NASCAR Denies YouTuber 'Cleetus McFarland' Talladega Race Debut

Garrett Mitchell, known as 'Cleetus McFarland', will have to wait to race at the iconic superspeedway.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 4:59pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway, with the track, cars, and motion broken down into sharp, overlapping planes of color and shape.NASCAR's decision to deny a popular YouTube star's debut at Talladega reveals the sport's cautious approach to new drivers on its most challenging tracks.Talladega Today

NASCAR has denied popular YouTube star Garrett Mitchell, known by his online persona 'Cleetus McFarland', the opportunity to make his debut in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Talladega Superspeedway this month. Despite Mitchell's recent NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series and O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR executives say he needs more experience on short tracks before being approved for the high-speed Talladega oval.

Why it matters

Cleetus McFarland has built a massive online following of over 4.7 million subscribers through his automotive-focused YouTube channel, and his attempt to race at Talladega was seen as a chance to bring new fans to NASCAR. However, NASCAR is taking a cautious approach, wanting to ensure Mitchell demonstrates more short-track experience before approving him for one of the sport's most challenging and dangerous superspeedways.

The details

Mitchell, 31, made his NASCAR debut in the third-tier Craftsman Truck Series on Feb. 13 at Daytona, where he crashed and finished last. He then made his first start in the second-tier O'Reilly Auto Parts Series last Saturday at Rockingham, where he finished 32nd out of 38 cars after spinning out multiple times. NASCAR executives say they'd like to see more consistent performance from Mitchell on short tracks before approving him for the high-banked Talladega oval.

  • On February 13, Mitchell made his NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona.
  • On April 8, 2026, NASCAR announced it would not allow Mitchell to race at Talladega on April 25.

The players

Garrett Mitchell

A 31-year-old YouTube personality known online as 'Cleetus McFarland', who has a large automotive-focused following of over 4.7 million subscribers.

John Probst

NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, who explained the organization's decision to deny Mitchell's Talladega debut.

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What they’re saying

“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, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer

“Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to hear from me first that I have been denied by NASCAR to run Talladega in my O'Reilly's car. (I) made my O'Reilly's debut last Saturday with hopes of getting approval for Talladega, but they did not see enough.”

— Garrett Mitchell

What’s next

Mitchell says he will focus on gaining more experience in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, with the goal of potentially racing at Talladega in 2027.

The takeaway

This decision highlights NASCAR's cautious approach to allowing new drivers, even popular social media stars, to compete at its most challenging and dangerous tracks until they have demonstrated sufficient experience and skill at lower levels of the sport.