'Let's Go, Brandon' NASCAR driver said he was uncomfortable with the meme before signing a sponsorship deal based on it

• NASCAR driver Brandon Brown announced a sponsorship deal based on the "Let's Go, Brandon" chant.
• Brown previously said he was uncomfortable with the chant bearing his name, but now embraces it.

The NASCAR driver who inspired the "Let's Go, Brandon" chant once described being uncomfortable being the focus of an anti-Biden meme.

But, a few weeks on, Brandon Brown signed a sponsorship deal for the cryptocurrency Let's Go Brandon Coin (LGBCoin), which means a reference to the chant will be painted prominently on his car.

Brown announced the deal on Thursday, describing LBGCoin's financial support as "incredible" for his career.

—Brandon Brown (@brandonbrown_68) December 30, 2021

The deal will see his Chevrolet Camaro marked out with the coin's name.

His embrace of the coin is an apparent reversal from his position two weeks earlier.

In an interview with Ben Smith of The New York Times published on December 19, Brown described being uncomfortable with the meme, saying he had "zero desire to be involved in politics."

Per The Times, one of the reasons for Brown's hesitation was the worry that the meme would make him a polarizing figure and hurt his ability to finance his career via sponsorship.

The LGBCoin deal appears to have turned that negative into a positive.

Brown's name, and support for him, became a meme in early October when he was interviewed by a reporter at a game. In the background, a crowd started chanting "fuck Joe Biden."

The reporter tried to laugh the moment off, suggesting instead that they were saying "let's go, Brandon."

The clip went viral, and Republicans adopted the phrase as a way of cursing out Biden without swearing. It has since shown up in sports arenas and even in Congress.

Sports Business Journal reporter Adam Stern said on Twitter after the deal was announced that Brown was "in need of sponsorship" ahead of the upcoming season in February.