The Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Sweet Tea vodka brand has become the first vodka to sponsor a car since Nascar lifted its ban on spirits sponsors in 2005.

The brand will be primary sponsor of the No. 26 Roush Fenway Ford Fusion driven by Jamie McMurray at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 17. McMurray, who has secured nearly 80 top-ten finishes in Nascar, is one of the highest-paid drivers in Nascar, with a reported annual salary of almost US$20 million plus bonuses.

"In its first ever major sponsorship, Jeremiah Weed Southern Style Sweet Tea is thrilled to utilise Nascar as a platform to extend its Southern ideals and traditions to the millions of fans who follow the sport," said Judd Zusel, director of innovation at Diageo, to Sponsorship News. "Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea sees a clear opportunity to elevate the brand even further by connecting with adult consumers that have an undying passion for the sport they love, and encourage them to enjoy our sweet tea vodka responsibly throughout the weekend's race festivities."

Jeremiah Weed, the patron of the drink, said: "Jeremiah Weed was born in the south and to thank some of the brand's favorite people for embracing the product, we thought Charlotte would be the perfect place to make our Nascar debut. We look forward to providing fans a reason to celebrate responsibly all weekend, and will do everything we can to ensure that we are toasting Jamie when hopefully he puts the No. 26 car in Victory Lane."