Fans uniting to ‘Bud-Light’ NASCAR

Disenchanted NASCAR fans are threatening a Bud Light-style boycott of NASCAR after rookie driver Noah Gragson was suspended by his team, then NASCAR.

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.

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.

It may have already started. The Verizon 200 at IMS this past Sunday was so poorly attended, a large majority of the grandstands were either closed entirely or only had a smattering of fans. It will be interesting to see that the TV ratings look like.

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.”

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

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.”