McFarland Out Early in Daytona After Brutal Impact

What’s Happening?

Cleetus McFarland’s Truck Series debut ended prematurely after the YouTube sensation entertainer and driver crashed hard in the opening laps of tonight’s race. Looking at the replay, heading into the tri-oval, it appears that he got loose and then potentially tagged by the No. 1 truck of Taylor Gray. He was running 10th at the time of the incident.

There's trouble early for Cleetus! pic.twitter.com/82Y9t3SXt4

— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) February 14, 2026

• Cleetus McFarland, aka Garrett Mitchel, began his professional racing career in 2025 with a part-time campaign in the ARCA Menards Series, where he turned some heads. With his ultimate goal being to one day race in the Daytona 500, this looked like a good step forward in fulfilling that dream.
• It was a tough off-season for Mitchel, with his driver coach, biggest supporter, and close friend, Greg Biffle, losing his life in a plane crash. He said in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, he never wanted to race again. However, he decided that he would honor the memory of his friend by continuing to work towards his Daytona 500 dream. Tonight, his No. 4 truck font was stylized after Biffle’s iconic number 16 Roush font.
• Though his truck debut didn’t go as planned, McFarland’s weekend is far from over. He will once again attempt the ARCA Menards Series race on Saturday at Noon, to air on FS1. Last year, he was running in the top 10 when he was caught up in an accident out of his control.

Around the Garage

“I blew it,” McFarland states after being checked and released from the in-field care center.

Cleetus McFarland thankful but frustrated with himself after wreck ends his night a few laps in.

“I blew it.”#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/oHj7VDnNoq

— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) February 14, 2026

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