Cleetus McFarland Aims for NASCAR Approval at Rockingham Race

Cup Series drivers Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece offer advice on what McFarland must do to earn more NASCAR opportunities.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 11:08pm

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A dynamic, neon-colored painting with rapid brushstrokes depicting a NASCAR stock car racing around the Rockingham oval, conveying the intense speed and energy of the event.An explosive expressionist painting captures the raw energy and speed as Cleetus McFarland makes his NASCAR debut at the historic Rockingham Speedway.Welcome Today

Cleetus McFarland, a popular automotive YouTuber, is set to compete in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Rockingham this weekend. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece have provided guidance on what McFarland needs to do to gain NASCAR's approval for additional races, including finishing all laps and running competitively despite his lack of experience on oval tracks.

Why it matters

McFarland's participation in the NASCAR series represents an opportunity for a non-traditional driver to break into the sport, potentially expanding the fanbase and bringing new energy. However, he must prove he can safely and competitively complete races to earn further chances.

The details

McFarland will drive the No. 33 Chevrolet as part of a three-race deal with Richard Childress Racing (RCR). He is also expected to compete at Daytona and Talladega, but must first gain approval from NASCAR to compete in a superspeedway race after crashing out early in a previous NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona.

  • McFarland will compete in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Rockingham this weekend (April 5-7, 2026).
  • In February 2026, McFarland competed in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona and earned a DNF after crashing on Lap 6.

The players

Cleetus McFarland

A popular automotive YouTuber making his debut in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving for Richard Childress Racing.

Chase Briscoe

A NASCAR Cup Series driver who provided advice to McFarland on what he needs to do to earn NASCAR's approval for more races.

Ryan Preece

A NASCAR Cup Series driver who also offered guidance to McFarland on successfully completing the Rockingham race.

Richard Childress

The owner of Richard Childress Racing, the team providing McFarland's car for his NASCAR debut.

Mike Verlander

A member of the Richard Childress Racing leadership team working with McFarland.

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What they’re saying

“Just run on laps. First off, you have to run on the laps. In a perfect world, you need to not be more than a lap or two down. You can't go there and run on lap speed, 10 laps down. I think you have to be at least in the mix from a speed standpoint, especially in an RCR (Richard Childress Racing) car. The biggest thing for him is just running all the laps. Rockingham is a hard place to go and not get torn up, and he doesn't know what he doesn't know yet.”

— Chase Briscoe, NASCAR Cup Series Driver

“Finish the race. Just finish the race... Listen, he's a wheelman. Don't let him fool you by any means. I was watching TX2K, he's ripping a car 200-plus miles per hour down a quarter mile. I wouldn't do that. I don't want to do that. I admire it. So, going to Rockingham, this is a totally different discipline. I think for him, as a driver and as a fan of motorsports, he's not afraid to come out and do this.”

— Ryan Preece, NASCAR Cup Series Driver

What’s next

If McFarland can successfully complete the Rockingham race without incident and demonstrate competitive speed, he will likely earn approval from NASCAR to compete in additional O'Reilly Auto Parts Series events, including the superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega.

The takeaway

Cleetus McFarland's NASCAR debut represents an opportunity for a non-traditional driver to break into the sport, but he must prove he can safely and competitively complete races at the oval track level to earn further chances from NASCAR. The guidance from experienced Cup Series drivers suggests finishing all laps and running near the lead pace will be crucial for McFarland to gain the sanctioning body's approval.