UPDATE: Cleetus McFarland Will Race in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series This Year
What’s Happening? YouTube star-turned-NASCAR driver Garrett Mitchell, best known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, has signed a part-time deal to…
For the second week in a row, the greatest drivers in the world will be taking left and right turns as they head out west, to Wine Country. One of the longest-tenured road courses on the NASCAR schedule, Sonoma Raceway is a staple and a very special track in the eyes of many. Going into the race today, Shane van Gisbergen was the odds on favorite to win. He won last week at Chicago and last month down in Mexico City. He was looking to continue that momentum today.
Meanwhile, some in the field have grown annoyed with the narrative that SVG is unbeatable at road courses. A. J. Allmendinger and Michael McDowell were hoping to dispute that story and steal a win away from SVG in today’s Toyota Save Mart 350. Another thing to keep an eye on is the in-season tournament. Was Ty Dillon able to defeat Alex Bowman and continue his Cinderella story into the final four? Or did the number 48 HMS Chevy prevail? Which of the Legacy Motor Club cars advanced after their head-to-head matchup?
Let’s break all that down and more. Here’s everything that happened in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway.
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The final stage kicked off with a bang. SVG led the field to the green. Chase Briscoe raced him hard, but SVG was ultimately able to clear the No. 19. We got our first caution for an incident on Lap 62 when Chris Buescher and Ryan Blaney got together. This resulted in Blaney losing control off the course and getting into the bank heading into turn 1. Meanwhile, Bubba Wallace got loose, clipping the curb. He spun out and collected his team owner, Denny Hamlin. There was minimal damage to the two Toyotas. However, Blaney received moderate damage on the front end. Blaney was towed from the embankment and was able to continue. However, he lost a lap in the process.
Just inside 30 laps to go, teams started top take their final green flag pit stops of the race. Once everything cycled through, SVG reassumed the lead, followed by Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, and Michael McDowell rounding out the top 10. The caution came out with fifteen laps to go when Cody Ware had a right rear tire fly off the car. This wasn’t a caution that SVG wanted to see because it opened the door for alternate strategies. SVG and a host of others stayed out during this caution. However, Chase Elliott, in a last-ditch effort to shake things up, led a majority of the field down pit road. He restarted in 14th.
The race restarted, and shortly thereafter, we got a big wreck when Noah Gragson spun around. Ryan Preece made hard contact with the No. 4 car, ending Gragson’s day. The race restarted with 7 laps to go. Chase Briscoe restarted strong, taking the battle to SVG. But the No. 88 was ultimately able to clear. Through the esses, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. got out of shape and slammed into the tire barrier, destroying it. The caution came out once more.
The race restarted with 4 laps to go. Once again, SVG powered to the lead, clearing Chase Briscoe in the process. Chase Elliott restarted in 7th and started to work his way up into the top 5. Deep in the pack, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney spun around. The No. 5 car suffered damage on the back end. No caution. The field went on to take three laps to go. Chase Elliott cleared Christopher Bell. The No. 9 was through to 3rd. With two to go, however, Elliott got off course. This resulted in him losing his pace, playing into SVG’s hands. SVG went on to take the white flag. The next flag ended the race. That flag was the checkered. For the third time this year, Shane van Gisbergen wins in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Despite not being too happy with his car on Saturday during practice, Shane van Gisbergen scored the pole for today’s race. The odds-on favorite, SVG fired off strong, extending his lead to over 6 seconds on over 2nd place William Byron. Briscoe ran 3rd, Chastain 4th, and A. J. Allmendinger rounded out the top 5.
There were no incidents to bring out the caution in this stage. Therefore, we saw a number of green flag pit stops. With 5 to go, pit road became a busy place with drivers opting to flip the stages. SVG pitted, coming to 2 to go and the other leaders followed him in. Meanwhile, committed to pick up some stage points, Ross Chastain inherited the lead. SVG filed into 2nd as his lead was so substantial. Chastain went on to win the stage. The following are the top 10 points earnhers to end the stage.
Shane van Gisbergen reassumed the lead to start stage 2. Again, the number 88 Chevy rocketed out front. However, this time, he wasn’t able to pull away like he did in the first stage. Still, he held the lead until his green flag pit stop, where he once again opted to flip the stage. Briscoe, Blaney, and Buescher were now in play inside the top 5. Elliott was sixth and Ty Gibbs faded to 8th. All of these drivers forfeited their positions for track position in the final stage.
