ARCA: Cleetus McFarland Earns Runner-Up Finish at Talladega

What’s Happening?

While it may have been disappointing when Cleetus McFarland’s lackluster performance in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Rockingham didn’t get him approved to run this afternoon’s race at NASCAR’s biggest track, the ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway was still circled on his schedule. He finished 10th in the race last year and followed that up with his best finish in ARCA to date, a 9th at Charlotte last spring.

Now, though, there’s a new best finish on Cleetus McFarland’s resume as the checkered flag flies in Talladega, Alabama. In contention all race long, Cleetus ran a smart race and took advantage of a little luck thrown in his race late to put himself in contention to win his first-ever ARCA Menards Series race. And though he isn’t the one hoisting the trophy in victory lane this afternoon, he still put together a strong showing, finishing runner-up to eventual race winner, Andy Jankowiak. More importantly, he put on a fantastic show for his legion of fans.

Fast Notes:

• Per ARCA rules, and due to a weekend plagued by weather, the field was lined up by owner points. This forced Cleetus McFarland to start the race in the 20th position.
• Luckily for McFarland, it didn’t take long before the field broke apart and he was able to navigate his No. 30 Ford through the sludge and up into the Top 10.
• By the time of the halftime break on Lap 41, Cleetus found himself solidly inside the top 5, running in the 2nd position behind race leader Gio Ruggiero.
• Following the halftime break, Cleetus made his way to the front, leading the first handful of laps of his ARCA racing career.
• Ultimately, Cleetus led some laps today and earned his first runner-up finish in his ARCA Menards Series career, besting his previous best finish of 9th at Charlotte nearly one year ago.

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