Cleetus McFarland has been in the news for his NASCAR participation, but in a recent interaction, he has opened up about the personal losses he faced in quick succession. 

McFarland appeared on the Kenny Conversation podcast with Kenny Wallace, where he discussed the emotional weight of losing his mentors and close friends, Kyle Loftis and Greg Biffle.

“It sucks when you think about the guys, but it's different without him for sure. You know, Kyle, I didn't spend a lot of time with at this moment in my life, but he's the exact 100% reason that I am here today. So he comes to mind a lot for me. We have a big banner in our shop, and I look at it a lot. 

"It makes me sad to think about it, but the way I remember Kyle is he was such a positive, excited person. He inspired me to basically be the way I am at my events, like what you're talking about with grabbing the mic. He hosted events when I worked for him, and that's how he rolled—he was the host.”

Kyle Loftis was one of the people who launched McFarland's career. McFarland began working for Loftis' 1320Video in 2009. In 2015, it was Loftis who filmed and uploaded the viral clip that introduced the "Cleetus McFarland" character. The two remained close friends after that. Unfortunately, Loftis died on May 5, 2026, at the age of 43.

McFarland then detailed his struggles on the podcast with facing death, explaining that instead of stopping to think about it, he keeps moving forward, which also aligns with how his mentor, Greg Biffle, would have wanted it to be. 

“For me, I struggle with not stopping. I just keep going. I think that's how I cope with that type of stuff, you know, especially even with Biff. When I think about what Biff would want us to do, I definitely don't think he'd want us to sit around and cry about it, which we did. But now it's like, let's go racing, let's keep the momentum alive, and just have fun and try to remember him.”

Greg Biffle was one of Cleetus McFarland's closest friends and most influential mentors. He helped him transition from a YouTube content creator to a competitive racer. They both developed a close bond beyond racing, especially with the Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Biffle passed away last year on December 18.

Wallace and McFarland agreed that while everyone grieves in their own way, not always through overt displays of emotion like crying, it remains a difficult and sad process. McFarland also emphasized that he tries to focus on the inspiring qualities of those he lost rather than dwelling solely on the sadness of the situation. 

How RFK Racing remembered Greg Biffle at Darlington

While the throwback weekend tradition has officially been retired by NASCAR, some teams still chose to stick with it at the Darlington race weekend this year. The RFK Racing team unveiled three special throwback paint schemes inspired by some of Greg Biffle’s iconic cars. 

As part of those paint schemes, the team also brought back the number fonts used by Biffle. The No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang Dark Horse referenced Biffle’s most recognizable era with RFK, using fluorescent accents and a retro number font from his early years.  

The No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang Dark Horse took inspiration from Biffle’s NASCAR Cup Series pole at the Texas Motor Speedway in 2011, using a clean blue palette.

Lastly, the No. 60 Kroger / Oscar Mayer / Heinz Ford Mustang Dark Horse was inspired by Biffle’s primary 2009 scheme, featuring bright yellow elements with red and black detailing.

Read more at RFK Racing Digest! 

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason