For now, Cleetus McFarland is going to have to stick to short-track racing in NASCAR.
McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, had intentions on running the upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Unfortunately for the Nebraska native, it was announced on Tuesday, April 7, that he will not be approved to compete in the race. After making his series debut on Saturday at Rockingham, McFarland is only approved to run on short tracks.
Cleetus McFarland reacts to Talladega disapproval
McFarland broke the news regarding his denial of an entry in the O’Reilly Series race at Talladega via a Facebook video.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I wanted you to hear it from me first that I have been denied by NASCAR to run Talladega in my O’Reilly car. Made my O’Reilly debut last Saturday with hopes of getting approval for Talladega, but they did not see enough,” McFarland said.
McFarland made his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut last Saturday at Rockingham Speedway, piloting the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
The 31-year-old started the race 35th and posted a 32nd-place finish. McFarland conceded that the race did not go his way as he spun out numerous times, once bringing out a caution.
NASCAR was hoping to see more out of McFarland, he said, adding that they would like to see the YouTube star run more ARCA Menards Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races.
“Nonetheless, NASCAR has said we’re going to need to see you run more ARCA and more Trucks. I’m fully approved for Trucks, which I have some of those on my schedule coming up. In the O’Reilly, I am still limited to short tracks,” McFarland said.
While it was certainly a bummer for McFarland and his fans, the internet personality knows he needs more time behind the wheel before he can take the next step.
“It is what it is. I need more windshield time, regardless of whether it’s in an O’Reilly car, an ARCA car, or a truck — more windshield time is going to help me. I’ve got a lot to learn, guys. This isn’t as much of a step back or a push down as it seems,” McFarland said.
NASCAR’s reaction to McFarland Talladega denial
John Probst, NASCAR Executive Vice President, made a statement following McFarland’s denial.
Probst made it known that they are huge fans of McFarland. They watch all of his videos and are appreciative of what he has done for the sport so far.
However, Probst said they would like to see more out of McFarland on the short tracks. He went on to say they are not ruling McFarland out of racing at Talladega for good, but it is a no for now.
“We’d like to see more out of Cleetus in the short tracks. So we’re not saying no, but there is more that we would like to see out of Cleetus before we would approve him for Talladega,” Propst said.
On top of his O’Reilly debut, McFarland posted his best outing in the ARCA Menards Series to date on Saturday at Rockingham. Piloting the No. 30 car, McFarland scored a fourth-place finish.
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