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…
Fuel saving was the name of the game at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, and Denny Hamlin has a solution to the issue, shorter races. Would shorter races mitigate the fuel-saving issues at drafting tracks?
The easiest way to get rid of fuel saving, at least in the stages, is to allow the drivers to make it to the end of the stage without pitting. If they don’t have to pit, then, there’s no incentive to save fuel. Denny Hamlin’s solution for this is to shorten superspeedway races from 500 miles to 400 miles.
What NASCAR could do is just take this take the superspeedway races down to 400 miles, and then the stages would probably line up quite a bit better. If a stage was a fuel run, we would never save because we’re always going to fight for stage points. That’s why we’re fuel saving. We’re fighting to have a little better pit stop 10 laps before the end of a stage so we can jump ahead of the next guy. That’s the whole game that we’re playing
Denny Hamlin
Currently, fuel runs on superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega are between 40-45 laps, so, stages need to be about 40 laps or shorter for drivers to safely make it on one fuel run. Hamlin will get his wish, sort of, at the next superspeedway race at Daytona.
The Coke Zero 400 features a 35-lap stage one and a 60-lap stage two before a 65-lap sprint to the end. Stage one is less than a fuel run, so, there is no incentive to save fuel in stage one, but, stages two and three require a pit stop.
With Hamlin’s idea of shortening races, there is no way to evenly split the stages so all three are less than a fuel run long. As long as there is a pit stop before the end of the race or stage, drivers have an incentive to save fuel. Even if NASCAR got rid of stage breaks, drivers would still be incentivized to save fuel because they could either shorten the final stop or try to complete the race on as few pit stops as possible.
Frankly, NASCAR needs to change the entire meta of superspeedway racing to de-incentivize fuel saving. Modern superspeedway racing is all about track position, and Denny Hamlin said so on this podcast. He said this about how the drag of the current superspeedway package affects how drivers can pass.
When you go to pull out of line and actually pass, it is a parachute. It’s like pulling a dragster parachute when you’re done with your with your run. The car stops immediately because it’s so heavy on drag.
Denny Hamlin
Hamlin proposed rectifying this issue by creating different engine packages for different tracks, but, he also admitted that NASCAR would not go for it due to costs. A different engine package with less horsepower would negate the amount of drag the Next-Gen car would have because, instead of slowing the car down with aerodynamics, it would slow it down via mechanical means.
The fuel saving at Talladega did create an interesting aesthetic, particularly during stage one. The field was 3-wide all the way through, which was interesting to see, but, the drivers weren’t actively racing, they were saving fuel. That’s evidenced by having no cautions for incidents through the first two stages.
The drivers do not like the excessive fuel saving at superspeedways. It makes sense because, instead of actively racing and trying to make their way to the front, they have to lay back and save fuel.
Does it beat the single-file train racing often seen from previous packages? It at least looks better, but, if the drivers are just riding around, is it any better? That’s the tough balance to strike with this debate.
The bottom line is that NASCAR needs to take some big swings to get rid of fuel savings. However, it’s not an easy task.
YouTube star Garrett Mitchell, best known to the online world by his persona Cleetus McFarland, recently told Dale Earnhardt Jr that while he doesn’t want to race in the NASCAR Cup Series yet, if the opportunity came his way, he might have to take it.
The recent NASCAR news cycle has seen its fair share of drama and hot-button issues, with active litigation between a team and its former Competition Director, overly aggressive driving from a top prospect, and a major injury to a driver all sharing the spotlight this week.
But, hands down the biggest story of all is YouTube mega star Garrett Mitchell, who goes by the name Cleetus McFarland, getting his shot to develop as a NASCAR driver as part of a new three-race per season, two-year contract with Richard Childress Racing.
Mitchell, who has brought unrivaled attention to the ARCA Menards and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, is now set to make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut next month at Rockingham Speedway. But, this isn’t without controversy.
While Mitchell, who has the goal of racing in the Daytona 500 one day, has often stated he intends to work his way up the ladder slowly, fans have taken issue with his rapid ascent this season.
While Mitchell is continuing to get reps in ARCA this year, the drama started with a test at Rockingham, where the Floridian, who was seeking approval to race in the season-opening Truck Series race at Daytona, wrecked his truck, but still received approval.
At Daytona, Mitchell spun himself out just five laps into the race, something he laughed about and admitted was a learning experience.
