🕷️ Crawler Inspector

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1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 0 (from laksa051)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa000.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://people.com/politics/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden/\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://people.com/politics/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden/\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden\/","crawl_time":1773868104,"first_indexed_time":1640025303,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,people!\/politics\/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden\/ s443","src_root_hash":"8987252745502061200","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"NASCAR's Brandon Brown on the Let's Go Brandon Biden Chant","meta_descriptions":["\"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,\" Brandon Brown told <em>The New York Times<\/em>. \"I'm about the racing side\""],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Race car driver Brandon Brown says he has \"zero desire to be involved in politics\" — which is tricky, because the 28-year-old NASCAR star's name has become synonymous among conservatives with the anti-Joe Biden chant\n\"let's go Brandon.\"\nThe backstory is a bit convoluted, but the popular right-wing phrase is rooted in a remark made by an NBC Sports reporter while interviewing Brown following his September win at the Talladega Superspeedway.\nWhile some in the crowd at the race could be heard chanting \"f--- Joe Biden,\" the reporter suggested instead that they might be cheering \"let's go Brandon,\" in the driver's honor.\nBiden's critics turned the confusion into a meme and the phrase, as a stand-in for \"f--- Joe Biden,\" has appeared at sporting events, on clothes and signs and more. Republican lawmakers have also taken it to Congress.\nBrown, however, is surprised that his name has taken off in such a political way. He\ntold\nThe New York Times\nin a profile published Sunday\nthat he's uninterested in being a poster-child for any side in the fray, though he is also making clear that he has private political opinions of his own.\n\"I don't want it to just be the substitute for a cuss-word,\" Brown told the\nTimes\nof the chant, adding: \"I mean, if it's making it more polite, then, by God, I guess, go ahead.\"\nBrandon Brown.\nChris Graythen\/Getty Images\nAs the NASCAR driver explained, his Talladega race win was meant to be celebratory and a way for him to grow his sponsorships and increase his recognition as an athlete. But once \"let's go Brandon\" went viral, it became something else.\n\"I really wanted to capitalize on that,\" Brown said of his race win in September. \"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.\"\nBrown, who is a Republican, told the\nTimes\nthat he isn't an outspoken political person and declined to say whom he voted for in the last election.\nHe has been thinking instead about the job at hand, he said. He wonders whether the phrase itself is really \"productive.\"\n\"The issue is, I don't know enough about politics to really form a true opinion, so I really focus on racing,\" he said.\nNASCAR President Steve Phelps previously said he sympathizes with Brown and that the organization as a whole has no interest in being associated with the anti-Biden chant.\n\"I feel for Brandon,\" Phelps told\nreporters in November\n. \"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. We obviously have and we've always had, as a sport, tremendous respect for the office of the president — no matter who is sitting.\"\nPhelps continued then: \"Do we like the fact that it kind of started with NASCAR and then is gaining ground elsewhere? No, we're not happy about that. But we will continue to make sure that we have respect for the office of the president.\"\nHowever unintended it was initially, Brown's entry into the political conversation has since led him to open up about what he told the\nTimes\nis a \"frustration\" on certain issues that he shares with those who say the chant.\nIn\nan op-ed for\nNewsweek\npublished Monday, Brown wrote that he \"never expected to be in the passenger seat of my own viral moment.\"\n\"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,\" he wrote.\nHe avoided specifics in his column beyond singling out the price of gas and inflation — both major Republican criticisms of the Biden administration, though the White House says solving both are also priorities.\n\"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,\" Brown wrote in\nNewsweek\n.\nHe went on: \"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.' \"","attrs_markdown":"\n\n[Skip to content](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden\/#main)\n\n[PEOPLE](https:\/\/people.com\/)\n\n- Please fill out this field.\n- [Log In](https:\/\/people.com\/authentication\/login?regSource=26075&relativeRedirectUrl=%2Fpolitics%2Flets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden%2F)\n- My Account\n  - [Log Out](https:\/\/people.com\/authentication\/logout?relativeRedirectUrl=%2Fpolitics%2Flets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden%2F)\n- Magazine\n  - [Subscribe](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden\/)\n  - [Manage Your Subscription](https:\/\/w1.buysub.com\/servlet\/CSGateway?cds_mag_code=PPL)\n  - [Give a Gift Subscription](https:\/\/www.magazines.com\/people-magazine.html)\n  - [Get Help](https:\/\/people.com\/about-us-page-5499056#toc-contact-us)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden\/)\n- [Sweepstakes](https:\/\/people.com\/sweepstakes)\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden\/)\n\nPlease fill out this field.\n\n- [Entertainment](https:\/\/people.com\/entertainment\/)\n  Entertainment\n  \n  - 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[Sales & Deals](https:\/\/people.com\/sales-deals)\n  - [People Tested](https:\/\/people.com\/shopping\/people-tested\/)\n\n[Subscribe](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden\/)\n\n[Meet our mini crossword, the fast, fun & free puzzle you can solve in seconds](https:\/\/people-app.onelink.me\/HNIa\/a5jrmsxi)\n\n# NASCAR Driver Who Inadvertently Inspired Anti-Biden 'Let's Go Brandon' Chant Opens Up About Viral Fame\n\"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,\" Brandon Brown told *The New York Times*. \"I'm about the racing side\"\n\nBy\n\n[Virginia Chamlee](https:\/\/people.com\/author\/virginia-chamlee\/)\n\n![virginia chamlee]()\n\n![virginia chamlee](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/fX-Y4O0xHG8Z2tyonk3fj1tcTnA=\/200x200\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Virginia_chamlee-196f214df60e47239cd157465362f6b7.jpg)\n\n[Virginia Chamlee](https:\/\/people.com\/author\/virginia-chamlee\/)\n\nVirginia Chamlee is a Politics Writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE for three years. Her work has previously appeared in The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, Eater, and other outlets.