Stock car racing has always been powered by two engines, the one under the hood and the one in the grandstands. For the better part of two decades, no driver understood that second engine better than Dale Earnhardt Sr. However, that bond between driver and fan has been increasingly difficult to find in the modern era of NASCAR. Until, perhaps, now. A YouTuber-turned-racer from the internet generation is earning a comparison that, in racing circles, carries enough weight to make one smile from ear to ear.

Bobby Earnhardt, Dale Sr.’s grandson, did not hold back when discussing Cleetus McFarland’s growing presence in stock car racing.

Speaking to Frontstretch after the Indy 800 race, Earnhardt said, “Man, Cleetus has got this down. He knows how to put on a show, and he’s all about the fans, and I respect that. Because that’s what it’s about; it’s about these fans. My granddad was notorious for taking care of the fans.

“Cleetus reminds me a lot of him, taking care of the fans, and he will stay inside for hours, and somebody, everybody gets an autograph. That’s what I like to see, and I am glad he is in the sport, and I hope he continues to be in ARCA, O’Reilly, and Truck. I mean, he is just really good for the sport, and I look forward to a lot of success with him.”

Racing in the ARCA series, it is quite obvious that Bobby Earnhardt knows McFarland. He is also a regular participant in the one-off Crown Victoria races organized by the latter. So, while the community may or may not accept McFarland’s eligibility to race in the top NASCAR series, Earnhardt has established that his popularity cannot be questioned.

Cleetus McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, has built his following the same way Earnhardt Sr. built his – through authentic connections. He has over 4.7 million YouTube subscribers and more than 2.1 billion total channel views. He did not arrive in racing through the traditional ladder system. He arrived through the internet, through burnouts, through a bodyless Corvette named Leroy and a fanbase that followed him everywhere he pointed a camera, including, eventually, toward a stock car.

In 2025, Mitchell made his first ARCA Menards Series start, driving the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing, scoring a top-10 finish at Talladega and a then career-best ninth-place result at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He returned to ARCA in 2026 on a partial schedule, finishing second at Talladega and fourth in the East Series race at Rockingham.

Beyond ARCA, he has driven the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut for Niece Motorsports. During his first race weekend in the O’Reilly series at the Rockingham Speedway, fans surrounded him after the qualifying session. McFarland was heard asking them to wait for him to return after catching his breath.

In fact, when McFarland ran up front at Talladega in 2025, the ARCA race drew 446,000 average viewers, which was up 41% from the prior year’s 317,000. His in-car camera streamed simultaneously on YouTube, adding tens of thousands of concurrent viewers to that total.

Naturally, NASCAR veterans like Kenny Wallace, who also participates in his Crown Victoria racing events, have been actively vouching for him as the savior of NASCAR and its declining audience.

The events that McFarland organizes are also top-notch without any major disruptions. As Earnhardt recalled in front of the media, he was having a great time with the Crown Victoria cars racing around in a rowdy fashion during the Indy 800.

“I can’t thank Cleetus enough for allowing me here and having fun with these guys. Fans sticking their heads out in the cold weather and watching us is awesome. Thank God for allowing me to do this, and man, this is the plan. I am just having fun, living the dream.”

Still, his popularity doesn’t take away from his skill set. Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged the same, saying, “He can get in the O’Reilly car and go out and test for four hours and pretty much get it up against the limit of the tire and the slip angle of the tire and get within a decent lap time quicker than most.”

That said, while Bobby Earnhardt was out here enjoying his experience with Cleetus McFarland and his friends, he had not forgotten about his full-time career. He is already getting ready to bring the best version of himself to the upcoming ARCA race.

Bobby Dale Earnhardt to visit his dream track for the next event

The next stop for Bobby Earnhardt is going to be Watkins Glen in the ARCA Menards Series. Driving for Rise Racing, it is the first time that he is going to drive a road course in his stock car racing career. So how does he plan on attacking this new type of race track for the first time?

Just like any good driver, for Bobby Earnhardt, the simulator is going to be his best friend while preparing for Watkins Glen. Talking to the media, he explained:

“Man, I am looking forward to the next one; it’s going to be fun. I know I got Watkins Glen next weekend in the ARCA race. That’s gonna be interesting. It’s the first time on a road course, and we will see how it goes. Hopefully, it is not going to be like this, but we will see.

“I have run a couple of races at my house. I am supposed to go down and get on the motion sim in Hickory, and it is supposed to help me with getting through the corners. I am looking forward to that, and I am looking forward to Watkins Glen. I have always wanted to run a road course and just can’t wait to get out there.”

It will be an interesting weekend for the Earnhardt family as their latest generation continues to adapt to the broader demands of stock car racing.