Who is Cleetus McFarland? NASCAR’s YouTube star | Sports News

Dale Earnhardt Jr. coached ARCA driver Cleetus McFarland because the YouTuber targets racing in NASCAR.

McFarland, whose actual identify is Lawrence Garrett Mitchell, is an American YouTuber and content material creator. He boasts 4.26 million subscribers on YouTube and has steadily climbed the racing ranks till he debuted within the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona, which appeared to get new eyes on racing as his in-car digital camera was live-streamed on YouTube.

McFarland’s charismatic persona and animated interview on the infield care heart following his wreck solely endeared him to NASCAR followers, whereas he labored with Earnhardt – who has clashed with Denny Hamlin lately. It’s been a long journey for the 30-year-old, who has beforehand pushed within the Stadium Super Trucks collection and now finds himself racing in ARCA.

Back in 2009, Mitchell began his YouTube channel as he additionally turned the social media supervisor for car media company 1320Video. He finally departed the company to pursue content material creation on his own websites full-time.

He has managed to maneuver up the ranks to secure a spot on the grid, racing as Cleetus McFarland within the No. 1776 truck for his 2022 debut in Stadium Super Trucks. In the weekend’s second of two races, he was main on the ultimate lap and was poised to take victory till he spun out after his truck hit the ground, permitting Robby Gordon to assert the win.

Involved in crashes on the Music City Grand Prix, McFarland discovered his rhythm within the Bristol 1000 at Bristol Motor Speedway as he clinched his first podium by ending third in Race 2. Returning to the occasion in 2023, he gained within the Grannas Racing Stick Shift class by driving his body-less Chevrolet Corvette “Leroy” with a time of 7.325 and pace of 203.95 mph within the finals.

Then, for the 2025 season, McFarland made the step up to ARCA. Billed underneath his actual identify Garrett Mitchell, he drove the No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford at Talladega.

Ahead of his ARCA debut, McFarland was coached up by two-time Daytona 500 winner Earnhardt Jr. Featuring in an amusing 26-minute video posted to YouTube, Earnhardt provided insight into what it takes to run properly and even win on the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Riding shotgun with Earnhardt in a passenger vehicle, they took a journey across the iconic oval whereas the veteran famous methods of the commerce.

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“My goal is to finish the race, number one,” McFarland as he regarded forward to the occasion. “And two, if I can work my way up, obviously I want to win.”

McFarland finally completed in thirtieth after being concerned in a multi-car crash over a quarter of the best way by way of the race. It was a promising debut, and he is set to return with the workforce at Talladega Superspeedway, this weekend.

“It’s great to be back,” stated McFarland. “Honestly, I’m incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to come back again to compete in the ARCA Menards Series at Talladega. Besides getting collected in two early race accidents, I had so much fun at Daytona.

“It’s a shame we weren’t able to finish the race, but I appreciate the efforts of my Rette Jones Racing team for getting the car put back together so we can be at Talladega this weekend. I appreciate all the support from my friends, family, colleagues, and particularly the Rette Jones Racing team for walking me through every step of this journey.”