Getty Floyd Mayweather's NASCAR team may compete in the Daytona 500.
The Daytona 500 will potentially have a new team attempting to qualify, according to a report from Adam Stern of the Sports Business Journal. The insider has reported that Floyd Mayweather’s The Money Team Racing is working to finalize a deal to enter the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series race.
Stern broke the news on Wednesday, January 19. He reported that The Money Team Racing has obtained a stock car and a sponsor for the Crown Jewel race. He added that Kaz Grala is the driver for the potential start. Stern did not say that this entry is a done deal, but he noted that the team “appears close to an announcement.”
.@TMTRacing50, the long-aspiring NASCAR team affiliated with @FloydMayweather, is working to try to finalize a deal to enter next month’s Daytona 500 as its first race, per sources.
➖ The team has secured a car, sponsor and @KazGrala so it appears close to an announcement.
Grala has made one Daytona 500 start in his career. He joined Kaulig Racing for the season-opening race in 2021 and started 40th overall after having to switch to a backup car. Grala worked his way to the 28th position overall, but he was one of 18 drivers unable to complete the race.
TMT Racing Previously Attempted To Obtain a Charter
Rumors of TMT Racing competing in the Cup Series have circulated since 2019, but the team has not yet headed to the track. However, the team took part in the bidding frenzy in 2020 with the goal of obtaining a charter.
According to a Sports Business Journal report from December 2020, TMT Racing tried to bid on charters previously owned by Leavine Family Racing and Germain Racing. However, Spire outbid TMT Racing for the Leavine charter while 23XI Racing secured the Germain charter.
Stern reported in late 2020 that TMT Racing had shifted its focus from purchasing a charter to forming a partnership with Spire Motorsports. The proposed deal, which ultimately fell through, would have featured co-branding on one of the two Cup Series entries and then the use of one of Spire’s three charters in 2022.
This plan did not come to fruition. There was no TMT Racing branding on the No. 77 or No. 7 entries. Spire Motorsports also sold two of its charters to Kaulig Racing midway through the 2021 season.
The Daytona 500 Will Likely Feature Several Open Entries
If TMT Racing does attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 on February 20, it will be one of the many unchartered entries. The list also includes Beard Motorsports, MBM Motorsports, and Team Hezeberg. NY Racing Team has also teased a potential return to the Cup Series, but there are no confirmed details about the entry or driver.
Beard Motorsports provided its plans in two different announcements. The first, which took place in September 2021, confirmed that the No. 62 would attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500. The second announcement, released on November 16, confirmed that Noah Gragson would return to the entry for the second year.
MBM Motorsports announced on January 11 that the team would attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 with Timmy Hill as the driver. The team also announced that Bumper.com would join as the primary partner.
1997 Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve announced Team Hezeberg’s plans on January 12 ahead of the second day of Next Gen testing. He told media members that his intention is to qualify for the Daytona 500 and make his first Cup Series start since Sonoma in 2013.
If five open teams show up and attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500, there will be one that doesn’t make the main event. 36 chartered entries have a guaranteed spot while four open entries will round out the 40-car field.
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Kaz Grala Teaming Up With Floyd Mayweather for Daytona 500: Report