Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, became close friends with NASCAR legend Greg Biffle over the last few years. They bonded over racing, family, and flying helicopters. By late 2024, they were flying helicopters into remote parts of Western North Carolina. They worked together to deliver aid to Hurricane Helene victims.
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They had big racing plans, too. Biffle planned to race alongside Mitchell in ARCA at Talladega. But on December 18, 2025, a tragedy happened. Biffle’s private Cessna Citation 550 went down after takeoff from Statesville Regional Airport. The crash killed the NASCAR legend, his wife, his two children, and three others. Biffle was flying to Florida to spend Christmas with Mitchell. He never made it. But the racing knowledge Biffle left behind still shapes everything Mitchell does on the track
“If Greg hadn’t been there to guide me, I probably would’ve taken those opportunities,” Mitchell said on the Kenny Wallace podcast.
The opportunities he is referring to came before the RCR deal. Several Truck and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teams had offered Mitchell open seats, the classic arrive-and-drive model. A driver brings sponsor money, the team builds a car, and that is about it. There was no real scope for progress, development, or coaching, vis-à-vis, no path forward. Greg Biffle said no.
There were also talks of a full-time lower series commitment. Mitchell had started racing in ARCA with Rette Jones Racing and made a Truck Series debut with Niece Motorsports. A full-time schedule would have meant abandoning his YouTube channel, his Freedom Factory racetrack, and the business behind it. Biffle said no to that, too. Mitchell listened every time.
“Looking back now at the deals we declined, we wouldn’t have been able to do the RCR deal if we’d taken those other opportunities,” he said.
Richard Childress Racing came to the rescue. Mitchell gets factory simulator access, data sharing with teammates Jesse Love and Austin Hill, and hands-on engineering support. He also has a multi-year contract, something none of the other deals offered. And crucially, RCR asked him to stay completely true to his Cleetus persona. His 5 million YouTube subscribers follow the whole journey in real time. He did not buy a seat. He bought a structure.
“Greg’s guidance really set me up much better for the opportunities that came shortly afterward with RCR,” Mitchell said. “He still has a trickle-down effect on me, for sure.”
Biffle was not just an advisor. Mitchell put their bond as a mirror image, two people who felt like “the same person” despite the age gap. Their friendship ran on three things: family, helicopters, and racing. Before his passing, Biffle flew out personally to coach Mitchell through ARCA starts at Daytona, Talladega, and Bristol. He broke down technique in a way that stuck.
“He really helped shorten the learning curve on a lot of the small things I struggled with,” Mitchell said. “I just connected with him really well, and I listened to him.”
Now Mitchell imagines what Greg Biffle would say in certain situations. He seeks advice from others. But he is honest about the gap.
“I’d probably be a little better off if I still had him.”
Every RCR car Mitchell races carries the words “Be Like Biff,” Biffle’s patience, his love for family, and his generosity. Written on the door of a car that, by Biffle’s own design, would not exist without him.