“I have been denied by NASCAR”
YouTube star Cleetus McFarland just made his debut in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series at Rockingham Speedway. This comes after multiple starts in the ARCA Menards Series as well as a start in the NASCAR Truck Series.
With near 5 million YouTube subscribers, McFarland brings a unique audience along with him for his NASCAR ventures. He can drive but his lack of racing experience has caused some controversy within the industry.
On Saturday, he entered the O’Reilly race at Rockingham in a car fielded by Richard Childress Racing. He started 35th, spun out multiple times and finished the race in the 32nd position.
McFarland had another deal lined up with RCR but it was pending NASCAR approval. He was set to run at Talladega SuperSpeedway on April 25th.
Cleetus McFarland signs with Richard Childress Racing
On Tuesday, NASCAR has denied that request. McFarland took to social media to address that ruling.
Cleetus McFarland comments
On Tuesday evening, McFarland commented after the ruling from NASCAR…
“I wanted you to hear it from me first that I have been denied by NASCAR to run Talladega in my O’Reilly’s car,” McFarland stated via social media.
“I made my O’Reilly’s debut last Saturday with hopes of getting approval for Talladega. But, they did not see enough.”
“Granted, it was a pretty hectic race. I tried to pass someone three wide on the third lap, spun out. Spun out a few more times. Didn’t crash or crash anybody. But still, it was pretty hectic.”
“NASCAR has said, ‘We’re going to need to see you run more ARCA and more Trucks. I’m fully approved for Trucks. Which I have some of those coming up on my schedule. But, in O’Reilly, I am still limited to short tracks.”
“All-in-all, this opportunity landed about two months ago. We came up with the idea of running a SuperSpeedway. I’ve only been racing NASCAR for one year.”
“It was never my mention to go out, climb in an O’Reilly car and get to the top as fast as I can. But, we figured we’d try. And, we didn’t get approved.”
“I need more windshield time. I got a lot to learn. So, this isn’t as much as a step back as or a push down as it seems. A little bit of a kick in the nuts.”
“I just gotta get out there with other cars and do as much learning as possible. Then, hopefully I’ll get to run Daytona and Talladega next year.”
McFarland is set to run in the ARCA Menards Series on April 18 at Kansas Speedway and April 25 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Kyle Busch says Cleetus McFarland lacks experience (Video)
