Generally, the NASCAR community rewards and appreciates drivers when they get promoted and climb up the ladder of the sport. But that’s not the case for Cleetus McFarland. This happened after the famous YouTuber turned stock car driver recently scored his biggest hit yet. But the fans felt it wasn’t exactly earned.
Cleetus McFarland gets a big ticket against fan sentiment
On Wednesday, Richard Childress Racing announced that Cleetus McFarland has signed a deal with the legendary team. McFarland signed a two-year deal with RCR to race in at least three O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races each season.
While this is a big win for Cleetus McFarland, it also comes in the aftermath of his first foray into NASCAR. Ahead of this season, McFarland was announced to be running in the Truck Series for Niece Motorsports at Daytona.
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However, McFarland’s first NASCAR race came to a disappointing end very quickly. The 30-year-old started the race in the season opener in 12th position. But the big hype around his entry ended quickly within the first six laps, as he crashed off Turn 4 before hitting the inside wall and ending up with a DNF finish.
His result in Daytona and now his deal with RCR have left a sour taste in a section of the NASCAR community. The general sentiment was that McFarland’s deal wasn’t earned, and his lack of experience should’ve been a factor. Many fans believed that McFarland not having run even a full ARCA season clearly suggests he isn’t ready for this jump.
Many also accused the sport of being biased towards Cleetus for the huge fanbase that he brings with him, which is beneficial for the sport.
McFarland will make his debut under the new deal at Rockingham. His deal also includes races at Daytona and Talladega. In a statement issued by the YouTuber, he expressed his thoughts on the deal.
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“To have the opportunity to make my NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with a legendary race team like Richard Childress Racing is a dream come true,” McFarland said, as per Motorsport.
He remarked on the “huge honor” and expressed his gratitude for Richard Childress.
Having said that, it hasn’t all bad for McFarland behind the wheel of a racecar. In his six starts in the ARCA Series, he has two top 10s and three top 20 finishes to his name. In fact, one of his top 10s came at Talladega, a racetrack he’s speculated to race under RCR with the new deal.
Dale Jr. showed faith in McFarland despite Daytona heartbreak
One of the biggest names who has shown faith in Cleetus McFarland is none other than Dale Earnhardt Jr. The NASCAR Hall of Famer, who has also featured on McFarland’s YouTube channel with nearly 5 million subscribers, shared his thoughts after his unfortunate Daytona outing.
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Earnhardt Jr. claimed that McFarland is currently not ready to race in the Truck Series. However, he not only has potential, but Junior urged NASCAR to be “doing everything” to get him better.
“He just needs to be racing more than he’s doing, and he needs to get more experience and get better. What happened to him at Daytona could happen to anyone, happened to me, could happen to anyone,” the 2x Daytona 500 winner said on his podcast.
Earnhardt’s comments suggest that he sees a promising racecar driver in Cleetus McFarland. Now, the 30-year-old also has the backing of a top team with a top program in RCR. The question is, will he deliver the results?
