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Cleetus McFarland

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Cleetus McFarland
Mitchell in 2024
BornGarrett Mitchell
(1995-04-05) April 5, 1995 (age 31)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Achievements2025 2.4 Hours of LeMullets Winner
2023 Freedom 500 Winner
NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series career
2 races run over 1 year
Car no., teamNo. 33 (Richard Childress Racing)
First race2026 North Carolina Education Lottery 250 (Rockingham)
Last race2026 Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 (Nashville)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
2 races run over 1 year
Truck no., teamNo. 4 (Niece Motorsports)
First race2026 Fresh From Florida 250 (Daytona)
Last race2026 DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 (Michigan)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
ARCA Menards Series career
8 races run over 2 years
ARCA no., teamNo. 30 (Rette Jones Racing)
Best finish40th (2025)
First race2025 Ride the 'Dente 200 (Daytona)
Last race2026 Henry Ford Health 200 (Michigan)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 3 1
ARCA Menards Series East career
2 races run over 2 years
ARCA East no., teamNo. 30 (Rette Jones Racing)
Best finish61st (2025)
First race2025 Bush's Beans 200 (Bristol)
Last race2026 Rockingham ARCA Menards Series East 125 (Rockingham)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 1 0
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2009–present
Subscribers4.75 million
Views2.20 billion
Statistics up to date as of August 20, 2026.

Garrett Mitchell[1] (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Cleetus McFarland, is an American YouTuber and professional stock car racing driver. As of August 2026, he has over 4.8 million subscribers.[2] He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Richard Childress Racing, part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Niece Motorsports, part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 30 Ford Mustang GT for Rette Jones Racing, part-time in Asphalt Pro Late Model competition, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro for McFarland Racing, and part-time in Dirt Super Late Model competition, driving the No. 13 for Race DRT.

YouTube career

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On January 28, 2009, Mitchell started his YouTube channel, around the same time he became the social media manager for car media company 1320Video.[3] He eventually left 1320Video to pursue a full-time career with his own YouTube channel.[4]

In 2015, Mitchell adopted the moniker "Cleetus McFarland" after a character Kyle Loftis created that went viral at the annual Rocky Mountain Race Week with Tom Bailey. The name Cleetus was quickly adopted by his YouTube channel and is now how he is most referred to, rarely hearing his real name used outside of close friends and family.

Mitchell would then go on to create a bodyless Chevrolet Corvette C5 with an exo-cage named "Leroy". Leroy built a major fan following online, winning numerous trophies and setting both personal and world records. After finding career success as a YouTube content creator and racing enthusiast, he built a purpose-built race car from a Chevrolet El Camino known as "Mullet".

Freedom Factory

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2023 aerial view of Freedom Factory (formerly Desoto Speedway, 1971–2020). The oval and figure 8 racing track is off State Road 64, adjacent to the Bradenton Motorsports Park dragstrip.

In January 2020, Mitchell bought the abandoned Desoto Speedway, a 3/8 mi Asphalt Oval & Figure 8 Track in Manatee County, Florida,[5][6] and later renamed the track to Freedom Factory.[7]

Racing career

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Stadium Super Trucks

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On April 6, 2022, it was announced on The Checkered Flag that Mitchell would make his debut in the Stadium Super Trucks at Long Beach, California, racing the No. 1776 truck as Cleetus McFarland.[4] In the weekend's second of two races, he was leading on the final lap, poised to take the victory until the last jump, when he spun out after his truck hit the ground, leaving Robby Gordon to claim the win.[8]

Another attempt came at the Music City Grand Prix in August, but he was involved in crashes in both races; the second race saw him get squeezed into the wall while racing Gavin Harlien and Robert Stout, causing him to flip onto his roof.[9]

He invited the trucks to his Bristol 1000 at Bristol Motor Speedway a month later, where he finished third in Race 2.[10]