\n\n[People Editorial Guidelines](https:\/\/people.com\/editorial-policy-page-5499057)\n\nPublished on December 20, 2021 01:34PM EST\n\n![Brandon Brown](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/hPxPOpXsjuKQVqyraSRUwYvIhHM=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\):focal\\(749x0:751x2\\)\/brandon-brown-3-0c1e8bc6c67b4f2bb2e22032fd35b1cc.jpg)\n\n![Brandon Brown](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/hPxPOpXsjuKQVqyraSRUwYvIhHM=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\):focal\\(749x0:751x2\\)\/brandon-brown-3-0c1e8bc6c67b4f2bb2e22032fd35b1cc.jpg)\n\nBrandon Brown. Credit : Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images\n\nRace car driver Brandon Brown says he has \"zero desire to be involved in politics\" — which is tricky, because the 28-year-old NASCAR star's name has become synonymous among conservatives with the anti-Joe Biden chant [\"let's go Brandon.\"](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/gop-lawmaker-wears-lets-go-brandon-mask-on-the-house-floor\/)\n\nThe backstory is a bit convoluted, but the popular right-wing phrase is rooted in a remark made by an NBC Sports reporter while interviewing Brown following his September win at the Talladega Superspeedway.\n\nWhile some in the crowd at the race could be heard chanting \"f--- Joe Biden,\" the reporter suggested instead that they might be cheering \"let's go Brandon,\" in the driver's honor.\n\nBiden's critics turned the confusion into a meme and the phrase, as a stand-in for \"f--- Joe Biden,\" has appeared at sporting events, on clothes and signs and more. Republican lawmakers have also taken it to Congress.\n\nBrown, however, is surprised that his name has taken off in such a political way. He [told *The New York Times* in a profile published Sunday](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/12\/19\/business\/brandon-brown-lets-go-brandon.html) that he's uninterested in being a poster-child for any side in the fray, though he is also making clear that he has private political opinions of his own.\n\n\"I don't want it to just be the substitute for a cuss-word,\" Brown told the *Times* of the chant, adding: \"I mean, if it's making it more polite, then, by God, I guess, go ahead.\"\n\n[GOP Lawmaker Wears 'Let's Go Brandon' Mask on House Floor in Barely Veiled Swipe at President Biden](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/gop-lawmaker-wears-lets-go-brandon-mask-on-the-house-floor\/)\n\n![Brandon Brown](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/ZgfOumvJVSp3CLGPmhOUsQJTp6c=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\):focal\\(749x0:751x2\\)\/brandon-brown-1-04d34aa219004efba9cbc24e6b6286a2.jpg)\n\n![Brandon Brown](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/ZgfOumvJVSp3CLGPmhOUsQJTp6c=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\):focal\\(749x0:751x2\\)\/brandon-brown-1-04d34aa219004efba9cbc24e6b6286a2.jpg)\n\nBrandon Brown. Chris Graythen\/Getty Images\n\nAs the NASCAR driver explained, his Talladega race win was meant to be celebratory and a way for him to grow his sponsorships and increase his recognition as an athlete. But once \"let's go Brandon\" went viral, it became something else.\n\n\"I really wanted to capitalize on that,\" Brown said of his race win in September. \"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.\"\n\nBrown, who is a Republican, told the *Times* that he isn't an outspoken political person and declined to say whom he voted for in the last election.\n\nHe has been thinking instead about the job at hand, he said. He wonders whether the phrase itself is really \"productive.\"\n\n\"The issue is, I don't know enough about politics to really form a true opinion, so I really focus on racing,\" he said.\n\nNASCAR President Steve Phelps previously said he sympathizes with Brown and that the organization as a whole has no interest in being associated with the anti-Biden chant.\n\n\"I feel for Brandon,\" Phelps told [reporters in November](https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nascar\/2021\/11\/06\/nascar-president-speaks-lets-go-brandon-joe-biden-insult\/6317713001\/). \"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. We obviously have and we've always had, as a sport, tremendous respect for the office of the president — no matter who is sitting.\"\n\nPhelps continued then: \"Do we like the fact that it kind of started with NASCAR and then is gaining ground elsewhere? No, we're not happy about that. But we will continue to make sure that we have respect for the office of the president.\"\n\n[Joe Manchin Says He Will Not Vote in Support of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Act: 'This Is a No'](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/joe-manchin-voting-no-joe-biden-build-back-better-act\/)\n\nHowever unintended it was initially, Brown's entry into the political conversation has since led him to open up about what he told the *Times* is a \"frustration\" on certain issues that he shares with those who say the chant.\n\nIn [an op-ed for *Newsweek*](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/my-name-brandon-opinion-1660525) published Monday, Brown wrote that he \"never expected to be in the passenger seat of my own viral moment.\"\n\n\"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,\" he wrote.\n\nHe avoided specifics in his column beyond singling out the price of gas and inflation — both major Republican criticisms of the Biden administration, though the White House says solving both are also priorities.\n\n\"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,\" Brown wrote in *Newsweek*.