Money

NASCAR is clearly NOT playing around about its COVID safety rules ... it just dropped the hammer on Chip Ganassi for a violation, hitting the famed team owner with both a ban and a fine.

NASCAR officials say at a race at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, Ganassi brought "a non-essential individual that was restricted from the footprint" into the competition area.

Obviously, it's a huge no-no during the pandemic ... the org is trying like hell to limit any potential spread of the coronavirus, and unauthorized guests certainly compromise that.

So, to send a stern message, NASCAR slapped Ganassi with a one-race suspension as well as a $30,000 fine.

Ganassi will have the opportunity to appeal ... but, for now, he's barred from this weekend's races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The mariachi band that made Ted Cruz's stoop a stage performed at a discount, saying the Senator's actions were so despicable, they would've played it for free if they could.

TMZ spoke to Jose Antonio Solis of Mariachi Mi Mexico -- the group that brought their song and dance to Cruz's front door Sunday -- and he says they took nearly $100 less than normal for the gig in Ted's well-to-do Houston neighborhood.

Normally, Solis says their hourly rate runs $475, but they agreed to $400 flat. Solis says he understands Ted and the fam wanting to get away from the cold, but not when the people Ted represents are dying.

Solis says they would've played the gig for free, but lost out on recent money because of the storm.

Mariachi Mi Mexico was hired by a fella named Bryan Hlavinka ... whom Solis says told them there was a GoFundMe account set up specifically to pay them to play.

The Babe Ruth baseball card market is still ON FIRE!!!

Check out this rare 1933 Goudey #149 card-- signed by The Bambino himself -- that just sold for $761,100 at auction Sunday night ... more than DOUBLE the highest price ever fetched for this particular card!!!

The item was part of the legendary "Uncle Jimmy" collection -- an insane collection of ultra-rare cards that Jimmy Micioni had stashed away at his home in New Jersey since he was a kid.

Experts say Uncle Jimmy did such an amazing job preserving the cards, it's like they were printed yesterday!!

Micioni died in March 2020 at the age of 97 -- but his family has gone public with the incredibly valuable treasure trove of cards ... and they've been getting record prices at auction.

In fact, Jimmy had a SECOND signed Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #149 that sold in 2020 for $325,000 -- which was a record at the time.

The 2020 card quality was graded at a 4.5 (very good to excellent condition) and the Ruth signature on the card got a 6 grading.

The card that sold Sunday night was PSA graded 4 with an 8 on the autograph.

Final gavel price ... $761,100 -- a record for that particular card and proof the sports card market is still as hot as ever!!

The card sold through Wheatland Auctions -- which only expected the card to fetch somewhere between $300k and $600k.

Memorabilia collectors have always been fond of Babe Ruth -- remember, in 2019 someone forked over $1 MILLION for the bat he used to smack his 500th home run in 1929.

The Fighting Irish has announced it will NOT be a part of the new EA Sports NCAA college football video game ... saying they won't give the green light until it's clear how players will be compensated.

The new video game, which was announced earlier this month, is the first EA Sports college football game since 2013.

When EA Sports made the announcement, the company said more than 100 teams would be in the game ... however it would NOT include current rosters or images and likenesses of real college players.

At the moment, NCAA rules prohibit players from selling their NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) rights while they're still in school.

But, Notre Dame says they won't cooperate with EA Sports until there's a plan in place for Fighting Irish athletes to be compensated fairly.

"Notre Dame athletics welcome the return of EA Sports college football, the video game series that has historically helped promote interest in college football," AD Jack Swarbrick said.

"Notre Dame will not, however, participate in the game until such time as rules have been finalized covering the participation of our student-athletes."

The statement continued, "As those rules are developed, it is our strong desire that student athletes be allowed to benefit directly from allowing their name, image and performance history to be used in the game."

ND head coach Brian Kelly also weighed in -- saying, "We are here to support our student-athletes."

"Much like we have empowered our players when it comes to providing a platform to speak on racial inequalities & social issues that are important to them, we must support them when it comes to NIL & the work that still needs to be done."

It's obviously a big deal -- Notre Dame is arguably the biggest name in college football and has been for decades. The team finished the 2020 season ranked #4 in the country.

