Denny Hamlin Challenges Cleetus McFarland to “Not be Part of the Story” in O’Reilly Series Debut

What’s Happening?

Amid the ongoing discussion about Cleetus McFarland’s recent signing with Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR legend Denny Hamlin laid out a simple goal for the YouTube star’s series debut.

One of the most important storylines of the early 2026 NASCAR season is the signing of YouTube star Garrett Mitchell, better known by his persona Cleetus McFarland, to a part-time contract to race with Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

While the NASCAR community is supportive of Mitchell’s racing pursuits, fans and industry members are questioning NASCAR’s reasoning behind his approval to race, given his limited experience in the ARCA Menards and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

With Mitchell slated to make his series debut next month at Rockingham Speedway, with hopes of gaining approval to race at Talladega, many have already stepped up to the plate with their takes on the issue, ranging from active NASCAR drivers to content creators, crew members, and even legends of the sport.

Monday, driver and team owner Denny Hamlin joined the discussion surrounding Mitchell’s new NASCAR contract during the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, where the NASCAR legend gave his take on his upcoming race at Rockingham and offered up a simple goal for the 30-year-old rookie.

Hamlin on NASCAR’s Approval Process

One of the biggest topics surrounding Mitchell’s approval to race in NASCAR’s second-highest division is his ability to draw new eyes to NASCAR.

For example, the sport saw major increases in race viewership and online content surrounding Mitchell in 2025, something that continued into his first 2026 race weekend at Daytona, where he raced in the ARCA and Trucks Series.

Some feel that NASCAR’s allowing Mitchell to race at this level is based on his massive following, as opposed to his racing resume, leading fans back to the long-winded debate over NASCAR’s approval system.

Essentially, fans are not frustrated with Mitchell for taking this opportunity, but rather, NASCAR for allowing a driver to jump to a top series with minimal success in a handful of lower division starts.

Hamlin, who says he is certain that Mitchell affects race viewership, agrees that NASCAR should have a more strenuous approval process for new drivers.

“I think that our approval process should be more tough than what it is,” Hamlin said. “I think that there’s a certain standard that we need to hold to ourselves, certainly in the Cup Series.”

Finding Success in “The Deep End”

While Mitchell has yet to race in the Cup Series, something he is open to given the opportunity, he has already passed NASCAR’s test to race in the Truck Series earlier this season, testing a truck at Rockingham.

That test saw Mitchell damage his truck, though, with approval from NASCAR, the rookie was allowed to race in that weekend’s Truck Series race, where he spun and crashed five laps into his series debut.

Hamlin, for one, says that from the start of that race, Mitchell’s No. 4 truck was “out of control”.

“I watched him [Mitchell] in that Truck race at Daytona, and truthfully, he was out of control for all 12 of the laps before he wrecked. You could just see, I could see it. I know this sport. I know what’s in control and out of control. And I was like, ‘Oh man, this is not gonna end well.'” — Denny Hamlin

Hamlin then asked whether or not full-time drivers, who are gunning for a championship, rather than experience, in NASCAR’s second-highest division, should be subjected to the unpredictability of a driver learning the ropes at a track like Rockingham.

When it came to his opinions on Mitchell tackling the Rock for his first NASCAR OAP Series race, Hamlin was short of words, saying that Mitchell’s goal should be to “just not be part of the story.”

“Hopefully he can just not be part of the story. That’s the goal. I think that would be part of the goal, is just Cleetus just go out there, run some laps, enjoy yourself, have fun, get your content. He’s good, he’s a great guy. That is the deep end, that is the deep end, going to a track like that. ” — Denny Hamlin

While this may not be the toughest of challenges, Hamlin explained that Mitchell is going to be behind no matter what. But, this doesn’t mean he can’t get better, as this is a matter of experience, and, as Hamlin said, Mitchell is already improving five starts into his ARCA career.

“From the first race he ran last year to the ARCA race that I saw at Daytona this year, he was better,” Hamlin said. “He was no doubt better. So I think he needs to just keep on his path, get you some more short track experience, intermediate experience, at some lower levels.”

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