\n\nHe went on: \"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.' \"\n\nClose\n\nRead more:\n\n- [Entertainment](https:\/\/people.com\/entertainment\/)\n- [Sports](https:\/\/people.com\/sports\/)\n\nTrending Now\n\n[![AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 01: Tyler Reddick (\\#45 23XI Racing Chumba Casino Toyota) celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix on March 1, 2026 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo by Karl Anderson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing reacts in victory lane after Tyler Reddick, driver of the \\#45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/lEm-8LmivMWO2HeoOLz6sFcOhsE=\/343x228\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Michael-Jordan-NASCA-Tyler-Reddick-030226-14f9d4cfd27b401bbde5d98234e96c84.jpg) ![AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 01: Tyler Reddick (\\#45 23XI Racing Chumba Casino Toyota) celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix on March 1, 2026 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo by Karl Anderson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing reacts in victory lane after Tyler Reddick, driver of the \\#45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/lEm-8LmivMWO2HeoOLz6sFcOhsE=\/343x228\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Michael-Jordan-NASCA-Tyler-Reddick-030226-14f9d4cfd27b401bbde5d98234e96c84.jpg) Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Driver Tyler Reddick Locks in Historic Third Win](https:\/\/people.com\/michael-jordan-nascar-driver-tyler-reddick-l-historic-third-win-11917487)\n\n[Entertainment](https:\/\/people.com\/entertainment\/)\n\nMarch 02, 2026\n\n[![Chase Pistone, driver of the \\#9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet waits in the garage after practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park on June 14, 2014 in Madison, Illinois](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/ZF9YZ8o7_Rs4jXjw_9DOIIqCRQ0=\/343x228\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Chase-Pistone-2-030326-6727b92aae5f41f0aeea191fb8734ed3.jpg) ![Chase Pistone, driver of the \\#9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet waits in the garage after practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park on June 14, 2014 in Madison, Illinois](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/ZF9YZ8o7_Rs4jXjw_9DOIIqCRQ0=\/343x228\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Chase-Pistone-2-030326-6727b92aae5f41f0aeea191fb8734ed3.jpg) Chase Pistone, Former NASCAR Driver, Dead at 42](https:\/\/people.com\/chase-pistone-former-nascar-driver-dead-at-42-11918119)\n\n[Celebrity](https:\/\/people.com\/celebrity\/)\n\nMarch 03, 2026\n\n[![Athletes wearing USA sweaters in a celebratory moment Zach Werenski among them display gold medals in a group setting](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/K7fgayNP-B39E5qljlbfB1maHg4=\/343x228\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/state-of-the-union--42-02242026-bbde53099d1a44b5a5f4c774401478e8.jpg) ![Athletes wearing USA sweaters in a celebratory moment Zach Werenski among them display gold medals in a group setting](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/K7fgayNP-B39E5qljlbfB1maHg4=\/343x228\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/state-of-the-union--42-02242026-bbde53099d1a44b5a5f4c774401478e8.jpg) U.S. Men's Hockey Team Attends Trump's State of the Union Address as President Promises Future Celebration with Women's Team](https:\/\/people.com\/mens-hockey-team-attends-state-of-the-union-trump-teases-womens-celebration-11913355)\n\n[Politics](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/)\n\nFebruary 24, 2026\n\n## Related Articles\n[![AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 01: Tyler Reddick (\\#45 23XI Racing Chumba Casino Toyota) celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix on March 1, 2026 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo by Karl Anderson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing reacts in victory lane after Tyler Reddick, driver of the \\#45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/YoA_VQ0ggbc9sAEmlYovQtZGrGs=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Michael-Jordan-NASCA-Tyler-Reddick-030226-14f9d4cfd27b401bbde5d98234e96c84.jpg) ![AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 01: Tyler Reddick (\\#45 23XI Racing Chumba Casino Toyota) celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix on March 1, 2026 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo by Karl Anderson\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing reacts in victory lane after Tyler Reddick, driver of the \\#45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/YoA_VQ0ggbc9sAEmlYovQtZGrGs=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Michael-Jordan-NASCA-Tyler-Reddick-030226-14f9d4cfd27b401bbde5d98234e96c84.jpg) Michael Jordan’s NASCAR Driver Tyler Reddick Locks in Historic Third Win By Michael Nied](https:\/\/people.com\/michael-jordan-nascar-driver-tyler-reddick-l-historic-third-win-11917487)\n\n[![Chase Pistone, driver of the \\#9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet waits in the garage after practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park on June 14, 2014 in Madison, Illinois](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/dMNjFx4qz5LIHZD8tc5GJT_q60A=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Chase-Pistone-2-030326-6727b92aae5f41f0aeea191fb8734ed3.jpg) ![Chase Pistone, driver of the \\#9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet waits in the garage after practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park on June 14, 2014 in Madison, Illinois](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/dMNjFx4qz5LIHZD8tc5GJT_q60A=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Chase-Pistone-2-030326-6727b92aae5f41f0aeea191fb8734ed3.jpg) Chase Pistone, Former NASCAR Driver, Dead at 42 By Anna Lazarus Caplan 74](https:\/\/people.com\/chase-pistone-former-nascar-driver-dead-at-42-11918119)\n\n[![Athletes wearing USA sweaters in a celebratory moment Zach Werenski among them display gold medals in a group setting](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/rAs-M_AbVNHKlU_MPJFXb-l527A=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/state-of-the-union--42-02242026-bbde53099d1a44b5a5f4c774401478e8.jpg) ![Athletes wearing USA sweaters in a celebratory moment Zach Werenski among them display gold medals in a group setting](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/rAs-M_AbVNHKlU_MPJFXb-l527A=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/state-of-the-union--42-02242026-bbde53099d1a44b5a5f4c774401478e8.jpg) U.S. Men's Hockey Team Attends Trump's State of the Union Address as President Promises Future Celebration with Women's Team By Michael Nied 77](https:\/\/people.com\/mens-hockey-team-attends-state-of-the-union-trump-teases-womens-celebration-11913355)\n\n[![Brady Tkachuk during Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics; President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol ](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/gOT-edhsAh1VOy5rR4hFh8c-9TM=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/brady-tkachuk-donald-trump-022726-1-7abf3ba3c5484bf4b0265024660c1b2b.jpg) ![Brady Tkachuk during Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics; President Donald Trump arrives to deliver the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol ](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/gOT-edhsAh1VOy5rR4hFh8c-9TM=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/brady-tkachuk-donald-trump-022726-1-7abf3ba3c5484bf4b0265024660c1b2b.jpg) Brady Tkachuk Criticizes 'Fake' White House AI Video of Him Insulting Canadians After Men's Hockey Team's Win: 'Not Who I Am' By Becca Longmire 412](https:\/\/people.com\/brady-tkachuk-criticizes-fake-white-house-ai-video-11915792)\n\n[![Ellen Hughes Quinn Hughes Jack Hughes](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/k3xyUfvLXrM2RCgFNI3ndnM5q8k=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Ellen-Hughes-Quinn-Hughes-Jack-Hughes-022426-tout-5064236c27554b7b95e2b332ac12c187.jpg) ![Ellen Hughes Quinn Hughes Jack Hughes](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/k3xyUfvLXrM2RCgFNI3ndnM5q8k=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Ellen-Hughes-Quinn-Hughes-Jack-Hughes-022426-tout-5064236c27554b7b95e2b332ac12c187.jpg) Jack and Quinn Hughes’ Mom Addresses Trump's Remarks Inviting Women’s Hockey Team to State of the Union By Anna Lazarus Caplan 72](https:\/\/people.com\/jack-and-quinn-hughes-mom-addresses-trumps-remarks-about-inviting-womens-hockey-team-to-state-of-the-union-11913287)\n\n[![Gold medal winner Hilary Knight \\#21 of the United States celebrates after defeating Canada in a shootout in the Women's Gold Medal Game on day thirteen of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Hockey Centre on February 22, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. ](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/sV_q_hwDOcDMMxuRETLnZ19Rg4g=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/hilary-knight-tout-012324-f89d14e439804627bcd0b5fe3e417daf.jpg) ![Gold medal winner Hilary Knight \\#21 of the United States celebrates after defeating Canada in a shootout in the Women's Gold Medal Game on day thirteen of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games at Gangneung Hockey Centre on February 22, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. ](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/sV_q_hwDOcDMMxuRETLnZ19Rg4g=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/hilary-knight-tout-012324-f89d14e439804627bcd0b5fe3e417daf.jpg) Hilary Knight on Her ‘Magical’ Month Winning Olympic Gold, Getting Engaged and Appearing on *SNL*: ‘It’s Been Surreal’ By Sean Neumann](https:\/\/people.com\/hilary-knight-on-her-magical-olympics-and-engagement-11927941)\n\n[![ Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing reacts in victory lane after Tyler Reddick, driver of the \\#45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2SC-2VdQxxjDS5T8TT3Hp7wtmFA=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/michael-jordan-nascar-021626-20d53d53ea654f0690f6cabef95b01e6.jpg) ![ Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing reacts in victory lane after Tyler Reddick, driver of the \\#45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2SC-2VdQxxjDS5T8TT3Hp7wtmFA=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/michael-jordan-nascar-021626-20d53d53ea654f0690f6cabef95b01e6.jpg) Michael Jordan Celebrates His NASCAR Team's Daytona 500 Win Months After Lawsuit Drama By Greta Bjornson](https:\/\/people.com\/michael-jordan-nascar-team-wins-daytona-500-after-lawsuit-drama-11907264)\n\n[![Players of Team United States celebrate a 2-1 victory against Canada in overtime for the gold medal during the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/bwUoURq3Tt7fcYvlq4_WjeosoOE=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/usa-mens-hockey-team-1-022526-c108ea84e28c49d0bf9a1c8903750b5f.jpg) ![Players of Team United States celebrate a 2-1 victory against Canada in overtime for the gold medal during the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/bwUoURq3Tt7fcYvlq4_WjeosoOE=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/usa-mens-hockey-team-1-022526-c108ea84e28c49d0bf9a1c8903750b5f.jpg) Member of U.S. Men’s Hockey Team Says They Should Have ‘Reacted Differently’ on Locker Room Call with Trump By Michael Nied 18](https:\/\/people.com\/us-mens-hockey-player-we-should-have-reacted-differently-on-call-with-trump-11914555)\n\n[![Gold medalist Team United States pose after the medal ceremony for the Ice Hockey Women following the Women's Gold Medal match between the United States and Canada on day 13 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/Ijh6ko4ecmKfvdxs6MK1NhX4zS8=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/United-States-womens-hockey-team-022326-8889b54ed6f742d19ec1a65fbc86c12a.jpg) ![Gold medalist Team United States pose after the medal ceremony for the Ice Hockey Women following the Women's Gold Medal match between the United States and Canada on day 13 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 19, 2026 in Milan, Italy.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/Ijh6ko4ecmKfvdxs6MK1NhX4zS8=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/United-States-womens-hockey-team-022326-8889b54ed6f742d19ec1a65fbc86c12a.jpg) U.S. Women's Hockey Team Declines Trump's D.C. Invite After His Locker Room Banter with Men's Team Goes Viral By Michael Nied 146](https:\/\/people.com\/womens-hockey-team-declines-trump-invite-after-locker-room-banter-with-mens-team-11912591)\n\n[![Travis Kelce \\#87 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT\\&T Stadium on November 27, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. ](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2Ry9NqJZB-xW2J5Rrn3lfbK1SnA=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/travis-kelce-1-120425-ab8652f319fd456e8a46f241f34a1805.jpg) ![Travis Kelce \\#87 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT\\&T Stadium on November 27, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. ](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/2Ry9NqJZB-xW2J5Rrn3lfbK1SnA=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/travis-kelce-1-120425-ab8652f319fd456e8a46f241f34a1805.jpg) Travis Kelce Reveals When He Knew He Was Going to Return to the Chiefs By Rachel McRady](https:\/\/people.com\/travis-kelce-shares-when-he-knew-he-was-going-to-return-to-the-chiefs-11923723)\n\n[![Gold medalists, Team United States, pose for a team photo during the medal ceremony following