“A Kick in the Nu*s!” NASCAR Denies Cleetus McFarland Talladega Approval

Cleetus McFarland has shared his thoughts after NASCAR refused to approve him for the Talladega O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

“A Kick in the Nu*s!” NASCAR Denies Cleetus McFarland Talladega Approval

Cleetus McFarland (Via @CleetusMcFarland/ Facebook)

One of the biggest questions in the NASCAR community this weekend was the possibility of Cleetus McFarland getting the approval to make his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Talladega this month. But to the disappoint of the fanbase, the sanctioning body has refused to approve the RCR driver, owing to his limited experience.

The YouTuber turner racer shared the news in a video he shared on his Facebook page. Talking about the failure, he pointed out that he has been planning a NOAPS Superspeedway debut since getting the RCR deal a month ago. They tried everything they can, with the performance on Sunday at Rockingham, but it wasn’t enough.

All in all this opportunity landed about two months ago. And we came up with the idea of running a superspeedway. It’s not like we’ve been planning this for a year, and I’ve only been racing NASCAR for a year. It was never my mission to go out and climb in an O’Reilly’s car and get to the top as fast as I can. But we figured we’d try, and it didn’t get approved.

Cleetus McFarland said after the announcement.

Further talking about the point, the racer admitted that he lacks experience and he needs to race more in the lower divisions to secure opportunities in the top divisions. Hence, he doesn’t see the denial as a pushback, instead as a humbling moment that reminded him he still has lot to learn in stock car racing.

It is what it is. I need more windshield time, regardless whether it’s in an O’Reilly’s car, an ARCA car or a Truck. More windshield time is going to help me. I’ve got a lot to learn, guys. So, this isn’t as much of a stepback or a pushdown as it seems. Little bit of a kick in the nuts, but I’ve just got to get out there in other cars, do as much learning as possible, and then hopefully I’ll get to run Daytona, Talladega next year.

Cleetus McFarland added via a video shared on Facebook.

NASCAR releases a statement on Cleetus McFarland decision

NASCAR EVP John Probst explained what Cleetus McFarland needs to do to get approval to make his second division superspeedway debut. The sport wants to see more of the racer before eventually giving him the approval, as they reminded him that he got a lot of opportunities to prove himself in the same track in lower divisions or short tracks in NOAPS.

Cleetus McFarland
Cleetus McFarland (Via motorsport.com)

He is approved right now for O’Reilly Series short tracks, which means he’s good for all of ARCA, all of truck, and then O’Reilly up through the short tracks. We’d like to see more out of Cleetus in the short tracks. So, we’re not saying no, but there is more that we would like to see out of Cleetus before we would approve him for Talladega.

John Probst said via a statement.

The senior NASCAR figure asserted that he like many among the NASCAR leadership supports the racer and wants him continue racing in the sport as well as continue making videos about it. It was a wise decision from the sport to make McFarland race more, which will help both the driver and the series in the long run.

Also Read: RCR Questions Cleetus McFarland’s Hopes of Racing at Talladega