Drag racing

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On November 6, 2022, Mitchell & his crew won first place after eliminating Carlos Olivo in the McLeod Racing Warriors VS Tres Cuarto category of the 26th Annual Haltech World Cup Finals Import & Domestic Drag Races in the four-day event. His Chevrolet El Camino (Mullet) managed an elapsed time of 6.474 seconds at a top speed of 222.95 mph on the final round of the elimination race.[11]

Returning to the event in 2023, Mitchell won in the Grannas Racing Stick Shift class driving his body-less Chevrolet Corvette "Leroy" with time of 7.325 and speed of 203.95 mph in the finals.[12]

ARCA Menards Series

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2025

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In 2025, it was revealed that Mitchell would participate in the pre-season test for the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway, driving the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing as Garrett Mitchell.[13][14] On January 15, it was announced on Facebook that Mitchell would drive in the season opener at Daytona for RJR also as Garrett Mitchell.[15][16] He finished in 30th after being involved in a multi-car crash over a quarter of the way through the race. Mitchell would continue to announce that he would return with the team at Talladega, Charlotte, and the ARCA Menards Series East combination race at Bristol.[17][18][19]

Kenetik #30 ARCA Menards Car 2025 Season

2026

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After the race at Bristol, it was confirmed that Mitchell will return to ARCA in 2026 on a partial schedule.[20] He ran the season opener again at Daytona and finished 11th. He competed in the East Series race at Rockingham alongside his friend George Siciliano (referred to as "LS George" or "Squirrel McNutt"), where he would finish in fourth place.[21] They both ran at Kansas, where McFarland finished twentieth. They also ran at Talladega, where McFarland finished second.

NASCAR

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Craftsman Truck Series

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2026
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On February 4, 2026, it was announced that McFarland would begin testing at Rockingham Speedway to attempt to get approval to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the No. 4 for Niece Motorsports.[22] He started 12th at Daytona but got loose off turn 4 on lap 6 and hit the inside wall, finishing 37th.

O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

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2026
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On March 4, 2026, it was announced that McFarland would drive three races in the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing starting at Rockingham in April.[23] At Rockingham, he finished thirty-second. McFarland planned to run the Spring Talladega race, but was not approved due to lack of experience in NASCAR. He ran at Nashville but finished thirty-fifth.

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

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NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 NOAPSC Pts Ref
2026 Richard Childress Racing 33 Chevy DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR CAR
32		 BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN DOV CLT NSH
35		 POC COR SON CHI ATL IND IOW DAY DAR GTW BRI LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM -* -* [24]

Craftsman Truck Series

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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 NCTC Pts Ref
2026 Niece Motorsports 4 Chevy DAY
37		 ATL STP DAR CAR BRI TEX GLN DOV CLT NSH MCH
25		 COR LRP NWS IRP RCH NHA BRI KAN CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM -* -* [25]

* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points

ARCA Menards Series

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 AMSC Pts Ref
2025 Rette Jones Racing 30 Ford DAY
30		 PHO TAL
10		 KAN CLT
9		 MCH BLN ELK LRP DOV IRP IOW GLN ISF MAD DSF BRI
17		 SLM KAN TOL 40th 110 [26]
2026 DAY
11		 PHO KAN
20		 TAL
2		 GLN TOL MCH
14		 POC BER ELK CHI LRP IRP IOW ISF MAD DSF SLM BRI KAN -* -* [27]

ARCA Menards Series East

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ARCA Menards Series East results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 AMSEC Pts Ref
2025 Rette Jones Racing 30 Ford FIF CAR NSV FRS DOV IRP IOW BRI
17		 61st 27 [28]
2026 HCY CAR
4		 NSV TOL IRP FRS IOW BRI -* -* [29]

Stadium Super Trucks

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(key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)

Stadium Super Trucks results
Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 SSTC Pts Ref
2022 LBH
10		 LBH
9*		 MOH MOH NSH
10		 NSH
9*		 BRI
12		 BRI
3*		 9th 84 [30]

* Season in progress.

