Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, came out on March 4, 2026, and announced signing a two-year deal with Richard Childress Racing. Fans took to the social media platform X and questioned RCR’s decision.
Cleetus McFarland is an American YouTuber with over 4.6M followers on his page. The 30-year-old became popular courtesy of his YouTube channel. Mitchell’s content revolved around cars, and petrolheads found a liking to it.
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McFarland made his professional racing debut in Stadium Super Trucks in 2022. The Omaha-born made his ARCA debut last year at the Daytona International Speedway with Rette Jones Racing and raced in a total of four races last year.
Ahead of the 2026 season, it was confirmed that McFarland will race at the Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Truck series as well as the ARCA. However, it didn’t go well as he spun out in the initial laps of the Truck race.
Now with just one NASCAR Truck series start and six ARCA races under his belt, Richard Childress Racing has signed Cleetus McFarland on a two-year O’Reilly contract and will make his debut at Rockingham Speedway in April.
Fans took to the social media platform X as the announcement was made, and we’re infuriated with the team. Many detailed how RCR gave the O’Reilly seat to Cleetus McFarland, who doesn’t have enough experience in the feeder series.
“This is an embarrassment to the sport, there are ACTUAL DRIVERS who could be in this ride who have earned it. But you choose to let a guy whose raced 1 truck race a wrecked be in the car instead. Shame on you,” commented a user
Another commented, “I’m a fan of Garrett, but yikes man… he hasn’t even ran a full season in ARCA, yet alone trucks. Now he’s in the O’Reilly Series? 🚩”
“Listen I love Cleetus but didn’t we learn from the Daytona truck race that he’s not quite ready for higher series yet…” commented another
Some fans suggested that it was a marketing ploy from RCR, while others were concerned, given Cleetus McFarland’s crash in his only Truck series race.
“Nothing but a marketing ploy, I’m rooting for the dude but he’s no where near ready for this,” commented a user
Another wrote, “This is ridiculous. He’s not even close to ready for this. He self spun 4 laps into his only truck start.”
“I like Cleetus but what has he done to earn himself a top O’Reilly ride,” questioned another
Cleetus McFarland claims the NASCAR O’Reilly ride with RCR is a “dream come true”.
The 30-year-old will be driving the No. 33 Chevrolet, primarily sponsored by Tommy Express, a third entry to RCR in the NASCAR tier two series. Speaking about the opportunity to sign with the 2025 championship-winning team, Cleetus McFarland said,
“To have the opportunity to make my NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with a legendary race team like Richard Childress Racing is a dream come true. It’s a huge honor, and I am incredibly grateful to learn under the leadership of Richard Childress, Mike Verlander, Danny Lawrence and everyone in Welcome, North Carolina.”
“Having Tommy’s Express on board for my debut makes it even more special. They’re a fast-forward brand that understands speed, performance, and connecting with people, which lines up perfectly with everything we are trying to accomplish,” added McFarland
Mitchell revealed that the deal is a part-time one and that he will be driving on the speedways for RCR in 2026 & 2027.
Edited by Pranay Bhagi
