Garrett Mitchell, known as Cleetus McFarland, a YouTube creator and part-time NASCAR driver, will not be entered in the upcoming NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Talladega and will instead compete in an ARCA event that weekend.
In a Facebook video McFarland said NASCAR "did not see enough" in his O'Reilly debut, calling that race "hectic" after he spun several times but did not crash anyone; he finished 32nd in that second-tier debut and earlier had a DNF in his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Daytona.
NASCAR executive John Probst, on the "Hauler Talk" podcast, said series leadership are "huge Cleetus fans" and that McFarland is approved for Truck and ARCA races plus short tracks in the O'Reilly series, but the sanctioning body wants to see more before approving larger venues.
McFarland ran a top-five in an ARCA race at Rockingham the same weekend, and the O'Reilly Series' next superspeedway at the end of August gives him time to build his resume before seeking expanded approval.
This summary is based on coverage by Road and Track.
Read the full article at Road and Track.
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