What’s Happening?

Despite a strong showing in the early laps of his ARCA season opener, Cleetus McFarland had an up-and-down performance at the World Center of Racing. Early on, he had a modest day in the top 5, rising as high as 3rd. But a broken jack on pit road put him behind the eight ball and trapped him a lap down. A string of late race cautions, however, played in his favor and he was able to make the lap back up. Back in contention, the YouTube sensation managed to rally back to an 11th place finish.

Truck Series driver Rio Ruggiero ended up taking his No. 18 JGR Toyota to victory lane.

"The stars are aligning." 👀

The Zig vs. Zag decision went his way this year. Checking in with Cleetus McFarland after he avoided that crash at Daytona. pic.twitter.com/rD6LuNGgfF

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 14, 2026

After the race, FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass caught up with McFarland. This is what he had to say:

And Cleetus McFarland on barely avoiding the spinning car of Alli Owens amid the smoke during the ARCA race. Zigged and zagged. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/jjT4CmbBBD

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 14, 2026

Race Results

Race Results Still Pending.

• After a disappointing crash last night in the Truck season opener that ended his debut in the series on Lap 6, Cleetus McFarland returned to the familiar stomping grounds of the ARCA Menards Series. He showed some serious speed in the draft early on before falling behind due to pit road issues.
• Even prior to his issues in non-competitive pit stops, there were some drivers in the race who were a bit hesitant to work with the driver of the No. 30 due to his instability in the draft.
• This race marked McFarland’s fifth start in the series, his best being a 9th at Charlotte last year. The rest of his schedule is still to be determined. But surely, he’ll make more starts in the ARCA and Truck series throughout the year as he continues his quest to one day run in the Great American Race.

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