NASCAR: Floyd Mayweather could keep 45-year Earnhardt streak intact

If Floyd Mayweather does field a NASCAR Cup Series team this year, he could help keep the Earnhardt name in the series for a 46th consecutive season.

The NASCAR Cup Series season is at a standstill as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and there is no official return date. As of now, the next race on the schedule is set to take place at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, May 9, but that is subject to change.

As a result, NASCAR announced the creation of the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series, which is slated to last for the duration of the postponement.

Set to attempt to qualify for today’s race is Jeffrey Earnhardt, and he is set to do so driving a car bearing the #50.

According to Sports Business Journal‘s Adam Stern, this could be significant in terms of a potential real Cup Series ride for the 30-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina native as well.

Last October, a rumor emerged that former professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. was involved in a new Cup Series team called The Money Team Racing. There were several details listed on The Money Team Racing‘s website, although they have since been replaced by one screen that simply reads “More Info Coming Soon”.

One such detail was the picture of a #50 Chevrolet, which is significant in that Mayweather’s career record was 50-0 before he retired.

Shortly after Stern tweeted about Earnhardt running a #50 car as a nod to a potential ride with Mayweather’s speculated team, The Money Team Racing’s Twitter account published a short video that ended with the sound of a boxing fight bell, indicating that the start of their time in NASCAR could be just around the corner.

More from NASCAR Cup Series

• NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
• NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
• NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
• NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
• NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500

A potential ride for Earnhardt with The Money Team Racing is significant in more ways than one. As of now, he is not lined up to compete at all in the Cup Series this season, although he did sign a deal to compete for JD Motorsports in the Xfinity Series before the season began.

Earnhardt’s Xfinity Series deal contributed to keeping the Earnhardt name in NASCAR for a 46th consecutive year dating back to 1975, as did Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s deal to compete for JR Motorsports in the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This race is currently postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But Jeffrey’s lack of a Cup Series deal made the 2020 season at risk of becoming the first season since the 1974 season to not feature an Earnhardt.

The Earnhardt name debuted in NASCAR in 1956 with Ralph, who retired after 1966. The name was out of the Cup Series until 1975, and it has been back ever since.

The late Dale Earnhardt competed from 1975 until his life was tragically taken in a last-lap crash in the 2001 season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Dale Jr. began competing in 2000 and retired after the 2017 season.

Jeffrey made his Cup Series debut in 2015 and has driven in at least one race in every year since then, sans 2020 — so far.

Four of the 36 races on the 2020 schedule have been contested, although seven of the other 32 have been postponed as a result of the growing threat of COVID-19.

NASCAR postponements and cancellations: TRACKER

Martinsville Speedway is currently slated to host the next non-postponed race on the schedule on Saturday, May 9, but this remains subject to change.

When will NASCAR resume? TRACKER

NASCAR does still plan to run all 36 races on the schedule, and a revised schedule is slated to be revealed in the near future.

2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule: TRACKER

Will Floyd Mayweather enter the NASCAR Cup Series with The Money Team Racing and hire Jeffrey Earnhardt to drive the #50 Chevrolet, thus keeping the Earnhardt name at NASCAR’s highest level in some capacity for what would be the 46th consecutive year?