the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/wnWo8LSjQdY_MK90ihbA61EFZlM=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/mens-olympic-hockey-team-022526-6a6cd2a66c8448cfb3adb23b848fdf43.jpg) ![Gold medalists, Team United States, pose for a team photo during the medal ceremony following the Men's Gold Medal match between Canada and the United States on day 16 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/wnWo8LSjQdY_MK90ihbA61EFZlM=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/mens-olympic-hockey-team-022526-6a6cd2a66c8448cfb3adb23b848fdf43.jpg) Why 5 U.S. Men’s Hockey Team Members Skipped Visit to Meet Donald Trump at the White House After Olympic Victory By Michael Nied 33](https:\/\/people.com\/why-5-members-of-the-men-s-hockey-team-skipped-trump-s-sotu-11914212)\n\n[![US actor Sean Penn walks down a street in Kyiv on March 16, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/Km0jWVPxEWon_rlLYCkXUed-b_c=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/sean-penn-ukraine-031626-f31253cb24404e47bf3d82f71a6602fb.jpg) ![US actor Sean Penn walks down a street in Kyiv on March 16, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/Km0jWVPxEWon_rlLYCkXUed-b_c=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/sean-penn-ukraine-031626-f31253cb24404e47bf3d82f71a6602fb.jpg) Sean Penn Seen in Ukraine After Skipping His Third Oscar Win as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Calls Actor 'a True Friend' By Tommy McArdle](https:\/\/people.com\/sean-penn-seen-in-ukraine-after-skipping-his-third-oscar-win-11927492)\n\n[![Denny Hamlin gets a hug from his father, Dennis](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/D0bAxVW2NLTWoUE4x9XRhYUNHXY=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/denny-dennis-hamlin-1-021626-bd35cf654fd341d38dbd02231983dd3f.jpg) ![Denny Hamlin gets a hug from his father, Dennis](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/D0bAxVW2NLTWoUE4x9XRhYUNHXY=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/denny-dennis-hamlin-1-021626-bd35cf654fd341d38dbd02231983dd3f.jpg) Denny Hamlin Describes Seeing His Father’s Body Immediately After House Fire That Led to His Death By Desiree Anello](https:\/\/people.com\/denny-hamlin-describes-seeing-father-body-after-house-fire-that-led-to-his-death-11907294)\n\n[![US President George W. Bush meets with national security advisors in the White House's Situation Room, Washington DC, September 20, 2001; US President Donald Trump reacts after playing from the first tee to officially open the Trump International Golf Links course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, north east Scotland on July 29, 2025.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/HVCJK8Jz8WmCQudsTibfptZ9hOA=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/george-w-bush-donald-trump-golf-031026-f6a64602b1594a8783de8251d1114dfd.jpg) ![US President George W. Bush meets with national security advisors in the White House's Situation Room, Washington DC, September 20, 2001; US President Donald Trump reacts after playing from the first tee to officially open the Trump International Golf Links course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire, north east Scotland on July 29, 2025.](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/HVCJK8Jz8WmCQudsTibfptZ9hOA=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/george-w-bush-donald-trump-golf-031026-f6a64602b1594a8783de8251d1114dfd.jpg) George W. Bush's Comments on Golfing During Wartime Resurface After Trump Hits the Links amid Iran War By Paloma Chavez 21](https:\/\/people.com\/george-w-bush-comments-golfing-during-wartime-resurface-after-trump-hits-links-amid-iran-war-11923302)\n\n[![Kevin Harvick, driver of the \\#4 ditech Chevrolet, and his son, Keelan, pose with the winners' decal in Victory Lane](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/CJ7_q1pv3NunNxYS0GAMb9kFMac=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Kevin-Harvick-driver-of-the-4-ditech-Chevrolet-and-his-son-Keelan-pose-022426-d944d132babe421889d15e93e2fb9884.jpg) ![Kevin Harvick, driver of the \\#4 ditech Chevrolet, and his son, Keelan, pose with the winners' decal in Victory Lane](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/CJ7_q1pv3NunNxYS0GAMb9kFMac=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Kevin-Harvick-driver-of-the-4-ditech-Chevrolet-and-his-son-Keelan-pose-022426-d944d132babe421889d15e93e2fb9884.jpg) NASCAR Legend Kevin Harvick's 13-Year-Old Son Signs His Own Deal in 'Long Term Commitment' with Toyota Racing By Michael Nied](https:\/\/people.com\/nascar-legend-kevin-harvick-s-13-year-old-son-signs-his-own-deal-11913087)\n\n[![Putman family 2025](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/iMHUzTloNgjDsCaqPlEVtnJeyJc=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Putman-family-2025-031226-1f3908aafac249e194f411d0c1e22c21.jpg) ![Putman family 2025](https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/iMHUzTloNgjDsCaqPlEVtnJeyJc=\/282x188\/filters:no_upscale\\(\\):max_bytes\\(150000\\):strip_icc\\(\\)\/Putman-family-2025-031226-1f3908aafac249e194f411d0c1e22c21.jpg) Putman Family Speaks Out in Emotional First Interview About Tragic Car Crash That Killed 3 Relatives (Exclusive) By Brianne Tracy 26](https:\/\/people.com\/putman-family-first-interview-since-fatal-car-crash-exclusive-11925176)\n\n[PEOPLE](https:\/\/people.com\/)\n\nGet more in our free app\n\n[Newsletters](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden\/)\n\n## Follow Us\n\n- [News](https:\/\/people.com\/news\/)\n- [Entertainment](https:\/\/people.com\/entertainment\/)\n- [Royals](https:\/\/people.com\/royals\/)\n- [Lifestyle](https:\/\/people.com\/lifestyle\/)\n- [StyleWatch](https:\/\/people.com\/stylewatch-fall-2023-7853570)\n- [Shopping](https:\/\/people.com\/shopping\/)\n\n- [About Us](https:\/\/people.com\/about-us-5499056)\n- [PEOPLE Tested](https:\/\/people.com\/product-review-guidelines-5499058)\n- [Editorial Policy](https:\/\/people.com\/editorial-policy-5499057)\n- [Careers](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/careers)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/brands-privacy)\n- [Contact Us](https:\/\/support.people.inc\/hc\/en-us\/requests\/new)\n- [Terms of Service](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/brands-termsofservice)\n- [Advertise](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/advertising)\n\nPEOPLE is part of the [People Inc.](https:\/\/www.people.inc\/) publishing family.