Cleetus McFarland made it to the finish in his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut on Saturday at Rockingham.
Following the checkered flag in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250, the 31-year-old was already looking ahead to potentially his next race.
After a 32nd-place run at “The Rock,” the YouTube star said on his recent video that an O’Reilly official liked what he saw.
However, McFarland said he will not find out until later this week whether or not he can compete in the upcoming O’Reilly race at Talladega.
McFarland hopeful to receive O’Reilly Talladega approval
Garrett Mitchell, best known for his internet name Cleetus McFarland, posted a 74-minute YouTube video on Sunday documenting his day of racing in the ARCA Menards Series East and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races.
McFarland piloted the No. 30 Ford to a fourth-place finish in the ARCA race. It was the Nebraska native’s first career top-five finish and his best career outing in ARCA.
Wheeling the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, McFarland got a rude awakening in his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut. The internet sensation spun out on four different occasions in the 250-lap race, with one spin-out bringing out a caution.
However, McFarland suffered no damage to his racecar in any of the incidents and wound up placing 32nd after starting 35th.
As he sat in his car on pit road following the race, McFarland was left in disbelief at how difficult it was to race in an O’Reilly car.
“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life,” McFarland said.
Moments later, after he had climbed out of his car, McFarland provided his followers with a positive update on his racing future.
While an O’Reilly official was pleased by his race, McFarland said an approval for Talladega is pending.
“I just talked to the O’Reilly official. He was really happy, but he said for an official approval for Talladega, it’ll be later this week,” McFarland said.
As his team was leaving the racetrack, McFarland expressed his optimism for the upcoming Talladega race.
“Hopefully, we get this Talladega approval,” McFarland said.
How Cleetus McFarland has fared in NASCAR in 2026
While it has not been all successful, McFarland has taken massive steps in his NASCAR career.
He started out the season making his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at Daytona. Unfortunately for the internet personality, it was short-lived as he crashed out of the race on lap 6.
Arguably McFarland’s brightest moment of the year came on Saturday at Rockingham. McFarland started the 125-lap ARCA Menards Series East race from seventh and wound up with a best-career finish of fourth.
In the season-opening ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona, McFarland had a strong run going. Despite a miscue on pit road involving a broken jack, McFarland rallied to finish 11th.
Last year, McFarland made four starts in the ARCA Menards Series. Behind the wheel of the No. 30, McFarland posted top-10 finishes at both Talladega and Charlotte.
Off the racetrack, McFarland is a YouTube sensation with 4.67 million subscribers. His videos have featured fellow NASCAR Cup Series drivers, including Carson Hocevar.
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