- McFarland finished top 5 in ARCA and clean at Rockingham.
- RCR Executive not sure about the YouTuber’s run at Talladega.
- NASCAR may want another race before approving a superspeedway race.
Cleetus McFarland left Rockingham Speedway with a result to hang his hat on. He finished P4 in the ARCA Menards Series race on Saturday, his first top-five result and his best finish in NASCAR competition to date.
He then climbed into the Gen 5 car for his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut on the same day and held his own, running within the limits of his experience behind the wheel.
He kept his nose clean, raced with respect toward regulars, and stayed clear of trouble that could have derailed others. The final line showed McFarland finishing P32, six laps down to race winner William Sawalich.
McFarland met the goals he set for himself
McFarland, without hiding from the reality of the day, admitted he took his share of hits during the race. Even so, with no wreck apart from a late spin and no damage done to others’ races, he viewed it as a job done, as the run checked the boxes he had set before taking the green.
Attention now turns to what comes next, and that path may not be clear. In the hours after the race, the YouTuber-turned-NASACR-driver struck a confident note, telling fans he would see them at Talladega. The approval process, however, may have other ideas.
His start at Rockingham was a part of NASCAR’s clearance process for superspeedway racing at the Xfinity level, with events lined up at Talladega later this month, Daytona in August, and a return to Talladega in October.
McFarland has been scheduled for three races this season with Richard Childress Racing, but whether Rockingham alone clears the next hurdle remains up in the air.
RCR Executive is not sure about the YouTuber’s run at Talladega
Danny Lawrence, vice president of O’Reilly Auto Parts Series operations at RCR, gave a measured take. He said,
“Well, it’s a big step. This is a hard race track, and he did really good a couple of times where he could have spun the car out in front of everybody and didn’t. I think if we were to go green tomorrow, he would be way better. He learned a lot in a short amount of time and I think it shows everyone what a big step this is going into the O’Reilly Series. I think he did a great job, but we got to be better.”
Lawrence further added that NASCAR will review the full picture before making a call. A lack of live pit stops during the race may weigh into that decision, along with other boxes the sanctioning body had hoped to see checked. After McFarland got sideways early, the team shifted into a mode focused on logging laps and avoiding risk instead of pushing the pace.
But now, the call could go either way. Lawrence noted he would not be surprised if NASCAR asked for another outing before clearing McFarland for Daytona and Talladega, where races leave no room to pause.
Off the track, McFarland brings a following that few can match. His YouTube channel has close to five million subscribers, and his ARCA and NASCAR live streams have drawn close to one million viewers per event. Lawrence said RCR brought him in for impact.
RCR has backed that move with support from Tommy’s Express Car Wash, funding the No. 33 effort at Rockingham. One thing is for sure, though, for the team, McFarland is a big investment, and they will push to keep him on track as the season moves forward.
