“More Windshield time,” that's what NASCAR has told Cleetus McFarland needs before he can race in tracks like Talladega. While his rise towards competitive motorsports has been meteoric, according to NASCAR, the YouTuber has to complete a few more steps before he is allowed to compete in long track races, including Talladega.

McFarland made his Truck Series debut in Daytona. While that ended in a wreck just six laps in, his O’Reilly Series debut last Saturday in Rockingham proved that he had the ability to race in NASCAR.

McFarland, whose original name is Garrett Mitchell, finished 32nd in the #33 Chevrolet for Richarch Childress Racing. He had a rocky race and had a few incidents, which showed the organizers he wasn’t ready for a high-speed track like Talladega.

A man with over 4.5 million followers on YouTube and 1.6 million on Instagram, McFarland broke the news the only way he knows how, by putting out a video of himself speaking as to why he isn’t qualified for Talladega just yet.

McFarland said, “I have been denied by NASCAR to run Talladega in my O’Reilly’s car. Made my O’ Reilly’s debut last Saturday with hopes of getting approval for Talladega, but they did not see enough.” He further added, “Granted it was a pretty hectic race. I tried to pass someone three wide on the third lap, spun out, spun out a few more times, didn’t crash or crash anybody, but still it was pretty hectic.”

While he is still allowed to compete in Truck races, McFarland showed complete agreement with the evaluation from NASCAR and is excited to prove his abilities in the upcoming races.

“This isn’t as much a step back or a push down as it seems. A little bit of a kick in the n***," he said. “I just got to get out there in the other cars, do as much learning as possible, and hopefully I’ll get to run Daytona and Talladega next year.”

McFarland needs to race more

NASCAR's statement indicated that they needed to see more from McFarland in Truck and ARCA Series races to grant him permission for tracks like Talladega, which are extremely challenging.

While Rockingham was also a challenge, Talladega's speed and chaotic nature could prove to be difficult for him.

In the Truck Series, McFarland is a part-time driver of the #4 Chevrolet for Niece Motorsports. While his first Daytona outing was a one to forget, he will be hoping to run more races and get experience under his belt.

McFarland said, “I’m fully approved for trucks, which U have some of those on my schedule coming up.” Speaking on what comes next, he said, “I need more windshield time, regardless of whether it’s in an O’Reilly’s car, an ARCA car, or a truck.”

While his rapid rise has been impressive to say the least, McFarland soon has realised moving your way up in NASCAR is no easy task

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Godwin Issac Mathew