One Million Moms, a project of the anti-LGBTQ American Family Association, known for harshly criticizing depictions of gay people, has a new target: NASCAR.
The group has launched a petition calling on the horse racing organization to cancel its 2026 season advertising campaign, scheduled to air around the Daytona 500 in February, over the use of the slogan “Hell Yeah!”
The ad, created by Los Angeles agency 72andSunny, aims to reintroduce fans to the NASCAR brand by highlighting the sport’s “rebellious Americana roots,” appealing to a blue-collar audience while “satisfying our core fan base and reaching new audiences.” ad week.
But One Million Mamas was unimpressed, arguing that the phrase “hell” trivializes the seriousness of hell as a “place of pain and suffering” for Christians.
The group also objects to what it calls “foul language” in commercials that children are likely to see or hear, accusing NASCAR of choosing controversy over family-friendly messages.
“Shame on NASCAR executives for broadcasting races in prime time when most families are watching,” the group said in a statement. Website. “How harmful and destructive to children! We all know that children repeat what they hear. So NASCAR should be more responsible in their marketing decisions.”
The right-wing group is calling on parents to voice their dissatisfaction with the campaign in hopes of putting pressure on NASCAR to pull the ads.
“I am extremely angry at NASCAR’s weak marketing campaign,” the petition reads. “Using profanity like ‘Hell Yeah’ in advertising is irresponsible. We all know that children repeat what they hear, so I urge NASCAR to immediately halt this new branding…If you water down the horror of hell and include this phrase in your advertising, my family will no longer watch your race series.”
As of Monday, only 8,600 people had signed the petition.
Although this ad does not include any LGBTQ content, One Million Moms has a long history of opposing commercials and campaigns that promote all forms of LGBTQ visibility. The group claims that anything that depicts or supports same-sex relationships or LGBTQ-centered families is not “family-friendly.”
Earlier this year, the group called for a boycott of the grocery giant Kroger over its LGBTQ-inclusive workplace policies and Pride Month displays at some stores. Other One Million Moms campaigns have targeted companies such as eHarmony and TurboTax with ads featuring same-sex couples, Oreo, which sold rainbow cookies during Pride, Whole Foods, which sponsored a drag queen story hour, and Hallmark Channel, which aired a Zola commercial about a lesbian wedding.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
