Cleetus McFarland Will Return to NASCAR in 2026

What’s Happening?

Following his final ARCA Menards Series race Thursday afternoon, YouTube star Garrett Mitchell, better known by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has already confirmed he is making plans for 2026.

"It kicked my butt."

Cleetus McFarland discusses his ARCA race of this season. Don’t worry though, he’ll be back in 2026.
Presenting Partner: @MyPlaceHotels pic.twitter.com/T6OGn9huhb

— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) September 11, 2025

After the race, Mitchell talked about his Bristol struggles with Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch, saying, “I got my butt kicked.” Despite his struggles, the rookie driver also confirmed he will be back on a part-time basis in 2026, later clarifying to CBS Sports’ Steven Taranto that nothing is lined up yet beyond it being a part-time effort.

During Thursday afternoon’s race the 30-year-old YouTuber turned racer brought home Rette Jones Racing’s No. 30 in 17th, finishing seven laps down. Throughout the race, he was running around 14th to 17th, and the afternoon was made all the more difficult after a downed left front tire hampered him late in the race.

Mitchell made his ARCA debut at Daytona in February, racing with RJR. Though that race did not go as planned, with the No. 30 only completing 17 laps, the well-known YouTuber would later confirm during an appearances on Dale Jr’s podcast The Dale Jr Download, and on Corey LaJoie’s Stacking Pennines, that he was racing at Talladega in April and Bristol in September.

At Talladega, Mitchell broke new ground in his young racing career, showing skill on the superspeedway and finishing 10th. Prior to his race this week, he also added a date at Charlotte in May, where he finished ninth despite a learning moment on a restart in which he spun his tires and wrecked Isabella Robusto.

Throughout the 2025 season, Mitchell has not shied away from the fact that he wants to race in either the 2027 or 2028 Daytona 500, though he has also said in multiple interviews that he wants to work his way to that level, rather than jump in the water headfirst.

Though it is unknown what his plans for next season are, it would be easy to assume that the Craftsman Truck Series could be a part of those plans, with rumors of interest from new OEM Ram, though Ram’s CEO has denied Mitchell’s involvement in their program.

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