It's been half a year since Greg Biffle's passing, but he is still remembered fondly by his close friend and mentee, Cleetus McFarland.

In an appearance on the Kenny Conversation podcast with Kenny Wallace, McFarland reflected on how different his trajectory in the NASCAR world might have looked if Greg Biffle were still alive to guide him.

He acknowledged that Biffle’s guidance was instrumental in helping him navigate professional opportunities, specifically citing his transition to working with Richard Childress Racing.

“I think with like the RCR thing coming up and me starting to work with them, which I'm working with them a lot and also, I have a multi-year contract and stuff like I think Greg would have been like this is absolutely the route we would want to go right now. There were some deals that came up before he passed that he essentially told me I needed to decline, and I did."

"And looking back now at the deals that we declined, like we wouldn't have been able to do the RCR deal if we took those other opportunities. And I think if Greg wasn't there to guide me, I would have taken those opportunities...Greg's guidance there set me up way better for the opportunities that came shortly after with RCR. And so he has a trickling effect still on me, for sure.”

McFarland then added on the podcast that having Biffle’s advice would have significantly shortened his learning curve on many of the business and racing challenges, while also noting that he often tries to imagine what Biffle would tell him in certain situations. 

Greg Biffle helped McFarland 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.

McFarland made his debut in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in Rockingham earlier this year. He began from 35th, and he had a close call with Blake Lothian. He ended up finishing 32nd, which is commendable, as his previous race in the Truck Series resulted in a DNF. 

This resulted in him not getting approved for superspeedways just yet. 

When NASCAR gave Cleetus McFarland a blunt reality check

A couple of months ago, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell appeared on the Door Bumper Clear podcast. While he acknowledged the YouTuber’s popularity and how his presence can help boost television rankings, he felt that he needed to have the right kind of people competing against some of the best drivers. 

“There's some progression we need to see, and I applaud the team. Look, our guys, it's a tough call. He's a hugely popular driver, but these are the best drivers in the world, and we gotta make sure we have the right guys out there. 

"There's always controversy of who's approved, who's not approved, but I think it was the right call. Let's see how he does at the next race. Certainly, I'd like to see him keep progressing, but he's gotta do it the right way.”

This prompted Freddie Kraft to chime in, who didn’t approve of McFarland getting approved to race at Rockingham, but he feels that while an approval is coming, McFarland will really need to work for it.

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Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason