Green River Revisits Whiskey History With a NASCAR Sponsorship

In 2022, a pair of Kentucky distilleries joined forces when Bardstown Bourbon Company acquired Green River Distilling Co. Since then, Green River has been busy: working with Dierks Bentley on a bourbon, expanding its distribution into more states and releasing some delicious whiskey. They’re set to have an even higher profile in 2025 for another reason as well: through a NASCAR sponsorship that will see the company’s logo on NY Racing Team’s No. 44, driven by J.J. Yeley.

The announcement of Green River’s sponsorship comes as Yeley seeks to qualify for this year’s Daytona 500, which is coming up on Sunday, February 16. “I couldn’t be more excited to team up with Green River Whiskey for this monumental Daytona race,” Yeley said. He added that he and his team were “ready to take on the challenge and fight our way into the big race.” Single-car qualifying is set to take place on February 12.

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While Green River is touting this as its first sponsorship in the world of “modern motorsports,” NASCAR and whiskey have a long shared history. The racing series has a historic connection to the world of Prohibition-era bootlegging, where being able to drive quickly and nimbly was a useful skill to have.

The NASCAR sponsorship looks to be one element of a larger promotional push on Green River’s part. In announcing their work with NY Racing Team and Yeley, the distillery also shared that it would begin advertising nationwide later this month. As for Yeley, his best finish in the Daytona 500 came in 2013 when he finished 10th overall.