When it comes to Southern pride, there’s no sporting event that compares to it other than racing. NASCAR has since been a point and breeding ground for American citizens south of the Mason-Dixion line to share viewpoints on the state of America. Southerners take their racing and motorsports as seriously as any college town in the heat of March Madness. In the spirit of NASCAR and its Southern roots, racing fans took the opportunity to voice their opinions over the weekend at NASCAR’s Xfinity Series.
While NBC reporter Kelli Stavast was interviewing racer, Brandon Brown, after his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race win, a chant began. NASCAR fans, while live on TV, were seen “F*uk Joe Biden!” Stavast was able to soldier on with the interview but not without an error in miscommunication. Kelli Stavast misinterpreted what the crowd was chanting as she said, “As you can hear the chants from the crowd, ‘Let’s go, Brandon.’” NASCAR officials initially posted the interview on Twitter, but later deleted it. No reason was given as to why when pressed by reporters but many knew the crowd was to blame.
Since the start of the college football season, “f*ck Joe Biden” chants have continued to pop up more recently in south and midwest states. The anti-Biden chants began during the Coastal Carolina-University of Kansas game on Sept. 10, the Alabama State-Auburn game, Virginia Tech game, and Ole Miss-Austin Peay State game on Sept. 11. The chants have even made its way to boxing during Evander Holyfield vs. Vítor Vieira Belfort match.
The latest chants were seen at an Aaron Lewis concert in Pennslyvania. The right-leaning rock star performed in President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, PA. Lewis played many of his controversial tracks like “Am I the Only One” and “If I was a Liberal” as he catered to his fan base.
The chants have been a rallying cry for, according to the chanters, a protest of the 2020 presidential election results. Many other sports and musicians have latched onto the trend to boost their coverage and engage with their fans. While sports and politics interacting with each other isn’t something new, the chants are becoming more frequent as the season progress. It’s unclear if there is a motive to the chants or just another trend for young adults to hop on. One thing’s for sure, President Joe Biden must be aware of them by now.