References

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  1. ↑ "Who is Cleetus McFarland? Probably the most interesting car guy on YouTube, that's all". DriveAndReview. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  2. ↑ Koki, Taro (February 24, 2025). "YouTuber Cleetus McFarland's impact on NASCAR shows how influencers are changing the game". RACER. Racer Media & Marketing, inc. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  3. ↑ Hachat, Josh (April 3, 2020). "The Triumph of Garrett Mitchell". Drag Illustrated. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Nguyen, Justin (April 6, 2022). "Cleetus McFarland to make SST debut at Long Beach". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  5. ↑ Adams, Rick (February 3, 2020). "YouTube star Cleetus McFarland buys Desoto Speedway in Manatee County". My Sun Coast. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  6. ↑ "New Owner For Desoto Speedway (FL)". Performance Racing Industry. February 11, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Freedom Factory USA (fka DeSoto Speedway) in Bradenton, FL". RacingIn.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  8. ↑ McTaggart, Bryan (April 12, 2022). "Yeehaw By Fire: Cleetus Takes On Super Stadium Truck Racing And Damn Near Wins!". BangShift.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  9. ↑ Atadero, Julybien (August 9, 2022). "Watch Cleetus McFarland Wreck His Stadium Super Truck While Racing In Nashville". HotCars. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ Nguyen, Justin (September 5, 2022). "Robert Stout beats McFarland for SST Bristol Race 2 win". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  11. ↑ Dali, Jimmy (November 6, 2022). "MCLEOD RACING WARRIORS VS TRES CUARTO Elimination Results". Import vs Domestic. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Drag Racing World Cup Finals Results: Cleetus McFarland Wins In Stick Shift - FloRacing". www.floracing.com. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  13. ↑ Srigley, Joseph (January 8, 2025). "77 Drivers on Entry List for ARCA Pre-Season Practice at Daytona". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Entry list for the 2025 ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice at Daytona". ARCA Racing.com. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  15. ↑ Garrett Mitchell (January 15, 2025). "(Facebook post)". Facebook. Retrieved January 15, 2025. Well folks, I was trying to keep this a secret but word spreads fast…we're going NASCAR RACIN!!! February 15 I'll be racing at Daytona in the #30 Kenetik Energy Gen 5 ARCA Mustang.
  16. ↑ Christie, Toby (January 16, 2025). "Cleetus McFarland Going ARCA Racing at Daytona with Rette Jones Racing". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  17. ↑ Wayman, Declan (February 20, 2025). "YouTube Sensation Garrett Mitchell Returns To ARCA Race At Talladega With Rette Jones Racing". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  18. ↑ Garrett Mitchell (May 16, 2025). "(Facebook post)". Facebook. Retrieved May 16, 2025. Fire me up!!! I'll be turning left in the @bekenetik #30 next weekend in Charlotte 🇺🇸
  19. ↑ "Cleetus McFarland Call Out NASCAR Drivers Who Jump to Cup and "Look Like Idiots"". DailyDownforce.com. April 3, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Cleetus McFarland Confirms Return to ARCA Competition in 2026". Frontstretch. September 11, 2025. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Cleetus McFarland earns impressive top five finish in ARCA East Rockingham". Motorsport.com. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Niece Motorsports on Facebook". Facebook. February 4, 2026. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  23. ↑ ""Cleetus McFarland" to Make NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Debut with Richard Childress Racing in 2026". www.rcrracing.com. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Garrett Mitchell – 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Garrett Mitchell – 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Garrett Mitchell – 2025 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Garrett Mitchell – 2026 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Garrett Mitchell – 2025 ARCA Menards Series East Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Garrett Mitchell – 2026 ARCA Menards Series East Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  30. ↑ "2022 Overall Point Standings". Stadium Super Trucks. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
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