NASCAR Faces Boycott After Suspending Rookie Phenom

NASCAR, the stock car racing circuit that brought America "Let's Go Brandon" chants and the Bubba Wallace noose hoax, might be facing its latest controversy as disenchanted fans are threatening a Bud Light-style boycott.

This one comes as highly touted rookie driver Noah Gragson, 25, was suspended by his team, then NASCAR, and now has been released by his team for "liking" a social media meme.

"Noah has a ton of talent and has a great personality," Legacy Motor Club CEO Cal Wells wrote in a statement. "This is a difficult situation, but we are proud that Noah has taken ownership of his actions and are confident he will work through this process with NASCAR and come back stronger."

Gragson was driving the Wendy's Chevy No. 42 car, which displayed the phrase "Wendy's got the beef."

Anti-woke activists are now seeking to roil up a "#boycottNASCAR" protest on the level of ones that took bites out of Bud Light and Target earlier this year.

"How much more woke BS can come from @NASCAR before their fans bankrupt them with the Bud Light treatment?" a famed conservative tweeter known as Catturd noted. "They damn sure deserve it."

Some activists on social media went so far to use Bud Light as a verb, tweeting, "It's time to Bud Light NASCAR."

Notably, Gragson's plight might have some loose connections to X CEO Elon Musk's Aug. 5 vow to cover the legal bills of anyone who has been retaliated against for speech or likes on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Gragson's initial suspension was handed down just hours before Musk's tweet.

"If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill," Musk wrote. "No limit. Please let us know."

Gragson, originally sidelined by his team for two races before NASCAR delivered an indefinite suspension, asked to be released from his team contract so he can begin working toward reinstatement.

"I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media," Gragson tweeted in a public apology. "I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone. I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple."

Gragson was suspended indefinitely by Cup officials earlier this month after reportedly liking a "Little Mermaid" meme with a photo of George Floyd's face and the insensitive lyrics "under the knee," a play on the Disney "Under the Sea" song.

Series officials said Gragson violated the member conduct of its rule book without providing details.

"I love racing, and I am looking forward to a second chance to compete for wins at the highest level of NASCAR — and most importantly, make my family, my team and the fans proud of me once again," Gragson wrote in a statement seeking the release.

NASCAR has taken allegations of racial insensitivity seriously, including Wallace's allegation that Talladega's garage door pull cord was a hate crime because it looked like a noose. The FBI investigation found that the garage door pull cords at the track had long been tied that way, dismissing the case at the height of the Floyd race riots.

The punishment of an indefinite NASCAR suspension was a severe one for the highly touted Gragson. Reporting has indicated similar violations would have called for race sensitivity training and not a suspension, much less an indefinite one that cost him his spot on his 2023 series team.

"Saint George Floyd shall not be criticized! Absolute scandal. #BoycottNASCAR," Red State editor Ben Kew tweeted.

But Gragson was already on a thin thread with his team, having gotten into a trackside fight with another driver earlier this year, and struggling to keep up in a ballyhooed rookie of the year race with fellow phenom Ty Gibbs.

Gibbs is the grandson of NFL football coaching legend Joe Gibbs, who was the first to win a Super Bowl with a Black starting quarterback. Doug Williams was the first Black QB Super Bowl MVP.

Newsmax reached out to NASCAR for a comment and has not heard back.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.