NASCAR reportedly ready to implement ban on political sponsorships for 2022 season

NASCAR's governing body is looking to expand on its political crackdown going into the 2022 season. In a tweet by Adam Stern, it was revealed that the sport would finally be ready to start enforcing the rules that it began laying the groundwork for in 2020.

After a two-year deep dive, it has been agreed that any political ban would only be relegated to items specifically at the racetrack like a car's paint scheme. Anything done by a driver away from the track, including politically endorsing a candidate, would not be covered.

It appears that the political crackdown has already started even before the season gets underway in a few weeks. It could be an opportunity to cash in on a political slur, after its use on Brandon Brown's #68 Chevy Camaro was soundly rejected by NASCAR. The company behind the slogan has since vowed to sue NASCAR in court.

NASCAR has always had a relationship with politics. It could have begun with the time President Ronald Reagan attended his first (and only) race on the Fourth of July in 1984. The race saw Richard Petty notch his 200th and final win before he retired in 1992. Relations continued with the two races that George W. Bush attended in 2000 and 2004, or the multiple drivers who were honored at the White House during Barack Obama's tenure (six in all; Jimmie Johnson alone went three different times).

While the intersection of NASCAR and politics has been cordial at times, lately, things have taken a downward turn. Most notably, the presence of the Confederate flag, which used to be a common staple at racetracks (especially in the Deep South), is no more. The development comes thanks to the political and social upheaval that occurred in the wake of George Floyd's death in May 2020 and the outcry by NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. The "Stars and Bars" as a public spectacle ceased to exist in June 2020.

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NASCAR and "Let's Go, Brandon"

After Brandon Brown won his first Xfinity race at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2021, protesters in the crowd were heard chanting "F— Joe Biden!" as an insult to the president. In an attempt to sweep it under the rug, the NBC Sports reporter instead claimed they were chanting "Let's Go, Brandon!"

Thus, a political rallying cry was born and has since become a form of (sometimes very) public protest. With the sport's authorities refusing its use on the vehicles in any form, the chant has now taken center stage.