Mark Martin has never been one to shy away from voicing his opinion on NASCAR.
On the heels of YouTube sensation Cleetus McFarland making his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut, the NASCAR Hall of Famer got honest about the driver’s performance. McFarland started the race 35th and wound up 32nd.
In a recent episode of the “Door Bumper Clear” podcast, Martin got honest about McFarland’s first outing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Mark Martin on Cleetus McFarland: ‘Didn’t exceed my expectations’
Prior to getting into McFarland’s performance behind the wheel, Martin praised the internet star’s personality outside the car.
With his jubilant energy about racing in NASCAR to his humbleness, Martin said the best part about McFarland is his interviews.
“The best thing about Cleetus is his interviews. I mean at least he’s coming out and saying, ‘Oh, this is way harder than I thought.’ I mean, he’s fantastic. That’s all fantastic,” Martin said.
In the 250-lap race at the Rockingham Speedway, McFarland had three near-spins and one spin-out that caused a caution.
Despite that, the 31-year-old kept his No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet damage-free on his way to a 32nd-place result.
While Martin said McFarland did not live up to his expectations for his performance, he acknowledged that the Nebraska native was thrown to the fire by debuting at Rockingham.
“As far as the race goes, he didn’t exceed my expectations. I expected him to run about like he ran. I said on social media yesterday [Sunday], ‘Yeah, you know this place is a lot harder than Daytona,’ and it is. Dude, you have no idea what it takes to run in the middle or the latter part of the pack at Rockingham,” Martin said.
The 40-time Cup Series race winner went on to applaud McFarland’s driving ability.
Although the RCR driver had some close calls, Martin said he was one of only a few who could have held on to his racecar.
“He still got over his skis multiple times, but his driving talent saved it. Many other drivers would’ve wiped that car out,” Martin said.
Earlier in the day on Saturday, McFarland competed in the ARCA Menards Series East race at Rockingham.
Piloting the No. 30 car, McFarland wheeled his way to a fourth-place finish for his first career NASCAR top five.
Cleetus McFarland seeking Talladega O’Reilly approval
Fresh off his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut, McFarland was already looking towards what’s next.
As he discussed in his YouTube video, which documented his day at “The Rock,” McFarland is hopeful to get approved for the upcoming O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Talladega, scheduled for Saturday, April 25.
In his YouTube video, McFarland expressed optimism in the possibility of him getting the nod to race at Talladega.
“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.
McFarland made his CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut earlier this year at Daytona. However, it ended in a crash on lap 6.
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