Granted, NASCAR runs on performance as well as visibility. While the finest Cup Series drivers spend hours perfecting their high-octane craft, they also work on their camera skills. And Cleetus McFarland scores big on the second factor. The 30-year-old became a YouTube sensation first, before foraying into the world of motorsports. And some NASCAR veterans believe that his racing journey may be going too fast with recent developments.

Cleetus McFarland’s lightning-fast rise raises concerns

“He’s not ready for Xfinity here,” Freddie Kraft said on ‘Door, Bumper, Clear.’ “He’s like, he’s going to go to Rockingham, and the best thing that’s going to happen to him is run last and not wreck. That’s the only win that comes out of that race, is he’s not going to go up and contend at all. You know, he’s just hoping to get through that race without any incident so he can go run Talladega.”

These comments were made on Cleetus McFarland, aka Garrett Mitchell, who is gearing up for his next racing feat. Last week, Richard Childress Racing announced that he will wheel the No. 33 Chevrolet in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. And he will do so on one of the trickiest ovals of the sport – Rockingham Speedway. That is what concerns the people on the DBC podcast. The three-race deal also includes excursions at Daytona and Talladega.

Cleetus McFarland broke into NASCAR just last year – making his ARCA Menards Series debut in Daytona. That ended in a crash, yet McFarland fetched top ten finishes at Talladega and at Charlotte. In February 2026, he made his Craftsman Truck Series debut, but crashed from inside the top ten just six laps into the race, finishing 37th after starting 12th. DBC hosts believe scaling him up to OAPS is too fast, despite McFarland’s almost 5 million fans.

“He can still bring those followers. But why don’t you bring those followers eight months later, right when you are a little bit more vested,” Tommy Baldwin Jr. said. “I mean, the guy don’t even know the difference between a pro late model and a super late model, there’s two different divisions. It’s like, this is what you need to be driving, this is how you need to be starting, these are the things that you need to be doing. It’s like trust the process, man. You’re only going to hurt yourself. I’m sorry.”

Karsyn Elledge, the granddaughter of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and a CARS Tour official, also called out Cleetus McFarland’s focus on the glamor. “I just don’t understand doing it just for the sake of doing it. Like to say that you went and ran a NASCAR race. Call me different, but I would want to go do that and put my best foot towards it and know that something could come out of it rather than just getting to make a YouTube video and say I ran a f—— NASCAR race.”

Clearly, Cleetus McFarland is not drumming up a lot of hype about his fresh NASCAR ventures. Nevertheless, he has solid support for his new efforts.

A big sponsor for the big debut

RCR is a legendary Cup Series team boasting six Cup Series titles and a lengthy tenure with the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. Securing a ride with this team was no mean feat – but Cleetus McFarland did not stop there. His NASCAR OAPS starts will have support from Tommy’s Express, a national carwash chain with more than 270 locations across the U.S., Canada, and France.

“We could not be more excited about hitting the track with Richard Childress Racing and Cleetus McFarland,” said Alex Lemmen, CEO of Tommy’s Express. “We could not think of a better fit. When you add Cleetus McFarland as our driver, you truly have a dream team. Cleetus is not only a skilled driver and motorsports enthusiast, but also a genius marketer with an authentic connection to millions of his fans. We can’t wait to bring our shared energy, purpose, and execution to the racing world. Let’s go.”

Besides this solid backing from a dedicated sponsor, Mark Martin’s words also endorsed Cleetus McFarland. “Cleetus has made a name for himself doing really fun videos,” said the 40-time Cup Series race winner. “And I personally don’t know Cleetus, but I have seen some of his racing in the Crown Vicks, and I’m going to tell you, Cleetus can drive.”

This divide in stances regarding Cleetus McFarland’s ambitions is notable. Let’s wait and see how the YouTuber actually performs in his NASCAR endeavor.