Now that Mitchell has his eyes on racing at tracks like Talladega and Daytona in NASCAR’s second-highest division, fans are again raising questions about his goals and his path to the top.
Despite their doubts, Mitchell explained his thought process on working the NASCAR ladder during a recent interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr on The Dale Jr Download.
What’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
In the past, Mitchell has said that he doesn’t want to be the type of driver who jumps from one level to the other, something he reiterated to Earnhardt, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to take the opportunities as they come.
For example, for his Truck Series debut, it was Niece Motorsports part-timer, and motorsports legend, Travis Pastrana, who called Mitchell for the ride, and in this case, it was Richard Childress’ grandson, Ty, who made the call to go OAP Series racing.
In particular, the RCR offer was one that helps Mitchell feel will help develop as a driver, given the team’s history and resources to do so.
“When they called me, they said, ‘We want to help you become the driver we think you can be,'” Mitchell said. “I don’t know, that just is really exciting to me to get that.”
If Mitchell is willing to make such a quick jump to the OAP Series, it’s worth asking if he would be brave enough to do that with the NASCAR Cup Series.
The simple answer to that question is no, though Mitchell asked Earnhardt if someone called him to race in the 500, “What am I supposed to do?”
“A lot of people have joined and immediately tried to just climb to Cup. I don’t want to drive a Cup car right now. But, brother, if someone calls me and says, ‘We got a spot in a Cup car in the Daytona 500?’ I mean, what am I supposed to do?” — Cleetus McFarland
What’s Happening? Garrett Mitchell, better known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, says his 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule…
While it seems Mitchell is still a ways away from racing in the Daytona 500, most fans still have not found comfort in his promotion to the NASCAR OAP Series.
Many reactions from the community, ranging from fans to content creators and even industry members, are quick to point out his inexperience as the real reason he should hold out.
But, overall, it doesn’t seem like many are blaming Mitchell for taking the opportunity at RCR; rather, fans are pushing their frustrations at RCR for this bold move, and others are pointing the finger at NASCAR for its wildly inconsistent approval system.
While it does seem that Mitchell is taking a drastic and sudden step forward, it is worth noting that NASCAR is treating his Rockingham outing as a pseudo test to be eligible for Talladega, and, in an effort to get even more seat time, Mitchell claims he is looking to buy a late model.
Nonetheless, this discussion is far from over, as Rockingham is just a few short weeks away.
What’s Happening? Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, will make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut next month at…
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Actor turned NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz, and his team, Team Reaume, have released the render for his first-ever NASCAR Throwback paint scheme.
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Former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick recently opened up about her departure from Sky Sports Formula One coverage, claiming that she decided to step away from the job at the conclusion of last season.
Since her retirement from racing, Danica Patrick has taken a route that many former drivers take to stick around the sport, working as an analyst for motorsports broadcasts.
Though the former IndyCar and NASCAR star is known for her exploits racing in the United States, in an interesting twist, Patrick’s first major broadcasting work came with Sky Sports as an occasional part of their Formula One coverage.
But after a handful of seasons in her role, a press release ahead of the charter broadcast for this year’s coverage of Formula One did not list Patrick as an analyst.
With fans wondering and speculating who initiated the breakup, or if it was merely a mutual parting of ways, Patrick cleared the air in an interview with Jenna Fryer of AP Sports.
The 43-year-old Wisconsin native said that, while she appreciated her time working in Formula One, it was her decision to step away from her role with the network, telling Fryer, “it was time for me to move on.”
Patrick quietly stepping out of the spotlight as a broadcaster is similar to how she wound down her racing career.
Of course, her time behind the wheel was, at first, one of the biggest stories in motorsports, as the Wisconsin native took IndyCar by storm, winning two poles in her rookie season, and progressing to her first win in 2008, becoming the first ever woman to win a race in IndyCar.
While her stardom still towered over IndyCar, the 28-year-old began moonlighting in NASCAR in 2010, racing in the then-NASCAR Nationwide Series part-time in 2010 and 2011, before going full-time with JR Motorsports in 2012.
She made the jump to full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing in 2013, winning the pole for the Daytona 500.
But, over the years, her time at the front of the sport slowly dwindled, before leaving her full-time ride after 2017, and making one final start in the Cup Series and IndyCar Series in 2018.
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