Cleetus McFarland Details His Next NASCAR Race
What’s Happening? Another podcast appearance and another trip to an iconic NASCAR track are added to Garrett Mitchell’s ARCA schedule. On…
During his interview with NASCAR veteran Corey LaJoie on the latest episode of Stacking Pennies, Garrett Mitchell, also known as Cleetus McFarland, spoke about his long-term plans with NASCAR. The 29-year-old pointed out that he is going to take his time working through NASCAR, citing some drivers who take the jump too early.
With 4.23 million subscribers on YouTube, Garrett Mitchell, who goes by the stage name Cleetus McFarland, brought hundreds of thousands of viewers to his NASCAR debut in the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona. Mitchell started 27th after a rained-out qualifying session and finished 30th after a lap 19 crash.
While this was in the fourth tier of NASCAR touring divisions, Mitchell has been open about his pursuit of racing in a Daytona 500 at some point. However, he has been equally outspoken about taking his time getting there. This includes another ARCA start at Talladega on Apr. 26 and, as announced on this episode of Stacking Pennies, a start at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 11.
After announcing he would race at Bristol, Mitchell opened up about why he was taking his time working his way through NASCAR. “The dumbest thing I could possibly do is do what everyone else is trying to do and just jump to Cup, and then they look like idiots.”
Mitchell goes on to say that he has seen multiple drivers take this approach and fail repeatedly.
“Like, we see it time and time again where some motorsports person with some pull—whatever they had, previous wins or… power and fame or whatever—they get a ride in Cup, and they just get humiliated because you can’t hang with these guys.” — Garrett Mitchell
Mitchell told LaJoie and co-host Ryan “Skip” Flores that while that is a path to the Cup, running behind is not what he wants to do. He wants to work his way up the ladder and prove himself worthy. “I’m just gonna run ARCA until I feel ready to go run Xfinity,” Mitchell said. “And then when I feel ready to run Cup, I’m gonna run Cup or [a] Truck.”
What’s Happening? Another podcast appearance and another trip to an iconic NASCAR track are added to Garrett Mitchell’s ARCA schedule. On…
While Mitchell did not cite any specific names, for current NASCAR fans, perhaps a few quickly came to mind, both of which raced with him at Daytona.
First could perhaps be, Katherine Legge, a veteran open-wheel and IMSA racer, who made her Cup Series debut at Phoenix with little to no experience at that level. Legge’s debut was controversial, as the already slow No. 78 was heavily off-pace and involved in multiple spins.
The second could be four-time Indianapolis 500 Champion Hélio Castroneves, who entered the Daytona 500 with Trackhouse Racing. Castroneves had a miserable speed week, having to fall back on his provisional to enter the 500 and wrecking 70 laps into the race.
While both of these are recent examples, a large portion of fans and some drivers blamed NASCAR’s inconsistent approval process for these world-class drivers’ failures. Furthermore, drivers much less deserving of ascending the ranks in what could be determined as an undeserving manner have also been a major issue throughout the history of NASCAR.
This decision by Mitchell will likely garner respect for the veteran amongst his peers in the garage area, as the content creator is already an outsider.
What’s Happening? A new report claims that NASCAR Cup Series veteran Daniel Suarez was “explaining ‘very, very basic things'” to four-time…
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Chris Gabehart has responded to Joe Gibbs Racing’s lawsuit, strongly denying the allegations and calling the claims “false,” “frivolous,” and “retaliatory” in a public statement released this Friday.
After the lawsuit became public, on Thursday, Gabehart spoke out for the first time, stating that he did not share any confidential JGR information with Spire Motorsports or any third parties and that he intends to prove that in court. He also said a third-party forensic review of his personal devices found no evidence supporting the accusations, adding that JGR declined an offer to examine Spire’s systems before filing suit.
“Yesterday afternoon, Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit claiming — falsely — that I shared JGR confidential information with Spire Motorsports and/or other unnamed third parties… I feel compelled to speak out today and forcefully and emphatically deny these frivolous and retaliatory claims.”
Gabehart said he will address the matter further in a formal legal response in the coming days.
You can learn more about the lawsuit, why it started and all the context surrounding it in the article linked below
Weather could play a major role in the NASCAR weekend at EchoPark Speedway, with current forecasts calling for a 40% chance of rain Saturday afternoon and increasing to 55% in the evening. While conditions are expected to improve, contingency plans are already in place in case races cannot be completed as scheduled
NASCAR has not announced any official schedule changes yet, as decisions will be based on how conditions develop in real time. With rain chances increasing through Saturday afternoon and evening, teams are preparing for multiple outcomes, and Sunday is expected to serve as the primary backup window if events can’t be completed as planned.
Conditions are constantly being monitored, but fans should be prepared for possible schedule adjustments throughout the weekend. We’ll keep you updated throughout the race weekend here on The Daily Downforce
Just when things finally seemed to calm down in the NASCAR garage, a bombshell dropped. Joe Gibbs Racing is officially suing former competition director Chris Gabehart, and the allegations are serious. Power struggles, confidential data, secret photos, and a potential move to Spire Motorsports.
From competition department tension to an $8 million damages figure, this lawsuit could have major implications beyond just one team. Gabehart helped elevate Denny Hamlin back into championship form and played a key role in JGR’s recent success, which makes this split even more shocking. This preview only scratches the surface. The full breakdown dives into the timeline, the alleged evidence, and what this could mean for the Cup Series balance of power moving forward. Watch the full video to learn much more
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