\n\nNewsletter Sign Up\n\nNewsletter Sign Up\n\n![]()","attrs_readable_markdown":"Race car driver Brandon Brown says he has \"zero desire to be involved in politics\" — which is tricky, because the 28-year-old NASCAR star's name has become synonymous among conservatives with the anti-Joe Biden chant [\"let's go Brandon.\"](https:\/\/people.com\/politics\/gop-lawmaker-wears-lets-go-brandon-mask-on-the-house-floor\/)\n\nThe backstory is a bit convoluted, but the popular right-wing phrase is rooted in a remark made by an NBC Sports reporter while interviewing Brown following his September win at the Talladega Superspeedway.\n\nWhile some in the crowd at the race could be heard chanting \"f--- Joe Biden,\" the reporter suggested instead that they might be cheering \"let's go Brandon,\" in the driver's honor.\n\nBiden's critics turned the confusion into a meme and the phrase, as a stand-in for \"f--- Joe Biden,\" has appeared at sporting events, on clothes and signs and more. Republican lawmakers have also taken it to Congress.\n\nBrown, however, is surprised that his name has taken off in such a political way. He [told *The New York Times* in a profile published Sunday](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/12\/19\/business\/brandon-brown-lets-go-brandon.html) that he's uninterested in being a poster-child for any side in the fray, though he is also making clear that he has private political opinions of his own.\n\n\"I don't want it to just be the substitute for a cuss-word,\" Brown told the *Times* of the chant, adding: \"I mean, if it's making it more polite, then, by God, I guess, go ahead.\"\n\nBrandon Brown. Chris Graythen\/Getty Images\n\nAs the NASCAR driver explained, his Talladega race win was meant to be celebratory and a way for him to grow his sponsorships and increase his recognition as an athlete. But once \"let's go Brandon\" went viral, it became something else.\n\n\"I really wanted to capitalize on that,\" Brown said of his race win in September. \"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.\"\n\nBrown, who is a Republican, told the *Times* that he isn't an outspoken political person and declined to say whom he voted for in the last election.\n\nHe has been thinking instead about the job at hand, he said. He wonders whether the phrase itself is really \"productive.\"\n\n\"The issue is, I don't know enough about politics to really form a true opinion, so I really focus on racing,\" he said.\n\nNASCAR President Steve Phelps previously said he sympathizes with Brown and that the organization as a whole has no interest in being associated with the anti-Biden chant.\n\n\"I feel for Brandon,\" Phelps told [reporters in November](https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nascar\/2021\/11\/06\/nascar-president-speaks-lets-go-brandon-joe-biden-insult\/6317713001\/). \"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. We obviously have and we've always had, as a sport, tremendous respect for the office of the president — no matter who is sitting.\"\n\nPhelps continued then: \"Do we like the fact that it kind of started with NASCAR and then is gaining ground elsewhere? No, we're not happy about that. But we will continue to make sure that we have respect for the office of the president.\"\n\nHowever unintended it was initially, Brown's entry into the political conversation has since led him to open up about what he told the *Times* is a \"frustration\" on certain issues that he shares with those who say the chant.\n\nIn [an op-ed for *Newsweek*](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/my-name-brandon-opinion-1660525) published Monday, Brown wrote that he \"never expected to be in the passenger seat of my own viral moment.\"\n\n\"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,\" he wrote.\n\nHe avoided specifics in his column beyond singling out the price of gas and inflation — both major Republican criticisms of the Biden administration, though the White House says solving both are also priorities.\n\n\"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,\" Brown wrote in *Newsweek*.\n\nHe went on: \"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.' \"","meta_canonical":null}

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URL	https://people.com/politics/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden/
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Meta Title	NASCAR's Brandon Brown on the Let's Go Brandon Biden Chant
Meta Description	"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," Brandon Brown told <em>The New York Times</em>. "I'm about the racing side"
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Boilerpipe Text	Race car driver Brandon Brown says he has "zero desire to be involved in politics" — which is tricky, because the 28-year-old NASCAR star's name has become synonymous among conservatives with the anti-Joe Biden chant "let's go Brandon." The backstory is a bit convoluted, but the popular right-wing phrase is rooted in a remark made by an NBC Sports reporter while interviewing Brown following his September win at the Talladega Superspeedway. While some in the crowd at the race could be heard chanting "f--- Joe Biden," the reporter suggested instead that they might be cheering "let's go Brandon," in the driver's honor. Biden's critics turned the confusion into a meme and the phrase, as a stand-in for "f--- Joe Biden," has appeared at sporting events, on clothes and signs and more. Republican lawmakers have also taken it to Congress. Brown, however, is surprised that his name has taken off in such a political way. He told The New York Times in a profile published Sunday that he's uninterested in being a poster-child for any side in the fray, though he is also making clear that he has private political opinions of his own. "I don't want it to just be the substitute for a cuss-word," Brown told the Times of the chant, adding: "I mean, if it's making it more polite, then, by God, I guess, go ahead." Brandon Brown. Chris Graythen/Getty Images As the NASCAR driver explained, his Talladega race win was meant to be celebratory and a way for him to grow his sponsorships and increase his recognition as an athlete. But once "let's go Brandon" went viral, it became something else. "I really wanted to capitalize on that," Brown said of his race win in September. "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, who is a Republican, told the Times that he isn't an outspoken political person and declined to say whom he voted for in the last election. He has been thinking instead about the job at hand, he said. He wonders whether the phrase itself is really "productive." "The issue is, I don't know enough about politics to really form a true opinion, so I really focus on racing," he said. NASCAR