Not gonna be screaming around there like a bald eagle…at least not in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Cleetus McFarland announced this afternoon that NASCAR did not grant him approval to run the upcoming race at Talladega in NASCAR’s lower series, which would have been his second career start in the OAPS.
If you’re not familiar with the racer whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, he built a massive following online as a YouTuber and in 2020 bought an abandoned racetrack in Florida and rebranded it as the Freedom Factory.
Along with hosting and competing in events at his own track, Cleetus has also competed in various off-road and dirt racing events. And in 2025, he made his stock car debut in the ARCA Menards Series, where he instantly became a fan-favorite with his post-race interview at Daytona:
Cleetus ran a handful of ARCA races last year, and this year made his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
He qualified a respectable 11th for his Truck Series debut at Daytona, but his night ended early when he crashed just 6 laps into the race.
After the quick exit from his Truck Series debut, there was a lot of chatter about whether Cleetus needs more experience in stock cars before making the jump to one of the top three NASCAR series. But this past weekend, NASCAR allowed him to make his debut in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Rockingham Speedway, driving the #33 car for Richard Childress Racing.
Leading up to the race, many questioned whether Cleetus was actually ready to make the jump to the O’Reilly Series given his limited experience in stock cars. And those questions only got louder when he quickly fell a lap down during this past weekend’s race, having several close calls and ultimately finishing 6 laps down in 32nd place.
The result was especially troubling given the fact that the next planned start for Cleetus was to come at Talladega Superspeedway, the massive 2.66 mile track in Alabama that features speeds of nearly 200 mph and large packs of cars racing in close proximity to each other – often resulting in equally large wrecks.
It seemed that the general consensus was that Cleetus needed more experience before he was ready (or safe) to race at Talladega. And apparently NASCAR agreed, because the racer announced this afternoon that NASCAR has not approved him to enter the race at Talladega later this month.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to hear it from me first that 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.”
Cleetus said that NASCAR wants to see him make more starts in the ARCA and Truck Series before moving up to O’Reilly’s, which he called a “kick in the nuts,” but he says it’s not going to deter him from eventually getting on the track at Daytona and Talladega:
“I need more windshield time regardless of whether it’s in an O’Reilly’s car, an ARCA car, or a truck. More windshield time is going to help me. I got a lot to learn, guys. So this isn’t as much of a step back, or a push down as it seems. A little bit of a kick in the nuts, but I just got to get out there and the other cars, do as much learning as possible, and then hopefully i’ll get to run Daytona and Talladega next year.”
Of course everybody wants to see Cleetus get to the point where he’s able to compete in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – or even the Cup Series someday. He’s got a monster online presence and is great for the sport, so I’m sure NASCAR would love to be able to promote him at their own events.
But safety has to come first, and I think NASCAR clearly made the right decision here not to rush things and make a decision that could put other competitors – or Cleetus himself – at risk.
And it sounds like he still plans to run Talladega in an ARCA Series car, so if you were hoping to see him scream around there like a bald eagle, you’ll just have to get to ‘Dega a day earlier.
