Hendrick Motorsports Top Prospect Adds Another Race to His NASCAR Schedule

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - SEPTEMBER 27: Corey Day, driver of the #91 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, looks on prior to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Kubota Tractor 200 at Kansas Speedway on September 27, 2024 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

What’s Happening?

Corey Day, Hendrick Motorsports’ 19-year-old prospect, has added another to his 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sept. 6.

  • Day, a sprint car racing standout in Kyle Larson’s High Limit Series, signed a developmental deal with HMS earlier this season. As part of this deal, he is making part-time starts in the Trans AM, ARCA Menards, NASCAR Truck, and Xfinity Series.
  • This year, Day was initially slated for ten starts in HMS’ No. 17 car, though with the addition of WWT Raceway, he will enter 11 Xfinity Series races. So far, Day has an average finish of 19.2 and a best finish of 11th at Nashville Superspeedway. Though he has struggled, Day is still adjusting to asphalt racing.
  • He has also made seven starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Spire Motorsports and is slated to make his final Truck Series start of the season with the team at Darlington on Saturday. Day started out his year with a pole position at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and a career best 2nd place finish at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July.
  • Prior to this season, Day made sporadic starts in the ARCA Menards Series and Truck Series with support from Hendrickcars.com, a telling sign he was a shoe-in for the HMS pipeline. Right now, there are no clear plans for his 2026 season, though rumors suggest he could be full-time for HMS in the Xfinity Series.

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Cleetus McFarland Doesn’t Want to Race in The Cup Series… Yet

What’s Happening?

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 am I Supposed To Do?”

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

Fallout of Cleetus’ Promotion

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.

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Frankie Muniz Drops First NASCAR Throwback Scheme

What’s Happening?

Actor turned NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz, and his team, Team Reaume, have released the render for his first-ever NASCAR Throwback paint scheme.

  • For his first-ever race at Darlington, Frankie Muniz and Team Reaume will pay tribute to Bill Davis Racing and Dave Blaney, with a throwback to Blaney’s 2000 Amoco No. 93. This is a fitting tribute, as team owner Bill Davis passed away this past fall.
  • The team landed on this design after hosting a poll on X, with the Blaney throwback gaining early support from people like Mike Joy, FOX Sports. Other paint schemes in the running included throwbacks to Lennie Pond, Jeff Gordon, and Robert Pressley.
  • This year, NASCAR is not officially hosting a throwback weekend at Darlington, following several seasons of fans complaining of diminishing returns from the event. Still, some teams like Team Reaume No. 33 and Alpha Prime Racing’s No. 44 have already confirmed their intent to do so.
  • While the Truck Series did not race in last year’s final official throwback weekend, this year’s race marks Muniz’s first start at the track in his short career. During last fall’s race, the now 40-year-old racer was out with an injury, which led to a four-race stretch on the injured list.

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AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 18: Jenson Button, Danica Patrick and Simon Lazenby, Sky Sports F1 prior to Qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 18, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

Danica Patrick Claims She Left F1 Broadcasting Gig

What’s Happening?

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’s Racing Resume

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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