Ex-NBA star Chris Webber believes there's A LOT of money to be made in the weed business ... and he wants to make sure minorities get a fair shot to get that green.

Webber has teamed up with JW Asset Management to launch a $100 million private equity fund specifically to help minority entrepreneurs succeed in the marijuana industry, which has exploded all over the country.

The issue ... Webber says there are several barriers in place which seem to prevent minorities from getting a piece of the action -- and he's looking to even the playing field.

Webber told the guys on "TMZ Live" ... some states require a $60,000 deposit to apply for a license to open a dispensary which is an extraordinarily high price.

"People need help," Webber says ... "So we’re gonna come in these places and we’re gonna train, we’re gonna make sure we provide jobs, and we’re gonna make sure you have a hub to understand how you can enter the cannabis industry not just as a cultivator or grower, or some star, but also how to make a great living by providing certain services that the industry allow."

Webber broke it down this way in a statement -- "It’s crucial that we diversify the leadership in the cannabis industry and level the playing field for people from our communities."

Kris Jenner is taking a page from her daughters' playbooks ... 'cause she's tapping into the beauty business.

The Kardashians matriarch filed trademark docs to lock up rights to a couple different names for beauty and skincare lines she presumably plans to launch ... including "Kris Jenner Beauty," "Kris Jenner Skin" and "Kris Jenner Skincare."

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kris is looking to use her name on a wide range of products for hair, skin, nails and eyes, plus cosmetics and fragrances ... pretty much anything folks use to look and smell good.

Kris' daughters have already been down this road ... Kim has a massive beauty empire and makeup made Kylie Jenner a billionaire, while Khloe and Kourtney also have cosmetics lines with Kylie.

If Dodgers prospect Yadier Alvarez ever makes it to the big leagues ... he'll be riding there in style -- 'cause the pitcher just copped a 6-wheel behemoth that's absolutely INSANE!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... Alvarez -- an MLB minor leaguer who earned a $16 MILLION bonus from the Dodgers in 2015 after he defected from Cuba -- was looking for a ride similar to the whip Aroldis Chapman snagged last June.

You'll recall, the NY Yankees star closer purchased a custom, massive 6-wheeler ... and we're told after seeing it, Alvarez REALLY wanted something bigger and badder.

So, the 24-year-old reached out to the guys who made Aroldis' car -- Apocalypse Manufacturing in Fort Lauderdale, FL -- and turns out, they had just what he was looking for!!

Shop honcho Joseph Ghattas tells us they had just built an Apocalypse Hellfire ... and stored it at a local mall.

And, when they showed it to Alvarez last week ... he loved it so much -- he bought it straight out of its display!!!

Check out the footage of Alvarez shortly after he got the ride ... he was smiling ear to ear!!!

Of course, Yadier had every reason to be happy ... the vehicle is absurd -- we're told it comes with 500 horsepower and an 8-speed automatic transmission.

We're also told it has a three-part Kevlar protective coating, power to all six wheels, 40-inch tires and a boatload of other bells and whistles.

In total, Ghattas says the ride was $180,000 ... but seems Alvarez was very cool with that tag -- 'cause Ghattas says he's been getting calls about people seeing the whip all over the Miami area already!!

As for Alvarez's baseball future ... despite previously being ranked as one of the best prospects in the game with a 100 MPH fastball, he's had an up-and-down minor league career, and it's unclear if he'll ever make it to The Show.

This is the coolest video ... a cop could have given an elderly woman a ticket, but instead, he gave her a gift card to get her car repaired!

Sgt. Wayne Costa, a patrol officer with Orlando PD, stopped a woman who was driving with her brake lights out.

It's apparent Sgt. Costa felt the great grandmother was struggling financially, so giving her a ticket where she'd have to pay a fine would create additional hardship and make it even harder to fix her brake lights.

So, Sgt. Costa, armed with a $25 gift card to Advance Auto Parts, surprised the great-grandma with the card. The lady was driving with her great-granddaughter, who was strapped in the back seat with a seat belt, and suggested she also buy a car seat.

The interaction is heartwarming and, well, pretty incredible.

