Mark Martin Insists Cleetus McFarland’s RCR Deal Is a Huge Win for NASCAR

Mark Martin is delighted with Cleetus McFarland’s part-time deal with RCR in NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Mark Martin Insists Cleetus McFarland’s RCR Deal Is a Huge Win for NASCAR

Greg Biffle and Cleetus McFarland (via Instagram), Mark Martin (via NASCAR)

In Short
  • Cleetus McFarland has secured a part-time role with Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series.
  • Mark Martin believes McFarland's entry will attract new fans and boost ticket sales for NASCAR.
  • McFarland has over 4.65 million YouTube subscribers, making him more popular than any current Cup Series driver.

Garrett Mitchell, popularly known as Cleetus McFarland has emerged as one of the more loved drivers on the current NASCAR grid. The youtuber-turned-driver recently debuted in the Truck Series at Daytona. Though his performance was far from satisfactory, he was able to land a part-time role in NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series with Richard Childress Racing.

Now, former NASCAR star, Mark Martin has revealed his opinions on the matter and applauded Cleetus McFarland’s entry to RCR. Reportedly, Garrett Michell will run three races per year for the team, piloting the No.33 Chevrolet, with the first being at the Rockingham Speedway in April 2026. The part-time seat is supposed to last for two years, with extension certainty being in the cards.

Cleetus McFarland boasts a massive fan following as a automotive content creator, apart from his part-time NASCAR role. As such, Garrett Mitchell’s entry to O’Reilly Auto Parts Series mean that he will bring a whole new world of audience to the sport. Mark Martin asserts that McFarland’s entry will be a big win for NASCAR as a whole, for multiple reasons. Martin is confident that Mitchell will bring in brand new eyes to the motorsport.

Further, Mark Martin pointed out that Cleetus McFarland’s entry will only bring more sales for the tickets. As such, the former NASCAR star reiterated that it was a big win for the sport. Certainly, the pinnacle of stock racing is already gaining more popularity worldwide, but with the involvement of such notable individuals, it will only skyrocket further. Ultimately, Mitchell is a great personality and an amazing human being.

So, if we get Cleetus McFarland involved in NASCAR racing, it’s going to be a win for all of us race fans because it’s going to bring more fans, more eyes on our sport. And even hopefully more ticket sales at the racetracks. So, this is a big win for NASCAR. Of course, he’s announced that he’s come to an agreement with RCR, Richard Childress, to do some O’Reilly series racing.

Mark Martin said on Dirty Mo Overdrive.

Mark Martin claims Cleetus McFarland “more popular” than any Cup Series driver

Notably, Cleetus McFarland boasts over 4.65 million subscribers on his YouTube channel alone. That number is certainly much higher than any of the teams and drivers on social media. As such, Garret Mitchell’s entry will only help boost NASCAR’s popularity. Mark Martin makes a bold claim about McFarland’s fan following on the internet.

Cleetus McFarland
Cleetus McFarland (Via wired.com)

Mark Martin asserts that Cleetus McFarland is a huge online personality and has massive fan following. He boldly insisted that Mitchell had more fan following than any other driver on the grid. McFarland is also loved by many, which means that the fans will certainly start following NASCAR for the sake of witnessing their favorite YouTuber race on track.

Cleetus McFarland is huge. He’s an incredibly popular figure on  YouTube. He does really great videos and is loved by so many. He is more popular than any Cup driver. He has a stronger following, let’s say, than any Cup driver in NASCAR.

Mark Martin noted.

For now, Cleetus McFarland’s contract is for only two years. However, given his popularity and love for the sport, this contract will definitely get extended soon enough. Perhaps, McFarland might even make it to Cup Series Racing if his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parrs Series debut remains impressive and helps the sport achieve great benefits.

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