Cleetus McFarland is here to stay. The YouTuber-turned-racing driver has made it clear that he is going to do everything to improve his racing and compete in the NASCAR series all the way up to the Cup Series. While his deal with Richard Childress Racing for his O’Reilly Series debut has been subject to multiple controversies, McFarland considers it a golden opportunity, even though the ground reality of the team is slightly different.

Cleetus McFarland aims for career growth with RCR

Only recently, McFarland made an honest admission about his own talents. He knows that he is lacking the skill set that his NASCAR competition has, but he is ready to put in the effort to bridge that gap. For him, those efforts will find their way with Richard Childress.

“I’m here to learn. I’m here to have a blast. I got this crazy opportunity to run in O’Reilly with RCR and Tommy’s Express Car Wash, and I think a lot of people are viewing that as, like, I’m trying to wedge my way into the sport. 

“They called me. Who the hell would I be to say no to Richard Childress Racing, saying, ‘Come get in my car?’ There’s a zero percent chance I’m turning that down. It’s up to me now. I put myself into this here, so if you want to come along for the ride, we’d love to have you.”

McFarland’s motivation to race with RCR stems from his legacy in the NASCAR Cup Series. Richard Childress is a force to be reckoned with in NASCAR, even though he has not won any championships in the past few years. However, putting enthusiasm aside, McFarland does seem to understand the bigger picture.

Sure, Richard Childress Racing is a big team in NASCAR. Childress also has many connections that made him a powerful man in NASCAR. Yet, in terms of performance, his team is severely lagging behind. Just look at his latest driver, Kyle Busch; the two-time champion has struggled to post any victories for the last two seasons.

Not only that, the 2026 season has been even worse for Busch, who is stuck at the back of the grid almost every race. While Busch and his career are under question, is it still a good idea for Cleetus McFarland to stick with RCR? Whatever the answer is, McFarland is surely ignoring all those signs just to be associated with the team.

“Just know that I am not trying to wedge my way into this sport. I’m simply here to go enjoy this sport and turn left with a bunch of other people who love turning left.”

McFarland is miles away from challenging for wins, let alone running a full season for a championship bid. For a driver like him who is trying to get his feet planted in NASCAR, RCR might be the best place to go for now. 

The other top teams will not want to risk their part-time programs considering McFarland’s lack of performance. Meanwhile, Richard Childress is trying to do the best for his team to return them to the top. The deal between Cleetus McFarland and Richard Childress assures mutual benefit for both.

For McFarland it is an opportunity to get better, whereas for Richard Childress it is an opportunity to bring in more sponsors and fan following.

This Saturday is going to mark Cleetus McFarland’s first start in the O’Reilly series from his three-race deal for this year.

Can McFarland bring a viewership advantage this Saturday?

Before we contemplate the same, it is important to remember who Cleetus McFarland is. Sure, he does not have a lot of experience in racing, but as an automotive content creator with 5M YouTube subscribers, he is as popular as some of the other drivers in the O’Reilly series.

Owing to McFarland and his pal Squirrel McNutt, the ARCA series is already witnessing a boom in viewership. The fanbase that he holds is actively tuning in to watch stock car racing. Thus, this Saturday can become the picture-perfect moment for NASCAR’s O’Reilly Series.

First of all, the O’Reilly Series in itself is facing a massive influx of audience. The CW and its strategies are increasing viewership numbers every weekend. The sport is already looking forward to challenging NASCAR. With McFarland’s entry, the O’Reilly Series can gain an even better fanbase.

If it does end up running a good race at Rockingham, it will cause the audience to pour in masses to watch O’Reilly racing. Since he is such a controversial figure in NASCAR, there is already a lot riding on his debut. Cleetus McFarland might end up becoming the catalyst the NASCAR O’Reilly Series needed to finally go toe to toe with the Cup Series or perhaps even overtake them.