What’s Happening?
Well-known YouTuber Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, will make his NASCAR debut in February. The Nebraska native announced he will drive Rette Jones Racing’s No. 30 Ford in the ARCA season opener at Daytona.
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It’s Daytona… Brother…
Mitchell has 4.07 million subscribers on the Cleetus McFarland YouTube Channel. His content focuses on automotive videos and includes a healthy amount of drag racing.
In early 2020, he made waves in the broader NASCAR community by purchasing the disheveled short-track Desoto Speedway and converting it into “the Freedom Factory.”
Despite his short history with NASCAR, Mitchell tested his first stock car in ARCA preseason practice at Daytona International Speedway last weekend. This practice session allowed Mitchell to practice racing on the Superspeedway, racing in a pack, and racing in the draft.
Mitchell highlighted this experience at Daytona in a YouTube video on his YouTube Channel. A notable portion of this video shows former NASCAR Truck and Xfinity Series Champion Greg Biffle showing Mitchell how to race at Daytona.
During the test, Mitchell found himself as high as first with a 49.798 lap. In 2023, Conor Mosack set the pole for the ARCA 200 at Daytona at 49.396; his testing lap would have placed Mitchell 16th in that 39-car field.
This start will not be Mitchell’s first experience in professional racing. In 2022, he competed in six Stadium Super Trucks events. Mitchell finished ninth in points that season and had a best finish of second at Bristol.
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What Team Is Mitchell Racing With?
Rette Jones Racing is a regular in the ARCA Menards Series and has entered races in the main ARCA tour as well as the Series East and West divisions. In 2024, RJR entered multiple drivers throughout the season, earning a best finish of 8th at Mid-Ohio with IndyCar driver Conor Daly.
RJR has a history of being competitive at Daytona. In 2019, driver Grant Quinlan finished a team-high of third for the team in the season opener. In 2023, the team made similar headlines when they fielded actor-turned-driver Frankie Muniz in his first full-time stock car racing season.
Mitchell enters what might be the best ARCA season opener in years. Not only will the race be live on the main FOX network, but it will also feature four-time Indianapolis 500 Hélio Castroneves and international racing veteran Katherine Legge. The Feb. 15 race will also feature renowned ARCA rookies and NASCAR National Series regulars.
In a month full of surprises, this is yet another major storyline as Daytona Speedweek draws closer.
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