A never-ending buzz of excitement and anticipation has been ringing throughout 2026 with the reappearance of Cleetus McFarland.
McFarland made a shocking announcement that he would run the season opening NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Daytona, along with the ARCA Menards Series season opener the following day. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan in Truck as McFarland found himself as the race’s first caution, clipping the apron of Turn 4 and spinning out on Lap 5, ending his race prematurely.
With Daytona in the rearview mirror, let’s flash forward to March 4th when McFarland broke the news that he would not only be making his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) debut this season, but that it is a three-race deal with Richard Childress Racing for the 2026 season. Beyond that, the agreement with the team will last several years.
McFarland will have a massive spotlight on him, but he is keeping his expectations realistic and setting achievable goals.
“Getting past the first ten laps and getting comfortable,” McFarland said. “Do a good job, stay out of the way and enjoy racing.”
Compared to when he made his first ever ARCA start last year, preparation for his NOAPS start has had a very different approach. On-track and sim data have been a game changer in gearing up for Rockingham and his remaining starts of the season. Not only is he looking at his own data, but the on-track statistics of all Richard Childress Racing’s drivers, specifically teammate Jesse Love.
“I ran around 250 laps in testing, my fastest lap was one of my last ones and I was really starting to feeling comfortable.” McFarland said.
The YouTuber knows he won’t hit Love’s marks, but hopes to emulate them as best as possible on Saturday.
“I love ARCA, but I’m really happy I got this opportunity from RCR,” he said about the chance to race in NASCAR’s second-tiered series. “I knew I was going in over my head. You know just like all these people who are scrutinizing me. But like I said earlier, I’m not gonna shy away from a great opportunity such as racing for RCR, so yeah I’m in over my head and driving that car. I thought it was gonna be scarier and worse than it was. I was like thinking, ‘OK, now I’m really gonna have to try my absolute hardest.’ But when I got in the RCR car, I’m gonna be honest, it was the most I felt in control than ever.”
Fans can watch McFarland race in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 Presented by Black’s Tire on Saturday April 4, at 2:30 p.m. on The CW.