President Steve Phelps previously said he sympathizes with Brown and that the organization as a whole has no interest in being associated with the anti-Biden chant. "I feel for Brandon," Phelps told reporters in November . "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. We obviously have and we've always had, as a sport, tremendous respect for the office of the president — no matter who is sitting." Phelps continued then: "Do we like the fact that it kind of started with NASCAR and then is gaining ground elsewhere? No, we're not happy about that. But we will continue to make sure that we have respect for the office of the president." However unintended it was initially, Brown's entry into the political conversation has since led him to open up about what he told the Times is a "frustration" on certain issues that he shares with those who say the chant. In an op-ed for Newsweek published Monday, Brown wrote that he "never expected to be in the passenger seat of my own viral moment." "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," he wrote. He avoided specifics in his column beyond singling out the price of gas and inflation — both major Republican criticisms of the Biden administration, though the White House says solving both are also priorities. "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," Brown wrote in Newsweek . He went on: "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.' "
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://people.com/politics/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden/#main) [PEOPLE](https://people.com/) - Please fill out this field. - [Log In](https://people.com/authentication/login?regSource=26075&relativeRedirectUrl=%2Fpolitics%2Flets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden%2F) - My Account - [Log Out](https://people.com/authentication/logout?relativeRedirectUrl=%2Fpolitics%2Flets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden%2F) - Magazine - [Subscribe](https://people.com/politics/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden/) - [Manage Your Subscription](https://w1.buysub.com/servlet/CSGateway?cds_mag_code=PPL) - [Give a Gift Subscription](https://www.magazines.com/people-magazine.html) - [Get Help](https://people.com/about-us-page-5499056#toc-contact-us) - [Newsletters](https://people.com/politics/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden/) - [Sweepstakes](https://people.com/sweepstakes) - [Subscribe](https://people.com/politics/lets-go-brandon-namesake-nascar-driver-joe-biden/) Please fill out this field. - 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"I'm about the racing side" By [Virginia Chamlee](https://people.com/author/virginia-chamlee/) ![virginia chamlee]() ![virginia chamlee](https://people.com/thmb/fX-Y4O0xHG8Z2tyonk3fj1tcTnA=/200x200/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\)/Virginia_chamlee-196f214df60e47239cd157465362f6b7.jpg) [Virginia Chamlee](https://people.com/author/virginia-chamlee/) Virginia Chamlee is a Politics Writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE for three years. Her work has previously appeared in The Washington Post, Buzzfeed, Eater, and other outlets. [People Editorial Guidelines](https://people.com/editorial-policy-page-5499057) Published on December 20, 2021 01:34PM EST ![Brandon Brown](https://people.com/thmb/hPxPOpXsjuKQVqyraSRUwYvIhHM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\):focal\(749x0:751x2\)/brandon-brown-3-0c1e8bc6c67b4f2bb2e22032fd35b1cc.jpg) ![Brandon Brown](https://people.com/thmb/hPxPOpXsjuKQVqyraSRUwYvIhHM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\):focal\(749x0:751x2\)/brandon-brown-3-0c1e8bc6c67b4f2bb2e22032fd35b1cc.jpg) Brandon Brown. Credit : Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Race car driver Brandon Brown says he has "zero desire to be involved in politics" — which is tricky, because the 28-year-old NASCAR star's name has become synonymous among conservatives with the anti-Joe Biden chant ["let's go Brandon."](https://people.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-wears-lets-go-brandon-mask-on-the-house-floor/) The backstory is a bit convoluted, but the popular right-wing phrase is rooted in a remark made by an NBC Sports reporter while interviewing Brown following his September win at the Talladega Superspeedway. While some in the crowd at the race could be heard chanting "f--- Joe Biden," the reporter suggested instead that they might be cheering "let's go Brandon," in the driver's honor. Biden's critics turned the confusion into a meme and the phrase, as a stand-in for "f--- Joe Biden," has appeared at sporting events, on clothes and signs and more. Republican lawmakers have also taken it to Congress. Brown, however, is surprised that his name has taken off in such a political way. He [told The New York Times in a profile published Sunday](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/19/business/brandon-brown-lets-go-brandon.html) that he's uninterested in being a poster-child for any side in the fray, though he is also making clear that he has private political opinions of his own. "I don't want it to just be the substitute for a cuss-word," Brown told the Times of the chant, adding: "I mean, if it's making it more polite, then, by God, I guess, go ahead." [GOP Lawmaker Wears 'Let's Go Brandon' Mask on House Floor in Barely Veiled Swipe at President Biden](https://people.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-wears-lets-go-brandon-mask-on-the-house-floor/) ![Brandon Brown](https://people.com/thmb/ZgfOumvJVSp3CLGPmhOUsQJTp6c=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\):focal\(749x0:751x2\)/brandon-brown-1-04d34aa219004efba9cbc24e6b6286a2.jpg) ![Brandon Brown](https://people.com/thmb/ZgfOumvJVSp3CLGPmhOUsQJTp6c=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale\(\):max_bytes\(150000\):strip_icc\(\):focal\(749x0:751x2\)/brandon-brown-1-04d34aa219004efba9cbc24e6b6286a2.jpg) Brandon Brown. Chris Graythen/Getty Images As the NASCAR driver explained, his Talladega race win was meant to be celebratory and a way for him to grow his sponsorships and increase his recognition as an athlete. But once "let's go Brandon" went viral, it became something else. "I really wanted to capitalize on that," Brown said of his race win in September. "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, who is a Republican, told the Times that he isn't an outspoken political person and declined to say whom he voted for in the last election. He has been thinking instead about the job at hand, he said. He wonders whether the phrase itself is really "productive." "The