”TikTok helped my career take off": NASCAR Influencer shares her ‘disheartened and disappointed’ stance amid platform’s US ban concerns

Taylor Kitchen, a NASCAR influencer who hosts "Above the Yellow Line" on YouTube, took to social media to express her disappointment in the news that the social media platform, TikTok, is soon to be potentially banned in the United States. Kitchen's sadness regarding the news stems from how the social media app helped launch her NASCAR media career.

TikTok sent out a statement via X on Friday night to address the situation. It stated that United States President Joe Biden, his administration, and the Department of Justice failed to provide "clarity and assurance" to the provider, a key part of maintaining the app's presence in the United States.

Therefore, if nothing changes, TikTok will "go dark" in the United States beginning January 19. TikTok posted on X:

"The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok's availability to over 170 million Americans. Unless the Biden Administration immediately provides a definitive statement to satisfy the most critical service providers assuring non-enforcement, unfortunately TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19."

In a lengthy post via X, Kitchen expressed how distraught she was to see the popular app go, citing that the app's community went a long way. She wrote:

"This platform changed my life. TikTok helped my career take off and presented wild opportunities I never thought possible. From chronic illness to NASCAR, I could always count on this community for comfort, honesty, and kindness. Disappointed and disheartened to see this happening because we all know it’s for all the wrong reasons."

According to her X bio, Kitchen is a Racing America reporter with nearly 6k followers on X. She hosts "Above the Yellow Line" on YouTube as a part of ATYL Media, which has over 2,000 YouTube subscribers.

How many followers does NASCAR have on TikTok?

NASCAR has a large social media presence, which includes TikTok. As per the app, NASCAR's official TikTok account has over 2.5 million followers and 59.2 million likes.

NASCAR was active on TikTok to begin the new year and posted a teaser video for the upcoming 2025 season. They wrote:

"The best is now. 2025, let's get it."

View on TikTok

NASCAR is also active on other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, X, and Snapchat. The sport's Facebook page has totaled over 5.5 million followers. NASCAR has a large following on Instagram too, registering over 3.2 million followers. On X, formally known as Twitter, NASCAR has over 3.6 million followers and over 170k posts.