Getty Kaz Grala made multiple starts for TMT Racing in 2022.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s team is making a change for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. TMT Racing will run part-time with IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly as its main wheelman.
Team co-owner Willy Auchmoody provided the insight to TobyChristie.com. He told writer Joseph Srigley in an extensive interview that the plan is to make at least six starts during the 2023 season with Daly as the main driver. The lone exception could be the Daytona 500 considering that the team has had some talks with four-time Indy 50 champion Helio Castroneves.
According to Srigley, the other races on the tentative schedule are Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, Charlotte Roval, and Phoenix Raceway. Watkins Glen International is another possibility for the organization.
Daly Made 1 Cup Series Start in 2022
GettyConor Daly made his Cup Series debut at the Charlotte Roval.
TMT Racing clearly views Daly as someone that can become a key figure in the future, but he did not start out this way. The team actually relied on a different driver during its first three starts in the Cup Series.
Kaz Grala was the man who controlled the No. 50 Chevrolet Camaro early in 2022. The Massachusetts native first took part in the season-opening Daytona 500. He finished 26th after recovering from a lost wheel.
Grala returned to the No. 50 for trips to the Circuit of the Americas and Charlotte Motor Speedway. He finished 25th at the road course before closing out his portion of the schedule with a 23rd-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600.
Daly then took over the No. 50 for the Charlotte Roval race, which took place in October. The IndyCar Series veteran had to start from the rear of the field after a steering rack issue sent him hard into the wall during practice.
Daly was able to make some moves during the road course race, and he began turning in some competitive lap times. However, a tire issue and a fire in the cockpit ultimately relegated him to a 34th-place finish.
Daly Has Previously Expressed Interest in More Cup Series Starts
GettyConor Daly has made multiple NASCAR stars in his career.
The upcoming partnership with TMT Racing will provide Daly with more opportunities to compete in the Cup Series. This coincides with his previously expressed interest in more starts in NASCAR.
Daly made the comments during an appearance on “Dirty Mo Live” on November 16. He sat down first with Mike Davis and then with Noah Gragson so that they could discuss a variety of topics.
One of these discussions focused on whether Daly would make a return to the Cup Series. He confirmed that he has an interest in taking on the Daytona 500, which he said would be a “really cool” experience.
If Daly does join TMT Racing again for the 2023 season as Auchmoody expects, he could potentially have an opportunity to take on the Daytona 500 since the Crown Jewel race is before the start of the IndyCar Series season. Though it is possible that Castroneves will control the No. 50 instead of Daly during this event.