Cleetus McFarland, who entered NASCAR with a strong fan following, the racing spirit of Greg Biffle, and tons of criticism, showed that he was not ready for the top level of stock car racing in his first Truck race at Daytona. Now, after months of pushback and harsh comparisons, he has finally agreed to the general sentiment before he becomes permanent in NASCAR.

Cleetus McFarland to start from the grassroots series

In an interview with the media, McFarland said he will take up Dale Jr.‘s offer and join the CARS Late Model Tour. “Well, I am building a pro late model. Hopefully, it will be done in a few weeks. And then, I get my feet wet, and that will roll a little bit. And then, I am hoping to get out there and run with those guys. Yeah, what could go wrong?”

In his two starts in the national NASCAR series so far, McFarland was at the back of the pack. For a driver who has slowly carved their way through multiple racing divisions, that could be because of a bad day on track or the nerves of racing with veterans for the first time. But in McFarland’s case, it was pure ignorance and lack of racing ability.

It didn’t even take a day before people started asking questions about his entry into NASCAR and races with no credibility. Multiple NASCAR personalities also tore him apart over the same, but some also wanted the best for him, including Dale Jr. The veteran actually stayed in touch with Cleetus McFarland and kept advising him before his races.

To help him develop his racing skills, he also invited McFarland to his CARS Late Model Tour series. Speaking to the media during McFarland’s sponsored Freedom 500, he said, “Cleetus could come race with us, and I would help him. I mean, this is a series that guys like that need to be racing in. As opposed to trying to get cleared for Talladega for the O’Reilly Series.”

McFarland acknowledged his inferiority to other NASCAR drivers after spending time with them on track during his only O’Reilly start at Rockingham. Since then, he has been putting in considerable effort to hone his racecraft before transitioning into NASCAR. The results speak for themselves. While he could not make a mark in his NASCAR starts, McFarland actually drove really well in the ARCA series.

A week ago, he came close to winning his first ARCA race at Talladega, producing his best finish in a NASCAR series yet. In a way, his rejection from the Talladega Superspeedway race in the O’Reilly series set him on the right path.

Meanwhile, fans shouldn’t forget that McFarland still had two remaining O’Reilly starts from his deal with Richard Childress Racing. So when is he going to return to the No. 33 RCR Chevrolet?

Cleetus McFarland eyes Nashville return after Talladega rejection

His first O’Reilly race was probably one of his scariest experiences in NASCAR so far. O’Reilly cars are difficult to drive, and with an inexperienced driver like Cleetus, the skill difference was quite visible. McFarland was unable; his car was sliding all along the racetrack on multiple occasions. He even faced a full spin midway through the race. Thankfully, he did not take out other drivers.

Owing to his skill level, NASCAR promptly prohibited his advance to the Talladega Superspeedway. His destination in the O’Reilly series is the Nashville Speedway. As of now, McFarland is going to drive the No. 33 O’Reilly car at Nashville Speedway with Tommy’s Express Car Wash backing his campaign.

McFarland has also expressed his interest in racing permanently in the O’Reilly Series if Richard Childress were to give him a chance to do so. However, given his situation and NASCAR’s strict approval surrounding his entries, he may not get that chance. So instead, McFarland is focusing on working with ARCA.

“If we can do this and pay for a full season of racing, that’s absolutely bonkers. So that’s what I’m looking forward to trying to do: race a full season of ARCA.” It is a rather welcome move for both McFarland and the ARCA series. McFarland’s entry into the ARCA races has positively affected its viewership, with over 400,000 views in the past few weeks.

If McFarland were to race a full season in ARCA, not only would he benefit from experience, but his reputation would also go up. Fans want him in NASCAR, but through legitimate talent.