After Michael Jordan, Floyd Mayweather is latest celebrity to become NASCAR team owner

Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather has joined Micheal Jordan as an official NASCAR owner of The Money Team Racing. This comes after years of talking about launching a NASCAR team.

The Money Team Racing will make its debut on the Daytona 500 speedway later this month. “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. With that being said, this move into auto racing seems to be a perfect fit for the Mayweather brand,” Mayweather said, according to NASCAR.

Kaz Grala, a rising star, has been picked as the team driver and will compete in the No. 50 Chevrolet named after Mayweather’s undefeated professional boxing record. Grala, 23, has four career Cup Series starts and finished 28th in last season’s Daytona 500 driving for Kaulig Racing. He also won the season-opening Truck Series race in 2017 at Daytona, according to the Associated Press.

“It’s an honor to be behind the wheel for Floyd Mayweather’s entrance into NASCAR,” Grala said, per NASCAR. “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.”

The Associated Press reports that Mayweather does not have a charter that would guarantee it a spot in the field and will run Daytona as an open car. In other words, Grala will have to race his way into the field.

Mayweather retired from boxing after winning all his 50 bouts and returned for an exhibition match with YouTube personality Logan Paul. The 44-year-old has won titles in the super-featherweight, lightweight, super-lightweight, welterweight and super-welterweight divisions.