Cleetus McFarland is slowly working his way toward his dream of running in the Daytona 500. After signing with Richard Childress Racing, he made starts in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and also runs regularly in the ARCA Menards Series. McFarland didn’t stop there. He’s now running Pro Late Model races on short tracks to gain more experience, but that journey ended on a bitter note for him.
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Competing in the Tekton 250 Battle at Berlin at Berlin Raceway, Cleetus McFarland lost control of his car with 14 laps to go. He rammed into Keith Herp, ending the race for both drivers. This gave his critics a chance to get on his case for crashing out of the race.
After NASCAR Regional posted the video on X, comments like, “Cleetus never heard of brakes,” started coming in. However, not everyone was against the rookie NASCAR driver. Dale Jr. came to his defense during the Ask Jr. segment of his podcast, stating, “Spun out, wrecked. Who hasn’t done that? Who hasn’t s— the bed in their first race?”
Jr. revealed that while McFarland didn’t get the desired results, he loved the experience of running a Pro Late Model on a short track. “He did incredibly well. He did way better than I thought he was going to do in that car in Berlin, and you know what? He freakin’ loved it. He loved it. He was texting me about how much fun it is,” Dale Jr. added.
Cleetus spun during his O’Reilly Series debut at Rockingham and finished 32nd. A similar story unfolded when he hopped back into the No. 33 RCR Chevy at Nashville. He spun early in Stage 1 and was hit with pit-road penalties, leading to a 35th-place finish. Not a great look for a driver who received a big break to race with an organization like Richard Childress Racing. Perhaps that is why some fans are quick to pass judgment on his racing skills.
But again, he’s still learning the tricks of the trade, and mistakes are going to be part of the process, just as Dale Jr. explained. Even NASCAR has been open and welcoming toward the YouTube sensation, as the partnership can help the sport reach new race fans. For now, Cleetus is restricted to competing on short ovals and road courses in the O’Reilly Series, and he’s doing all he can to learn the craft.