LASTCAR. November 23, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Brandon Brown Making NASCAR Debut at Iowa". Race 22. Archived from the original on June 19, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  5. ^ "2014 American Ethanol 200 Presented by Enogen". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Bonkowski, Jerry (January 26, 2016). "Dick Vitale predicts Brandon Brown will win Daytona truck race, baby". NBC Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  7. ^ "2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  8. ^ Turner, Jared (February 19, 2016). "Johnny Sauter wins wreck-marred NCWTS race at Daytona". Foxsports.com. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Albino, Dustin (January 5, 2017). "Brandon Brown Sets 2017 Part-Time NASCAR XFINITY, Trucks Schedule". Frontstretch. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  10. ^ Glover, Luken (October 10, 2020). "Title Hopes End for Brandon Brown, Harrison Burton, Michael Annett & Riley Herbst". Frontstretch. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  11. ^ "Checkered in 6th Place!". The Larry's Lemonade. February 13, 2021. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Xfinity Daytona Road Course Results" (PDF). NBC Sports. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "Brandon Brown wins first Xfinity race after darkness falls at Talladega". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Riggs, Kelsey (August 31, 2015). "CCU backs student driving in NASCAR's Truck Series". WBTW. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  15. ^ "LOOK: NASCAR driver Brandon Brown goes full 'used car salesman' in hilarious 'ad' to attract sponsorship". CBS Sports. June 10, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  16. ^ Colonna, Jeff (September 22, 2021). "American PetroLog Announces NASCAR Sponsorship". American Petrolog.
  17. ^ "Hustle for sponsors pays off for Xfinity driver Brandon Brown". nbcssports.com. NBC Sports. September 8, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  18. ^ Stieb, Matt (October 29, 2021). "How the Anti-Biden Song "Let's Go Brandon" Became a Shadow Smash". New York Magazine.
  19. ^ Delkic, Melina (October 31, 2021). "Why a Pilot Is Under Investigation for Saying 'Let's Go Brandon'". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  20. ^ Long, Colleen (October 30, 2021). "How 'Let's Go Brandon' became code for insulting Joe Biden". Associated Press. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  21. ^ Fryer, Jenna (November 5, 2021). "NASCAR denounces 'Let's go, Brandon' conservative rally cry". Associated Press. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Schwedel, Heather (October 22, 2021). "The Story Behind "Let's Go Brandon," the Secretly Vulgar Chant Suddenly Beloved by Republicans". Slate. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  23. ^ a b c Smith, Ben (December 19, 2021). "Brandon Just Wants to Drive His Racecar". The New York Times. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  24. ^ "How 'Let's Go Brandon' became code for insulting Joe Biden". AP NEWS. October 30, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  25. ^ Fambro, Cassie (November 4, 2021). "'Let's Go Brandon' Crowd Pinching Real Brandon's Pocketbook". Patch. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  26. ^ Brown, Brandon (December 20, 2021). "My Name Is Brandon".
  27. ^ DeGroot, Nick (January 5, 2022). "Cryptocurrency meme coin LGBcoin to sponsor Brandon Brown in 2022". us.motorsport.com. Motorsport. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  28. ^ Andrejev, Alex. "NASCAR said no to 'Let's Go Brandon' sponsorship. Now sponsor is threatening to sue". Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  29. ^ Jordan, Jerry (January 8, 2022). "Shunned by NASCAR, LGBcoin Not Giving Up on Brandon Brown or Racing". Kickin' the Tires. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  30. ^ "Press Release – Darlington Throwback Weekend". Brandonbilt Motorsports. August 13, 2019. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  31. ^ "Brandon Brown wants to reward father with a special celebration". nbcssports.com. NBC Sports. August 7, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  32. ^ Brandon Brown [@brandonbrown_68] (August 26, 2020). "JERRY BROWN BEAT CANCER!!!!!!! So damn proud! There's nothing this man can't do! Can't wait to have my dad back at the track with me. I love you dadRed heart" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  34. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2017 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  35. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  36. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  37. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  38. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  39. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  40. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  41. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2015 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  42. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  43. ^ "Brandon Brown – 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
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