Floyd Mayweather Jr. launches The Money Team Racing; Kaz Grala to make Daytona 500 bid
Former boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. made his intentions for a NASCAR venture official Tuesday as The Money Team Racing launched its plans for a partial Cup Series schedule in 2022.
TMT Racing will enter the No. 50 Chevrolet for driver Kaz Grala in an attempt to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM). The team indicated that it intends to compete in “select” races during the rest of the Cup Series season.
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The team announced that veteran Tony Eury Jr. will be the crew chief for the No. 50 Chevy. Sponsorship comes from Pit Viper, a Salt Lake City-based sunglasses manufacturer.
Mayweather’s announcement formalized plans that were first teased on social media in March 2020. The 44-year-old boxing promoter and former prize fighter will team with co-owner William Auchmoody, who will also serve as TMT Racing’s general manager.
“I love fast cars and I love to compete. I know NASCAR will not be easy, but anything easy isn’t worth doing to me,” Mayweather said in a release provided by the team. “With that being said, this move into auto racing seems to be a perfect fit for the Mayweather brand.”
Grala has made four Cup Series starts, three of which came with Kaulig Racing last season. Alpha Prime Racing tapped the 23-year-old driver last month for a part-time deal with its two-car effort in the Xfinity Series.
Grala has a history of success at Daytona International Speedway. His lone NASCAR national-series victory came in the 2017 Camping World Trucks season opener at the 2.5-mile track. Grala also made his Cup Series debut on Daytona’s oval-road course layout in 2020, driving Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 Chevrolet to a seventh-place finish as a one-race substitute for Austin Dillon.
“It‘s an honor to be behind the wheel for Floyd Mayweather‘s entrance into NASCAR,” Grala said in the team release. “It‘s a really exciting time in our sport as it globalizes and reaches new audiences. I know Floyd is here to win, and I absolutely feel that everyone involved in this program is capable of making that happen. We know we will need some time to grow together as a new organization, but I couldn‘t be more thrilled to be a part of building this team from the ground up.”
Eury has two Cup Series wins as a crew chief, both with Dale Earnhardt Jr. His last appearance atop the pit box came at the 2018 Daytona 500 with Premium Motorsports for Danica Patrick’s final Cup Series start.
The No. 50 was last used in NASCAR’s top division in 2012. Hall of Famer Bill Elliott used the car number in his final Cup Series start that July. The number also matches Mayweather’s total of 50 professional boxing victories, all without a loss.