issue is, I don't know enough about politics to really form a true opinion, so I really focus on racing," he said. NASCAR President Steve Phelps previously said he sympathizes with Brown and that the organization as a whole has no interest in being associated with the anti-Biden chant. "I feel for Brandon," Phelps told [reporters in November](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2021/11/06/nascar-president-speaks-lets-go-brandon-joe-biden-insult/6317713001/). "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. We obviously have and we've always had, as a sport, tremendous respect for the office of the president — no matter who is sitting." Phelps continued then: "Do we like the fact that it kind of started with NASCAR and then is gaining ground elsewhere? No, we're not happy about that. But we will continue to make sure that we have respect for the office of the president." [Joe Manchin Says He Will Not Vote in Support of President Joe Biden's Build Back Better Act: 'This Is a No'](https://people.com/politics/joe-manchin-voting-no-joe-biden-build-back-better-act/) However unintended it was initially, Brown's entry into the political conversation has since led him to open up about what he told the Times is a "frustration" on certain issues that he shares with those who say the chant. In [an op-ed for Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/my-name-brandon-opinion-1660525) published Monday, Brown wrote that he "never expected to be in the passenger seat of my own viral moment." "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," he wrote. He avoided specifics in his column beyond singling out the price of gas and inflation — both major Republican criticisms of the Biden administration, though the White House says solving both are also priorities. "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," Brown wrote in Newsweek. He went on: "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.' " Close Read more: - [Entertainment](https://people.com/entertainment/) - [Sports](https://people.com/sports/) Trending Now [![AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 01: Tyler Reddick (\#45 23XI Racing Chumba Casino Toyota) celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix on March 1, 2026 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo by Karl Anderson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: Michael Jordan, NBA Hall of Famer and co-owner of 23XI Racing reacts in victory lane after Tyler Reddick, driver of the \#45 Chumba Casino Toyota, wins the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. 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Readable Markdown	Race car driver Brandon Brown says he has "zero desire to be involved in politics" — which is tricky, because the 28-year-old NASCAR star's name has become synonymous among conservatives with the anti-Joe Biden chant ["let's go Brandon."](https://people.com/politics/gop-lawmaker-wears-lets-go-brandon-mask-on-the-house-floor/) The backstory is a bit convoluted, but the popular right-wing phrase is rooted in a remark made by an NBC Sports reporter while interviewing Brown following his September win at the Talladega Superspeedway. While some in the crowd at the race could be heard chanting "f--- Joe Biden," the reporter suggested instead that they might be cheering "let's go Brandon," in the driver's honor. Biden's critics turned the confusion into a meme and the phrase, as a stand-in for "f--- Joe Biden," has appeared at sporting events, on clothes and signs and more. Republican lawmakers have also taken it to Congress. Brown, however, is surprised that his name has taken off in such a political way. He [told The New York Times in a profile published Sunday](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/19/business/brandon-brown-lets-go-brandon.html) that he's uninterested in being a poster-child for any side in the fray, though he is also making clear that he has private political opinions of his own. "I don't want it to just be the substitute for a cuss-word," Brown told the Times of the chant, adding: "I mean, if it's making it more polite, then, by God, I guess, go ahead." Brandon Brown. Chris Graythen/Getty Images As the NASCAR driver explained, his Talladega race win was meant to be celebratory and a way for him to grow his sponsorships and increase his recognition as an athlete. But once "let's go Brandon" went viral, it became something else. "I really wanted to capitalize on that," Brown said of his race win in September. "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, who is a Republican, told the Times that he isn't an outspoken political person and declined to say whom he voted for in the last election. He has been thinking instead about the job at hand, he said. He wonders whether the phrase itself is really "productive." "The issue is, I don't know enough about politics to really form a true opinion, so I really focus on racing," he said. NASCAR President Steve Phelps previously said he sympathizes with Brown and that the organization as a whole has no interest in being associated with the anti-Biden chant. "I feel for Brandon," Phelps told [reporters in November](https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2021/11/06/nascar-president-speaks-lets-go-brandon-joe-biden-insult/6317713001/). "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. We obviously have and we've always had, as a sport, tremendous respect for the office of the president — no matter who is sitting." Phelps continued then: "Do we like the fact that it kind of started with NASCAR and then is gaining ground elsewhere? No, we're not happy about that. But we will continue to make sure that we have respect for the office of the president." However unintended it was initially, Brown's entry into the political conversation has since led him to open up about what he told the Times is a "frustration" on certain issues that he shares with those who say the chant. In [an op-ed for Newsweek](https://www.newsweek.com/my-name-brandon-opinion-1660525) published Monday, Brown wrote that he "never expected to be in the passenger seat of my own viral moment." "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," he wrote. He avoided specifics in his column beyond singling out the price of gas and inflation — both major Republican criticisms of the Biden administration, though the White House says solving both are also priorities. "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," Brown wrote in Newsweek. He went on: "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.' "
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