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…
NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell gave his take on Cleetus McFarland’s recent denial by NASCAR to race in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Talladega Superspeedway during a recent podcast episode, saying that the YouTube sensation must progress through NASCAR’s developmental ranks “the right way.”
It didn’t take long for YouTube star Garrett Mitchell, better known by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, to find out how steep NASCAR’s ladder truly is.
Following his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Rockingham Speedway, NASCAR effectively hit the pause button on his push toward superspeedway racing last week, announcing that the 30-year-old would not be able to race in the NASCAR OAP Series race at Talladega later this month.
This week, however, in the aftermath of that decision, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell finally addressed the situation, laying out what Mitchell needs to do next to keep the ball rolling.
When asked about social media influencers’ path forward on the latest episode of Door, Bumper, Clear, O’Donnell reiterated that, despite the opinions of some fans, NASCAR evaluates drivers race by race, not by popularity.
“It’s kind of every race. So, we go to the next race, we’ll see. Obviously, there’s some progression we need to see,” O’Donnell said. “I applaud the team. It’s a tough call; he’s a hugely popular driver, but these are the best drivers in the world, and we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got the right guys out there.”
O’Donnell added:
“There’s always controversy of who’s approved, who’s not approved, but I think it was the right call. Let’s see what he does at the next race. Certainly, we’d like to see him keep progressing, but he’s got to do it the right way.” — Steve O’Donnell
As of now, Mitchell remains eligible to compete in Craftsman Truck Series races and short-track events in the O’Reilly Series while his deal with RCR keeps him in competitive equipment. But the sanctioning body expects more progress from Mitchell before granting superspeedway approval.
What’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
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