Latestinseriesofbooksonautismbringsnewpartnership

By Joseph Back

Over the past several months, the phrase ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ has taken on something resembling a life of its own. Starting in a postrace interview at Alabama after NASCAR race car driver Brandon Brown won the Talladega Xfinity series and then spreading nationwide, the phrase now adorns t-shirts, coffee mugs, hats, and more.

For nine-year-old Brandon Brundidge of Cottage Grove, meanwhile, the phrase has helped him win his confidence, in spite of challenges faced. Nine-year-old Brandon has autism, a spectrum disorder which causes those with it to have different social, behavioral, and communication challenges. Seeing “Let’s Go Brandon,” helped the nine-year-old Cottage Grove resident overcome these challenges. Taking a family vacation deep in Texas, the sign’s very prominence caused him to take note.

“Mom, the people here love me,” he told mom Sheletta Brundidge, with the aftermath inspiring the latest in a series of books drawing attention to autism written by mom Sheletta and Lily Coyle, with illustrations by Darcy Bell-Meyers. Other titles in the series include “Kevin Finds His Voice” (about teaching through music) and “Cameron Goes to School,” about a young girl with autism heading off to kindergarten.

As to the title “Brandon Spots His Sign,” it’s sparked a new partnership, as Brandon the race car driver teamed up with nine-year-old Brandon of Cottage Grove, to repaint the driver’s car with the children’s book title at the Elkhart Lake Xfinity race in Wisconsin last week. Born himself in fall 1993 to Valorie and Jerry Brown and thus unrelated as such, the race car driver nonetheless became fast friends with Brundidge at Road America in Elkhart Lake.

“I feel like I have a twin brother who’s older than me,” nine-year-old Brandon said on meeting race car driver Brandon.

Starting as a post-race NASCAR chant, ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ now has the new meaning of giving increased visibility to autism, a challenge to be overcome and not something to fear or stigmatize.

Sheletta Brundidge, left, her son Brandon, center, and NASCAR driver Brandon Brown gather Saturday, July 2, 2022 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. Sheletta Brundidge wrote a children’s book in her son’s honor after Brandon Brundidge saw “Let’s go, Brandon” signs and assumed they were cheering him on. The cover of Brundidge’s book decorated the hood of Brandon Brown’s car for his Xfinity Series race Saturday at Road America. AP Photo by Steve Megargee.