Floyd Mayweather becomes NASCAR car owner with Kaz Grala as driver

Floyd Mayweather attends the fight between Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz for the WBC heavyweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. Wilder won by way of knockout in the seventh round. (Erik Verduzco / Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Erik_Verduzco

Kaz Grala waves to fans during driver introductions before the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Floyd Mayweather Jr. is ready to put his money into NASCAR. The Money Team Racing hopes to debut at the Daytona 500 with Kaz Grala as the driver. Grala will drive the No. 50 Chevrolet for the retired boxing great. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

The latest celebrity to join NASCAR as a car owner has knockout potential.

Former boxing champion and longtime Las Vegan Floyd Mayweather has announced formation of The Money Racing Team, which will attempt to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 with part-time Cup Series driver Kaz Grala behind the wheel.

Without a NASCAR charter and guaranteed starting spot, Mayweather’s team will have to race its way into stock car racing’s biggest event during qualifying races. There currently are 42 teams and drivers competing for 40 starting spots.

“I love fast cars, and I love to compete,” Mayweather, 44, said in a statement. “I know NASCAR will not be easy, but anything easy isn’t worth doing to me. With that being said, this move into auto racing seems to be a perfect fit for the Mayweather brand.”

The car will sport a colorful aqua-based paint scheme and the No. 50, which also was the number of boxing victories Mayweather collected without a defeat.

Tony Eury Jr., a former crew chief for Dale Earnhardt Jr., will reprise that role with Mayweather’s team with the intent to run as many as 15 races with a focus on road course events in 2022. The car will carry sponsorship at Daytona from sunglass company Pit Viper.

Grala, 23, has driven in only four Cup Series races. He finished 28th in last year’s Daytona 500 while driving for Kaulig Racing before adding a sixth place in the 2021 spring race at Talladega, Alabama.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.