A New Name Is Turning Heads Around NASCAR at Daytona: Kickstand Cocktails

There are plenty of canned cocktails on the market. Most of them are trying to be the next big thing.

Kickstand Cocktails is doing something different.

As a motorsports journalist covering NASCAR, we've had the opportunity to see Kickstand's partnership with RFK Racing up close, including its primary sponsorship of Ryan Preece's No. 60 Ford Mustang at Kansas Speedway and its associate partnership with Brad Keselowski's No. 6 throughout the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

And we'll be honest: The racing connection is what initially put Kickstand on our radar.

The product is what made us remember the name.

Kickstand is a craft vodka soda built around something you don't usually find in the canned cocktail aisle: spice. The current lineup includes Raspberry Habanero, Cucumber Jalapeño, Pineapple Poblano and Peach Chipotle, with each flavor pairing fruit with a distinct pepper profile. The result is something that actually tastes like what it says on the can.

That matters.

As someone who considers himself a bit of a food critic — and someone who has spent plenty of time eating his way through barbecue joints, Tex-Mex restaurants and the South — I'm not going to tell readers something tastes good just because a NASCAR team has a logo on the car, even though I always support racing.

Kickstand tastes good because Kickstand tastes good.

The vodka comes through. The fruit tastes like fruit. The spice is noticeable without completely taking over the drink. And, perhaps most importantly, it doesn't taste like a can full of artificial sweetness trying to convince you it's a cocktail.

That's the appeal here. This is something that I would give to a group tailgating a college football game in Athens or Tuscaloosa. I'd bring it to a body of water like Lake Lanier or the shores of 30A.

I truly believe Kickstand Cocktails is one of the best kept secrets on the market. It's simply waiting to explode.

Kickstand says its cocktails are made with premium vodka, fruit and all-natural flavors, with no added sugar and zero carbs in its current lineup.

And you can taste the difference.

The brand's story is pretty interesting, too. Kickstand was born after its founders experienced the inconsistency of a jalapeño cocktail at a Manhattan bar. The idea was simple: Take the flavor and kick people love from spicy cocktails and create something consistent, approachable and easy to drink in a can.

That concept has taken the company well beyond its early days. Kickstand has built a growing retail footprint and a pretty impressive group of investors and ambassadors, including sports figures such as JJ Watt, TJ Watt and Michael Phelps alongside founder Darren Rovell.

But for us, the coolest part is seeing a brand like this find a natural home in NASCAR.

Racing is about personality. So is food. So is a good drink.

We all know beer and NASCAR go together like peanut butter and jelly. But, as a page branching into the women's sports marketplace and launching a women in sports blueprint, we think Kickstand has something here. This canned cocktail could be a summer go to in your cooler at the track.

Kickstand doesn't feel like another generic beverage company slapping a logo on a race car. The product itself has some personality, and that makes the partnership with RFK Racing and drivers like Preece and Keselowski make sense.

We also want to give Kickstand a sincere thank you for allowing us the opportunity to interview Ryan Preece. Access like that is a big part of what makes covering NASCAR from the ground level so rewarding, and we appreciate the partnership.

As for the product?

We'll keep it a buck.

These are the best seltzer-style canned cocktails we've tried.

If you like a good vodka soda, enjoy a little heat and don't want your drink buried under artificial sweetness, Kickstand is absolutely worth seeking out.

The NASCAR sponsorship may be what gets you to look at the can.

The taste is what will make you reach for another one.

And that's exactly how a good sponsorship should work.

If you want to check out more, visit us at @LeadLapRacing on Instagram and @KickstandCocktails as well.