SVG pitted with two laps to go in the stage. Kyle Larson, the defending winner of the race, opted to go for stage points. With him on this strategy were Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bubba Wallace, and Ty Dillon. The 88 merged back in line in the second position, a half-second behind race leader Larson. With one to go in the stage, SVG retook the lead from Larson. With fresher tires, Larson was no match for SVG. Shane van Gisbergen went on to win the stage. It was his third career stage win.
Surprisingly, Justin Haley scored the Xfinity Fastest Lap Bonus Point. This is the first time the No. 7 car scored the fastest lap in the race all season long.
The following are the unofficial results. An update will be posted once teams have cleared post-race inspection.
UPDATE: Post-race inspection has been completed. There were no issues. The race results are hereby official.
The following drivers have clinched playoff berths by winning this season.
These drivers are currently in the NASCAR Playoffs on points.
The following drivers are on the outside looking in.
*Driver who advanced to the next round are presented in BOLD.
That’s a wrap in Sonoma, race fans. What did you think of this race? Did you expect the sheer dominant performance we got out of SVG today? Or, did you think someone would put up a better fight? Let us know what you’re thinking! Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates. Also, continue to tune into DailyDownforce.com throughout the week for all the latest news stories fresh from the NASCAR garage.
Next week, we return to the norm. Dover Motor Speedway is next up on the NASCAR schedule. Tune back in next week as well for our coverage from the Monster Mile.
Garrett Mitchell, better known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, says his 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule isn’t set in stone, something the YouTube star explained to Dale Earnhardt Jr on the latest episode of The Dale Jr Download.
One of the biggest surprises in recent NASCAR news is that YouTube star Cleetus McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, will make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut next month at Rockingham Speedway.
Mitchell, who has just won a NASCAR National Series start to his name, will make this start with Richard Childress Racing in their No. 33 car as part of a part-time development contract that will see him make starts in 2026 and 2027.
Per Mitchell, his contract will cover three races per season, though he hinted it could be more in a Facebook post. Nonetheless, fans are eagerly awaiting an official schedule of what other tracks Mitchell and RCR will tackle in 2026.
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a little longer for this schedule, as the 30-year-old Floridian explained during a recent interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr, his 2026 schedule is still up in the air a month ahead of his first race.
During an interview on the latest episode of the Dale Jr Download, Mitchell told Earnhardt that while he plans to race the superspeedways after Rockingham, with his sights set on Talladega’s April 25 or October 24 race weekend, the decision lies in the hands of NASCAR.
“NASCAR said I cannot run Talladega unless I go to Rockingham first and do well,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell then clarified that while he will have a rookie test for Rockingham, the race at Rockingham will determine his eligibility to race at Talladega.
What’s Happening? YouTube star-turned-NASCAR driver Garrett Mitchell, best known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, has signed a part-time deal to…
Mitchell, who has two ARCA starts at Daytona and one at Talladega, has already taken a rookie test this season at Rockingham for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Despite a minor crash during this test, Mitchell was cleared to race in the season-opening race at Daytona, crashing himself in a single truck spin five laps into the race, after a valiant qualifying effort.
Even with the barrier of Rockingham in the way, fans are already somewhat concerned about McFarland’s skills, given the result of his short time behind the wheel of a truck.
During this episode of The DJD, Mitchell expressed his intentions to work his way up the ladder and learn, but with the caveat that if an opportunity presents itself to him, he will take it, using the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Cup Series as a metaphorical example.
“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
Despite his doubters, with the support of RCR and their developmental tools, Mitchell seems confident about the opportunity, already getting in some sim time with RCR.
Either way, no matter how much support he has in his corner, Mitchell is diving in headfirst once again with this opportunity.
What’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Lionel has officially opened pre-orders for Garrett Mitchell’s (better known as Cleetus McFarland) first-ever NASCAR diecast.
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
YouTube star-turned-NASCAR driver Garrett Mitchell, best known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, has signed a part-time deal to race with Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for the next two seasons.
UPDATE 3:00 PM EST: Per RCR Mitchell will make his debut at Rockingham Speedway on April 4.
What’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
