NASCAR Is Not Approving Cleetus McFarland for Talladega Just Yet

Cleetus McFarland Not Approved for Talladega James Gilbert - Getty Images YouTube sensation and burgeoning NASCAR driver Cleetus McFarland will not be entered in the upcoming second-tier NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series at Talladega. McFarland, who previously entered races under legal name Garrett Mitchell, was previously scheduled to run the race with Cup Series stalwarts Richard Childress Racing later this month. In a video posted to Facebook , McFarland says that he will still be running the lower-level ARCA event that weekend.

He says that NASCAR "did not see enough" in his O'Reilly series debut last Saturday. He calls that race "hectic," noting that he "spun out a few times" but "didn't crash or crash anybody. " NASCAR executive John Probst described series leadership as "huge Cleetus fans" in a weekly "Hauler Talk" podcast, adding that the group is "certainly very appreciative of everything he’s done in our sport, and will continue to do in our sport.

" Probst says that McFarland is approved for all truck and ARCA races, plus short tracks in the O'Reilly series, but that the sanctioning body "would like to see more" before he is approved to race at bigger venues at that level. McFarland finished in the top five of an ARCA race at Rockingham this past weekend, but he struggled to 32nd in his second-tier debut later on the same day. That finish, six laps down, followed a DNF after spinning and crashing early in a NASCAR Truck Series debut at Daytona earlier this year.

The O'Reilly Series next races at a superspeedway at the end of August, so McFarland has some time to build his resume before seeking the same approval again. You Might Also Like If You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of These These Are the Most Popular Cars by State