Cleetus McFarland is a fan-favorite, but only when he’s running cars on his YouTube channel, as many don’t seem to be enjoying his latest venture into the NASCAR world. While he has always been close to stock racing and possesses immense automotive knowledge, this year was the first time that he had the opportunity to race at the national level. But it didn’t go too well.

His year began with a massive Truck Series run prepared with Niece Motorsports at Daytona. He showcased impressive pace in qualifying; however, his run came to an early end after he crashed just six laps into the race. He got loose coming off turn 4, losing control and hitting the inside wall.

But not all hope was lost. He was prepared for his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Rockingham, which he did with Richard Childress Racing. Understandably, this was seen as a massive project for his racing career. However, he had far too many near misses throughout the race. His race was marked by multiple spins, triggering caution, and even a big moment in the later stages of the race, when he spun into the traffic. Despite the saves, however, he found himself battling at the back of the field.

This was because of a clear lack of overall experience he currently has. Cleetus McFarland, although he has quite the automotive knowledge, is not well-experienced in professional racing. He has had some impressive finishes in the ARCA Menards Series within the past year; however, he didn’t run enough races. Moreover, he only found himself in the top-10, a bit too far from winning a race, and perhaps, even further from being competitive or experienced enough to debut in NASCAR.

Having races in the O’Reilly Series, McFarland will now be aware of the standard in Cup Series racing. He had earlier dreamt of racing in Daytona, but fans have dismissed this idea in a recent round of online comments.

Fans deny Cleetus McFarland a Cup debut

“God, I hope not. And that’s coming from someone who has followed him WELL before he even had NASCAR on his radar.” A fan wrote, straightforwardly denying the question. Moreover, the fan also pointed a finger at Richard Childress Racing: “Part of this is on  @RCRracing for offering the ride in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Knowing he has little to no experience in a stock car. Doing this in Cup would be embarrassing to him.”

Considering not a lot of people have backed his move into NASCAR, many seemed to agree with the above thoughts. “Enough is enough. He doesn’t have nearly enough experience for the Cup series!!” This was the energy that most users carried, especially after his run at Rockingham proving to be a complete disaster. “Not after he spun out four times at Rockingham.”

What is most interesting is the fact that many of Cleetus McFarland’s fans don’t want him to run the national level series. They once again quote his overall lack of experience, which has proven to be the case in the Truck and NOAP Series, and so they don’t want him to run the Daytona 500 next year, either. “I support him in the lower series! But god I hope not… too soon. Please no 2027 Daytona either,” a comment read. “Man, I hope not. I love Cleetus, and I was 100% on board with him in the NOAPS race, but the cup is different. There is a standard that needs to be upheld there,” another fan wrote.

Although McFarland is loved by fans, they also happen to be fans of professional racing, and his attempts at the national level have been anything but professional. It is quite clear that he can drive, but his level has certainly not reached the level of being a NASCAR driver.