Cleetus McFarland’s 2026 NASCAR Racing Schedule
What’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
YouTube star turned NASCAR driver Cleetus McFarland hinted that he could add even more races to his massive 2026 NASCAR schedule during a recent podcast appearance.
Last season, Garrett Mitchell, who made his name in the online automotive community as Cleetus McFarland, made his NASCAR debut on a limited schedule in the ARCA Menards Series.
Mitchell made four starts in ARCA during the 2025 season, spanning from the season opener at Daytona International Speedway to the ARCA East season finale at Bristol Motor Speedway.
This year, the 31-year-old would stick to the course, initially announcing four ARCA Menards Series races. However, this expanded to five, as he made his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Rockingham, taking on double duty in the ARCA East race that same weekend.
In fact, this weekend’s race at Michigan International Speedway is his final confirmed ARCA race of 2026, as part of another double-duty effort with Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
But things could be changing for Mitchell, as during a recent podcast appearance on Door, Bumper, Clear, Mitchell hinted that he is in talks for more races with Rette Jones Racing.
While recounting his upcoming races this season, which dates into late October with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Talladega, Mitchell noted that RJR co-owner Mark Rette is working on getting him back behind the wheel in ARCA later this year.
“I’m running the Truck and the ARCA car at Michigan and then I think Mark’s got me maybe tuned up on a couple extra ARCA races this year.” — Cleetus McFarland
Though he did not confirm which races this could be, some upcoming tracks fit his tastes, such as the July 3 race at Chicagoland Speedway, or the final two races of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway in September.
So far this year, Mitchell has impressed in the majority of his ARCA starts.
He kicked off his season with an 11th-place finish at Daytona, besting his 2025 mark by quite a bit. He then followed that up with a fourth-place finish in the ARCA East race at Rockingham in early April.
After that, he had a short outing at Kansas Speedway, where he finished 20th after mechanical issues just 75 laps into the race.
Still, the real show from Mitchell came at Talladega, where he managed a close second-place finish after leading 19 laps. While he came up short of the win, many agree that the No. 30 car was likely the best car on track that afternoon.
What’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
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