By David Morgan, Associate Editor
LEBANON, Tenn. – The results may tell one story, but Cleetus McFarland is having a blast in his time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Returning to NASCAR’s second-tier division for the first time since his debut at Rockingham in April, McFarland, the popular YouTube star turned race car driver was back behind the wheel of the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet at Nashville Superspeedway.
This time around, he was just looking to log laps and add more experience to his resume as he looks to become a more well-rounded race car driver.
After a solid showing in practice, McFarland rolled off from the back of the pack due to qualifying being washed out and for nearly the entirety of the first stage of the race, he was able to pick off a few cars and largely stayed out of the way of the leaders.
That is until the waning laps of that first stage when leader and teammate Jesse Love caught up to McFarland and instead of passing him and putting him a lap down, Love ran behind McFarland as it seemed he was content with just finishing out the stage, which he had the luxury to do so courtesy of the six second lead he had built.
However, in the midst of that run to the end of the stage, McFarland broke loose in Turn 2 with two laps remaining, which forced Love to pass him and in turn threw him into a battle for the Lucky Dog position with Logan Bearden.
A lap later, McFarland was spinning in Turn 4 to bring out the caution and end the stage. Aside from a trip through the grass, it was no harm, no foul and he was able to continue on with his night, albeit now a lap down.
.@jesselovejr1 laps teammate Cleetus McFarland in mid-drift on the way to a dominant Stage 1 victory. pic.twitter.com/EN7jpcgvMx
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) May 31, 2026
Oh no Cleetus! pic.twitter.com/cYTG4pnzg6
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) May 31, 2026
Battling handling issues in the second stage after his off-track excursion, McFarland fell a second lap down by the end of that stage and found himself three laps down by the time the race reached the final stage.
On lap 156, things began to go from bad to worse when McFarland came down to make his first green flag pit stop. During the stop the car fell off the jack and McFarland drug the jack out of the pit box with him, resulting in a penalty for removing equipment.
As he attempted to serve his pass thru penalty for the prior infraction, McFarland looped his Chevrolet at the entrance to pit road, resulting in another penalty – this time a commitment line violation. Therefore, another pass thru penalty would have to be undertaken.
When all was said and done, McFarland was all the way back in 35th place, some six laps down to the leaders by the time the checkered flag flew.
Pulling down pit road afterwards, McFarland chose to focus on the positives of Saturday night’s outing in Music City.
“I think the on-track part went a lot better besides my one spin,” McFarland said. “Pit road, however, I learned a lot, you know? And that was part of our plan was to bring me down alone and just learn stuff.
“Like when I put the car in gear, the clutch, even though…what happened was I held the clutch in the whole pit stop and I think maybe the sleeve didn’t have the clutch fully disengaged when I put it back in gear. The car tried to roll forward.
“Now I know, neutral out, maybe pump the clutch a couple times, then put it back in gear. That subsequently caused our jack to be stuck in the car.
“I got a penalty, then coming to serve my penalty, I spun out and got another penalty. So, that was awesome. And learned so much.…I raced a lot with guys on the outside of me, which was very loose and that was crazy to feel how loose you get. The one time obviously I spun. The other times I gathered it up, but learned a lot, excited to be back.
“I’m definitely not going to give up. I’m having a blast, having the time of my life.”
After the race, one of the first to greet McFarland at his car was Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who stuck his head in the window to offer McFarland some words of encouragement as he was on his way to Victory Lane.
“I asked him if he’s getting dizzy from spinning around in circles,” Earnhardt joked. “No, he’s such a great dude and I’ll be honest, I feel like I’ve gotten to talk to him when the cameras are off and he is such a great guy. He truly just wants to come in here and he doesn’t want to be the story for all the wrong reasons. He wants to come in, run his race, learn, get out of here without ruffle any feathers.
“He knows he’s got a long way to go before he can really find the speed to perform. And I think his opportunities in ARCA are incredible opportunities for him to continue to improve as a driver.
“He’s a way better race car driver tonight than he was at Rockingham, and he’ll keep on getting better. And so, he’s fun to have around because like I say, I’ve seen him and listened to him and watch him speak when the cameras aren’t on and he’s in it for the right reasons and he just wants to come in and be embraced and have a good time and enjoy himself.”
So, what’s next for the Cleetus McFarland worldwide tour?
He will be running double duty next weekend at Michigan International Speedway in both ARCA and the Truck Series, returning to the Niece Motorsports Chevrolet for his second Truck start of the season.
McFarland noted that his time in O’Reilly has made him a better driver when he makes his ARCA starts and hopes the same will be true in the Trucks next weekend. He also has another Truck start on the books at Talladega this fall.
“I’m pretty excited. I think when you drive these and then you go back down to ARCA or Truck power, it is a lot more fun. It’s like driving a slower car faster is more fun, so I’m looking forward to getting back in the Truck a lot,” said McFarland.
“When I went from this back to ARCA, my confidence was just through the roof, obviously. Maybe you guys have seen, I’ve been running way better ever since I got manhandled by this car. It’s formed me into a better driver, so I’m hoping that applies to the Truck a little bit and I’m a little more skillful and confident and could just run the whole race.”
He even alluded to maybe some other starts in the works in addition to his two Truck starts at Michigan and Talladega, but kept those plans under wraps.
“I think there is a few things out there, but I can’t stay until there’s ink on paper. It’s never worth it.”
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