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…
Like any other industry, NASCAR has seen many families pass down the “Family Business” of racing from generation to generation. A few families have reached a different stratosphere of success, and some have been a part of NASCAR since the sport was founded. Here are the most iconic NASCAR families.
The France family is the founding family of NASCAR, and that says it all. Over more than 75 years, multiple generations have had a hand in growing NASCAR from a fledgling stock car series, to a regional attraction, to a national phenomenon. Nowadays, it’s Jim France as the sport’s CEO, and he is the 4th member of the family to hold that spot.
The Petty family was the first family to make NASCAR racing a full-time family business. It started with Lee Petty, then it went down the generations to Richard (“The King”), to Kyle, to the late Adam. Nowadays, the Petty family still lives on with Richard’s grandson Thad Moffitt racing full-time in the Truck Series. With 262 Cup Series wins and 10 Cup Series Championships, no family has accounted for more wins and Championships at the sports’ top level.
The Earnhardt family spans 3 generations, but, the anchor of the Earnhardt legacy has always been 7-time Cup Series Champion Dale Earnhardt, the son of former racer Ralph Earnhardt. Since then, his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. put together a Hall of Fame Career of his own, and he is arguably the most recognizable face in the sport today, despite not driving anymore. Dale’s other son Kerry alongside nephew Jeffrey carries on the Earnhardt legacy as well.
The Wood Brothers created one of the fiercest NASCAR teams of the early years of the sport. They have been in the sport since the beginning, and the red and white Number 21 car is about as iconic as any in the series. They have 99 wins with the likes of David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, A.J. Foyt, and Kyle Petty all winning races for the team.
Bill Elliott alongside his brothers Ernie and Dan created an incredible force of a race team in the 1980s. Bill went on to win 44 races and the 1988 Cup Series Championship, a legacy carried on by his son, Chase. Chase Elliott won the Cup in 2020, and he is still writing the Elliott family story.
The Labontes became the first brothers to win Cup Series Championships, with Terry winning in 1984 and 1996, and Bobby in 2000. They all did so thanks to the dedication of their father, Bob, who supported the two’s racing endeavors. Bob has since passed away, but, the legacy his sons left on the sport thanks to his help cannot be understated.
“Gentleman” Ned Jarrett and his son Dale have impacted NASCAR both on and off the track. After successful driving careers in which both won Championships, they both went on to have incredible careers in NASCAR broadcasting. Ned worked for both CBS and ESPN alongside the likes of Ken Squier, Bob Jenkins, and Benny Parsons. Dale now works for NBC, but, he spent time before that at ESPN working alongside Alan Bestwick.
Buck and his son Buddy Baker both made a name for themselves in the earlyish days of the sport. While Buck was a 2-time Champion, Buddy was a great racer in his own right, as the first race car driver to exceed 200 MPH on a closed course at Talladega in 1970. Both are enshrined in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
The Allison family accounts for 3 NASCAR Hall of Famers, more than any other family on this list. There’s Bobby who won the 1983 Cup Series Championship and 84 races, and Donnie who added 10 wins against many of the sport’s greats. Davey Allison is forever one of NASCAR’s Greatest What If?’s, but, that should not overshadow his 19 career wins in only 191 starts.
The brother tandem of Darrell and Michael Waltrip accounts for 88 Cup Series wins and 3 Daytona 500s. While Darrell had by far the best overall career, Michael has the edge in Daytona 500 wins with 2 to Darrell’s 1. Both went on to enjoy solid broadcasting careers at Fox, with Michael being a current color analyst for Truck Series broadcasts.
Honorable Mentions: The Busch Family, The Wallace Family, The Bodine Family
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’s Happening? Despite his internet fame, Garrett Mitchell, by his screen name Cleetus McFarland, has recently taken to stock car racing…
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
What’s Happening? Garrett Mitchell, better known by his online persona Cleetus McFarland, says his 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule…
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.
What’s Happening? Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, will make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut next month at…
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Actor turned NASCAR driver Frankie Muniz, and his team, Team Reaume, have released the render for his first-ever NASCAR Throwback paint scheme.
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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 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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