Justin Bieber finally got the keys to his futuristic Rolls-Royce ... and the sight of his new whip brought him to tears.

Ya gotta see when Justin lays eyes on his custom 2018 Rolls-Royce Wraith ... he can't believe what he's seeing, and he gets super emotional.

The boys over at West Coast Customs are the masterminds behind the Biebs' jaw-dropping new ride ... the vision is 3 years in the making, so it's easy to see why Justin got teary-eyed.

Justin was floored when he saw the finished product, and he needed a quick lesson on how to even open the driver's door. The car is SICK, and JB is loving the wheel covers, which make the one-of-a-kind ride look like it's floating.

The Biebs couldn't wait to take a quick spin, and ya gotta see this thing on the streets. Somewhere out there, RoboCop just got super jealous.

Justin's new ride has an insane sound system too, so it's basically a rolling music studio.

The Kardboard King is at it again -- Rob Kardashian is putting his rare Honus Wagner autograph card up for auction ... and we're told it could fetch around $20k!!!

Rob pulled the card out of a 2020 Topps Dynasty pack he purchased for $750 from the folks at the Bullpen card shop in L.A. back in November.

The guys who opened the pack for Rob went absolutely bonkers when they realized what they had ... a 1-of-1 authentic "cut signature" card from MLB legend Honus Wagner, who died in 1955.

What that means is ... the people at Topps procured an authentic Wagner signature and used it as the base for an incredible baseball card.

Since Rob is wealthy is in his own right and loves to collect cards, it was unclear if he was going to keep it ... or sell it.

But ultimately, he hit up the folks at Goldin Auctions and we're told they're expecting it to sell for at least $20k when the bidding ends on March 7.

Phil Spector, the producer responsible for some of the biggest hits in music, amassed a treasure trove of gifts before he died ... sent by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Elvis Presley.

Spector's estate filed legal docs listing some of his personal assets, and there are some interesting pieces of memorabilia that jump right off the page ... like one of John Lennon's electric guitars.

Spector had a deep association with Lennon ... he produced The Beatles album, "Let It Be," as well as Lennon's solo work like "Imagine" and 'Instant Karma.'

The docs, obtained by TMZ, say Lennon's guitar is accompanied by a handwritten note from his widow, Yoko.

Phil's estate also details his bling ... including jewelry, watches, rings and diamond cufflinks gifted to him by Elvis.

Lisa Vanderpump's struggled, like all restaurant owners, due to the pandemic, and now she has another headache ... a lawsuit for unpaid produce.

As you know, Lisa and Ken Todd own and operate PUMP and Villa Blanca -- 2 L.A. hotspots ... pre-COVID, of course. Both joints shut down last year during quarantine, but used to get fruit and veggie shipments from a company called West Central Produce.

Now, West Central Produce is suing the restaurants, not Lisa, for past deliveries. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, WCP says it got its last payment from Villa Blanca in March 2020 for $8,890.10 ... while PUMP forked over $9,144.70. That's a ton o' veggies!

But, that's right around the time quarantine started, forcing restaurants to close for several months -- and WCP claims the money also stopped coming in from Vanderpump's restaurants.

All told, the company claims it's owed just under $100k from both eateries. It's suing for that amount, plus some interest.

What's interesting is Lisa and Ken announced last summer that Villa Blanca was shutting down for good. Like so many restaurants, the pandemic closures were just too much to overcome -- but the good news is Lisa says PUMP will eventually reopen.

Ken tells us, while he wasn't aware of the lawsuit, if he owes money to anyone, he'll make sure his accountants get WCP paid. He says COVID has been a tough time for everyone in the restaurant biz. PUMP has been closed since the pandemic started.

John Travolta is getting rid of a hotel, or rather, a mansion that could double as a hotel ... 'cause his home in Maine has a whopping 20 bedrooms!

John's put the New England compound on the market for $5 million, which gets you all those bedrooms AND 7.5 bathrooms. The 3-story home features 14 guest rooms, all on the second floor, where they have to share a mere 4 bathrooms. Oh, the horror.

The third floor of the place is for kids -- it's been converted into a so-called Fantasyland ... featuring a classroom, library, diner, theater stage and 4 themed bedrooms, including a Peter Pan room and Princess room.

