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Daytona 500: Kaz Grala perseveres to make the field for Floyd Mayweather, The Money Team Racing

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1 year ago

February 20, 2022

In the final laps of Thursday night’s first Duel race, Kaz Grala and his race team found themselves on the ropes. Grala had lost the draft to go one lap down, then compounded his issues with a pit road speeding penalty, causing him to be a full two laps down as time wound down in his qualifying race. J.J. Yeley, the driver he was competing with for a spot in the Daytona 500 field, ran a lap ahead and seemed all but assured of making the field over Grala.

But after spending many laps without the benefit of drafting help, Grala was able to latch onto a group of lead lap cars in the final laps. And entering Turn One on the last lap, as Yeley went a second lap down, Grala — who was then on the same lap as Yeley — was able to motor by and earn a spot in the Great American Race.

“It went from puke to puke: Puking nervous to puking excited at the end,” Grala later remarked. “… When we were catching him I could see with like two laps to go, I was like, ‘I think we are going to get there, I really think we’re going to get there.’ I couldn’t even believe it, but it worked out.”

Grala’s last lap pass, despite great adversity, was the sort of knockout punch on-brand for The Money Team Racing, a brand new Cup Series team owned by boxing great Floyd Mayweather. With his car now in the Daytona 500 — in part thanks to a pep talk that he had given Grala before Thursday night’s Duel — Mayweather is expected to make his way to Daytona Beach for Sunday’s race, his first as a NASCAR team owner.

“He was with us on the grid via FaceTime before the Duel. He was so pumped up about it. He was ready, jacked up and really confident in us. That was a cool pep talk to get, not one that I’ve ever gotten before,” Grala said of Mayweather. “Definitely a cool moment for us and having that validation that he’s excited about this program, and I can promise you coming out here to a sold-out crowd on Sunday, I don’t think anybody could be on this property and not feel that energy and be excited.

“He’s really going to get obsessed with this just like we all are.”

After Grala makes his second Daytona 500 start on Sunday, The Money Team Racing will likely take a step back and compete sporadically as they build their program. Grala stated that the team’s schedule would likely be comprised of races that sponsors want or races where the team feels they can compete — particularly road courses, where Grala has proven proficient in his young racing career.

“I feel like road courses are very possibly our best chance simply because there’s fewer of them,” Grala said. “We’ll be less behind the 8-ball with the other teams that are running full time. For us to go to a mile-and-a-half race, we’ll probably be many races behind in data of the other teams. We’ve got our eye on trying to do the road courses.:

Sunday will mark Grala’s fifth career Cup Series start, and he already has two Top 10 finishes with a best result of sixth at Talladega last April. In addition to his Cup duties for TMT Racing, Grala will also run part-time in the Camping World Truck Series for Young’s Motorsports in 2022.

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Related Topics:Daytona field Floyd Grala Kaz Mayweather Money perseveres racing team

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Scottie Pippen blasts Michael Jordan: 'He was horrible' | THE CARTON SHOW

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48 seconds ago

May 29, 2023

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More from the Scottie Pippen camp on Micheal Jordan. The NBA great took to social media to tell fans that MJ was a ‘horrible’ player until he (Scottie) came along to the Chicago Bull in 1987. Craig Carton shares with Tim Hardaway Sr his theory as to why Pippen is so angry at Jordan, and it has more to do with off-the-court drama then anything that’s happened on the court.

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Officiating Stat Shows Luck May Not Be On Heat’s Side For Game 7

Published

5 mins ago

May 29, 2023

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(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

The Miami Heat had everything going in their favor to punch their tickets to the NBA Finals.

They went up 3-0 in the series in convincing fashion, pulling off two major comebacks before running the Boston Celtics off the court in Game 3.

Celtics players warned the Heat not to let them win even one game, and they didn’t take them seriously.

Fast forward to today, and they’re facing a win-or-go-home scenario in the most hostile arena in the National Basketball Association: the TD Garden.

If that wasn’t tough enough, Odds Shark recently pointed out that they might have to deal with an extra adversary, as they’ve fared quite terribly when Scott Foster has been the crew chief, which is the case again tonight.

The Miami Heat are 2-13 SU and 3-12 ATS when Scott Foster is officiating since 2021.
He is the Crew Chief for Game 7 tonight in Boston. pic.twitter.com/GEMAm4TebM
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) May 29, 2023
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Per Odds Shark the Heat are 2-13 SU and 3-12 ATS when Scott Foster is officiating since 2021.

On the flip side, the Celtics are 11-3 ATS in the playoffs since 2020 with Foster as the Crew Chief.

Foster has become one of the most infamous referees in the league, with countless fans and even players ripping him on social media and press conferences, especially in the playoffs.

NBA fans — and definitely Heat fans — will hope Foster — or referees as a whole — aren’t a factor in tonight’s must-win game, as there has been plenty of chatter about biased officiating in this series already.

The post Officiating Stat Shows Luck May Not Be On Heat’s Side For Game 7 appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Celtics Get Good Injury News Ahead Of Game 7

Published

9 mins ago

May 29, 2023

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(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

The Boston Celtics were forced to play without Malcolm Brogdon in Saturday’s must-win clash vs. the Miami Heat.

Now, according to CBS, Joe Mazzulla could have the reigning Sixth Man of the Year back on the floor for today’s crucial Game 7.

Malcolm Brogdon is expected to play for the Celtics in Game 7 tonight, a source told @andscape. https://t.co/qYZKxEGUxi
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 29, 2023

Brogdon has reportedly been playing through an injured elbow and forearm, and he’s struggled mightily with his shot from games 3 to 5.

He’s reportedly available to play as per usual in today’s matchup, but whether Mazzulla and the Celtics’ medical staff allow him to be on the floor for heavy minutes remains to be seen.

Brogdon’s addition was one of the biggest moves of the offseason, and his presence has done wonders for the 17-time NBA champions.

His basketball IQ and ability to contribute on both ends of the floor were huge for the second unit, although he was also touted with the task of being a starter multiple times.

Brogdon gives the Celtics some much-needed positional versatility on defense and offense.

His length allows him to guard multiple positions, and he can play on and off the ball as either a primary playmaker and facilitator or as a slasher.

The Heat aren’t as deep as the Celtics and that could be a decisive factor in Game 7.

Tired legs can be tricky at this point in the season, and having one of the best substitutes in the game ready to lead the way while the starters get a breather could be key for a team that’s on the verge of making NBA history.

The post Celtics Get Good Injury News Ahead Of Game 7 appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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