Conor Daly will once again join forces with boxing great Floyd Mayweather‘s The Money Team Racing in 2023, this time entering the Daytona 500 and up to six to-be-announced races.
“The Money Team Racing shocked the world by making the Daytona 500 last year and I believe in this team and know we will prepare a great car for this year’s race,” said Mayweather. “Like a fighter who’s always ready to face the best, Conor has the courage to buckle into this beast without any practice and put that car into the field. Conor is like a hungry fighter and my kind of guy. I sure wouldn’t bet against him.”
Daly made his Cup début at the Charlotte Roval in 2022 with TMT, where he finished thirty-fourth. The start came after making one-offs over the previous two years in the Truck Series for Niece Motorsports, which in turn occurred during breaks in the NTT IndyCar Series seasons.
He is set to enter his fourth full-time campaign in IndyCar with Ed Carpenter Racing. He finished seventeenth in the 2022 standings with a best finish of fifth in the GMR Grand Prix followed by a career-high sixth in the Indianapolis 500.
“I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to attempt to run in the Daytona 500,” Daly commented. “It is the most prestigious race in NASCAR and to have the chance to compete in it is truly an honor. I am also excited to be running the entire IndyCar Series season and select NASCAR Cup events.”
The #50 debuted at the 2022 Daytona 500 with Kaz Grala, who made the show and finished twenty-sixth. Grala ran two more races for the team at COTA and Charlotte with runs of twenty-fifth and twenty-third, respectively.
“Conor is a talented driver who performed well in his first Cup race for us last fall and we believe he has what it takes to compete at the highest level in NASCAR’s premier event,” added co-owner William Auchmoody.
As the #50 does not have a charter, Daly will have to lock himself into the Daytona 500 via qualifying run or Duel finish. Among those he has to compete against for spots in the race are close friend Travis Pastrana and ex-IndyCar colleague Jimmie Johnson. Hélio Castroneves, another IndyCar driver, was originally hoping to run the Daytona 500 with TMT but could not close the deal in time.