The mansion is 10,830 square feet, and it sits on nearly 50 acres ... on Isleboro, one of the many tiny islands off the Maine coastline.

Diamonds, Bugattis, sushi ... and scantily clad butts.

That's what surrounded Floyd Mayweather at his 44th birthday bash on Thursday night -- a wild "futuristic" event in Florida.

The boxing superstar rolled up to "The Venue" in Fort Lauderdale for a massive bash dubbed, "Floyd's Futuristic 44th Birthday Extravaganza."

He arrived in one of his $2 million Bugatti supercars -- dripping in millions of dollars worth of diamond chains.

On the way in, he was asked for an update on his recently postponed exhibition boxing match with Logan Paul -- is it still going to happen?

"I know it's going to happen," Floyd said ... "We just want make sure everything is right and everything is where it should be."

Inside, the party was wild -- tons of food, live music, booze, and hot ladies on rollerskates to entertain the crowd.

The venue is called "The Venue" -- it's a massive 32,000 square foot event space "outfitted with the most advanced technology in sound and lighting, special effects including laser capability and 3D Projection Mapping," according to its website.

In other words, it's super high tech.

Celeb guests included Rick Ross, Larsa Pippen, Jacquees (who performed) and President Joe Biden's brother, Frank Biden.

Floyd's cake was pretty cool too, complete with money and a private jet ... he shared the party with friend Jas 'Limitless' Mathur who plunked down $700k for the bash. We're told there was $200k worth of champagne, ice sculptures and dancers to complete the vibe.

We're told there was a COVID protocol in place -- people were screened at the door, temperature checks and an emphasis on social distancing.

That said, Floyd did not appear to be wearing a mask at any point of the evening.

Mayweather doesn't actually turn 44 until Feb. 24th -- but he clearly wanted to get the party started early.

Justin and Hailey Bieber can only boast owning one multi-million dollar home in Beverly Hills now ... and they took a hit on the pad Justin pretty much wanted to sell from the jump.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Biebers closed Thursday on the sale of their 6,132-square-foot, 5-bed, 7-bath mansion and pocketed $7,955,000.

Thing is, JB bought the place in March 2019 for $8.5 mil ... so it's a pretty substantial hit.

As you may recall ... just months after buying the property -- which includes a wine cellar, home theater and bar inside and a pool, cabana, and fire pit outside -- he put it on the market via Instagram, saying "I'll sell it with all the furniture. MAKE AN OFFER."

Seems someone finally did, and we're told "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" stars Josh and Matt Altman and Ariana Grande's real estate agent/fiancé Dalton Gomez of the Aaron Kirman Group team at Compass worked with the Biebers to seal the deal. The Altmans and Gomez had no comment.

Steven Schaefer and Jay Luchs of Schaefer & Luchs represented the new buyer.

Fear not ... Justin and Hailey still have a place to hang their hats ...like we told you ... this was just one of 2 Bev Hills mansions they owned.

Huge props to Dak Prescott ... the Cowboys superstar just helped homeless people in Dallas deal with the tragic snowstorms -- this despite him possibly not having a future in the city.

TMZ Sports has learned ... a temporary OurCalling homeless shelter in Dallas was overwhelmed this week as hundreds of people in need tried to escape the crippling effects of the nasty weather that's hit the region.

And, when Dak found out, we're told he reached out with a huge helping hand.

Neither the org. nor Dak's camp would reveal the donation amount -- but it's fair to say everyone is more than happy with the quarterback's gesture.

A spokesperson for OurCalling says Dak's donation was able to help around 1,000 people Thursday ... and those who got the aid were thrilled.

The spokesperson says many of them were in Dallas Cowboys jackets and sweatshirts ... and were so pumped to hear Dak helped, they were high-fiving at the shelter.

"It means the world to the homeless community," the spokesperson said.

Of course, Dak's charitable move means so much more when you consider he might not even be playing in Dallas in a few months.

Prescott is currently in a contract dispute with the Cowboys ... and there's speculation it could lead to a divorce.

So, big ups to the QB for setting that all aside and helping those in need regardless.