A highly anticipated NASCAR Truck Series debut hit an unexpected roadblock after a well-known social media star snapped loose on Lap 6 of the race. In a split second, the overcorrection sent the truck hard into the inside wall, cutting short what was meant to be a breakthrough moment. Days after the disappointment, Dale Earnhardt Jr. scrutinized the incident and urged the governing body to step up, adding another layer of attention to the much-hyped debut.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Unimpressed with Cleetus McFarland
While the crash grabbed headlines, it was the overall performance that drew Earnhardt Jr.’s attention.
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In the recent Dale Jr. Download podcast, the former NASCAR driver and JR Motorsports co-owner shed light on McFarland’s NASCAR debut at Daytona. Speaking about how he struggled to handle the Truck in the race, Earnhardt Jr. advised him to compete in more races across all categories.
“Is he ready to race trucks right now? No,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “They cleared him, which is fine. Is he ready to race trucks right now? No. Will he be? Could he be? Yes, If I were NASCAR. I would do everything I could to help him get better. And what he needs is more ARCA races. He needs to race short track asphalt. He could run the NASCAR Late Model Stock Triple Crown. I don’t care. He just needs to be racing more than he’s doing, and he needs to get more experience and get better.”
Following this, Dale Jr. asked the governing body to use McFarland to the sport’s advantage and attract more fans. With this, he also asked NASCAR to step forward and provide the necessary equipment, such as a racing simulator.
“I want him racing in the Truck Series. I want him in NASCAR. I want him to bring his followers to our sport. I want him to have success. I want him to have fun… So why don’t we as a sport, get behind this guy and surround him with the tools, get him in the SIM, get him in the, you know, get him all the experiences we can get him so that when he does go out there, he knows what he’s getting involved in?” Dale Jr. further added.
Cleetus McFarland with Greg Biffle, via X (@DustinAlbino)
Lawrence Garrett Mitchell, popularly known as Cleetus McFarland, is a renowned YouTuber with over 4.6 million subscribers. Besides this, he also boasts an enormous following on Meta platforms and X. Primarily a content creator, McFarland took an interest in racing through his connection with the late Greg Biffle, whom he considered his mentor.
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So much so, in McFarland’s first ARCA race, Biffle was present to guide him. As Biffle tragically passed away in an airplane accident in December last year, it was monumental for McFarland.
After Biffle’s passing, McFarland continued racing and eventually made his Truck Series debut. However, his résumé remains thin compared to his online fame. The part-time driver from Omaha, Nebraska, has just five ARCA Menards Series starts, one ARCA Menards Series East race, and now one Truck Series appearance to his name.
In that sense, his rough outing is not unfamiliar territory in NASCAR. We have seen similar storylines before. Travis Pastrana made a high-profile jump from motocross and rally racing into stock cars with major credentials and name recognition. Yet even he struggled to consistently adapt to NASCAR’s demands and ultimately stepped away after limited results.
That comparison helps frame McFarland’s situation more clearly. NASCAR carries a steep learning curve, and success in other motorsports does not automatically translate to stock cars. Like Pastrana, McFarland brings attention and a sizable fan base, but limited seat time at this level can quickly show. His challenges are less about hype and more about experience.
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With that context in mind, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s skepticism carries more weight. Even though NASCAR cleared McFarland to compete in the Truck Series after his Darlington test, Earnhardt Jr. has openly questioned whether he is ready for this stage. The concern only grew after Saturday’s last-place, 37th-place finish.
Cleetus McFarland shared his thoughts after a disastrous Daytona outing
Cleetus McFarland entered the Fresh From Florida 250 on Friday with #4 Chevrolet Silverado RST Truck for Niece Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The anticipation ran high, but in reality, he got loose at Turn 4 on Lap 6 and had to settle for a DNF.
“The sensation was incredible. We were three-wide, which was insane from the start,” McFarland said after the race. “It was immediately three-wide, which I wasn’t expecting, and it was insane. I was having the time of my life-literally-and I just did not check myself before I wrecked myself.”
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Besides the Daytona disaster, Cleetus McFarland’s ARCA races did not fetch any better results. In the ARCA Menards Series East last year, he claimed a 17th-place finish. In the ARCA Menards Series, he earned ninth-, 10th-, 11th-, 17th-, and 30th-place finishes, indicating limited racing experience.
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