Cleetus McFarland
American YouTuber and racing driver (born 1995)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lawrence Garrett Mitchell[1] (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Cleetus McFarland, is an American YouTuber and professional stock car racing driver. As of April 2026, he has over 4.6 million subscribers.[2] He competes part-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Richard Childress Racing and has driven part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Niece Motorsports, and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 30 Ford Mustang GT for Rette Jones Racing.
April 5, 1995
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
2023 Freedom 500 Winner
| Cleetus McFarland | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mitchell in 2024 | |||||||
| Born | Lawrence Garrett Mitchell April 5, 1995 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | ||||||
| Achievements | 2025 2.4 Hours of LeMullets Winner 2023 Freedom 500 Winner | ||||||
| NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 33 (Richard Childress Racing) | ||||||
| First race | 2026 North Carolina Education Lottery 250 (Rockingham) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Truck no., team | No. 4 (Niece Motorsports) | ||||||
| First race | 2026 Fresh From Florida 250 (Daytona) | ||||||
| |||||||
| ARCA Menards Series career | |||||||
| 7 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| ARCA no., team | No. 30 (Rette Jones Racing) | ||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (2026) | ||||||
| First race | 2025 Ride the 'Dente 200 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2026 Alabama Manufactured Housing 200 (Talladega) | ||||||
| |||||||
| ARCA Menards Series East career | |||||||
| 2 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| ARCA East no., team | No. 30 (Rette Jones Racing) | ||||||
| Best finish | 61st (2025) | ||||||
| First race | 2025 Bush's Beans 200 (Bristol) | ||||||
| Last race | 2026 Rockingham ARCA Menards Series East 125 (Rockingham) | ||||||
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| YouTube information | |||||||
| Channel | |||||||
| Years active | 2009–present | ||||||
| Subscribers | 4.69 million | ||||||
| Views | 2.13 billion | ||||||
| Statistics up to date as of April 25, 2026. | |||||||
YouTube career
On January 28, 2009, Mitchell started his YouTube channel, around the same time he became the social media manager for car media company 1320Video.[3] He eventually left 1320Video to pursue a full-time career with his own YouTube channel.[4]
In 2015, Mitchell adopted the moniker "Cleetus McFarland" after a character Kyle Loftis created that went viral at the annual Rocky Mountain Race Week with Tom Bailey. The name Cleetus was quickly adopted by his YouTube channel and is now how he is most referred to, rarely hearing his real name used outside of close friends and family.
Mitchell would then go on to create a bodyless Chevrolet Corvette C5 with an exo-cage named "Leroy". Leroy built a major fan following online, winning numerous trophies and setting both personal and world records. After finding career success as a YouTube content creator and racing enthusiast, he built a purpose-built race car from a Chevrolet El Camino known as "Mullet".[3]
Freedom Factory
In January 2020, Mitchell bought the abandoned Desoto Speedway, a 3/8 mi Asphalt Oval & Figure 8 Track in Manatee County, Florida,[5][6] and later renamed the track to Freedom Factory.[7]
Racing career
Stadium Super Trucks
On April 6, 2022, it was announced on The Checkered Flag that Mitchell would make his debut in the Stadium Super Trucks at Long Beach, California, racing the No. 1776 truck as Cleetus McFarland.[4] In the weekend's second of two races, he was leading on the final lap, poised to take the victory until the last jump, when he spun out after his truck hit the ground, leaving Robby Gordon to claim the win.[8] Another attempt came at the Music City Grand Prix in August, but he was involved in crashes in both races; the second race saw him get squeezed into the wall while racing Gavin Harlien and Robert Stout, causing him to flip onto his roof.[9] He invited the trucks to his Bristol 1000 at Bristol Motor Speedway a month later, where he finished third in Race 2.[10]
Drag racing
On November 6, 2022, Mitchell & his crew won first place after eliminating Carlos Olivo in the McLeod Racing Warriors VS Tres Cuarto category of the 26th Annual Haltech World Cup Finals Import & Domestic Drag Races in the four-day event. His Chevrolet El Camino (Mullet) managed an elapsed time of 6.474 seconds at a top speed of 222.95 mph on the final round of the elimination race.[11]
Returning to the event in 2023, Mitchell won in the Grannas Racing Stick Shift class driving his body-less Chevrolet Corvette "Leroy" with time of 7.325 and speed of 203.95 mph in the finals.[12]
ARCA Menards Series
2025
In 2025, it was revealed that Mitchell would participate in the pre-season test for the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway, driving the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing as Garrett Mitchell.[13][14] On January 15, it was announced on Facebook that Mitchell would drive in the season opener at Daytona for RJR also as Garrett Mitchell.[15][16] He finished in 30th after being involved in a multi-car crash over a quarter of the way through the race. Mitchell would continue to announce that he would return with the team at Talladega, Charlotte, and the ARCA Menards Series East combination race at Bristol.[17][18][19]
2026
After the race at Bristol, it was confirmed that Mitchell will return to ARCA in 2026 on a partial schedule.[20] He ran the season opener again at Daytona and finished 11th. He competed in the East Series race at Rockingham alongside his friend George Siciliano (referred to as "LS George" or "Squirrel McNutt"), where he would finish in fourth place.[21] They both ran at Kansas, where McFarland finished twentieth. They also ran at Talladega, where McFarland finished second.
NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series
2026
On February 4, 2026 it was announced that McFarland would begin testing at Rockingham Speedway to attempt to get approval to make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in the No. 4 for Niece Motorsports.[22] He started 12th at Daytona but got loose off turn 4 on lap 6 and hit the inside wall, finishing 37th.
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series
2026
On March 4, 2026, it was announced that McFarland would drive three races in the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing starting at Rockingham in April.[23] McFarland planned to run the April Talladega race, but was not approved due to lack of experience in NASCAR.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
O'Reilly Auto Parts Series
| NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | NOAPSC | Pts | Ref |
| 2026 | Richard Childress Racing | 33 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | COA | PHO | LVS | DAR | MAR | CAR 32 |
BRI | KAN | TAL | TEX | GLN | DOV | CLT | NSH | POC | COR | SON | CHI | ATL | IND | IOW | DAY | DAR | GTW | BRI | LVS | CLT | PHO | TAL | MAR | HOM | 48th* | 5* | [24] |
Craftsman Truck Series
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
ARCA Menards Series
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| ARCA Menards Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | AMSC | Pts | Ref |
| 2025 | Rette Jones Racing | 30 | Ford | DAY 30 |
PHO | TAL 10 |
KAN | CLT 9 |
MCH | BLN | ELK | LRP | DOV | IRP | IOW | GLN | ISF | MAD | DSF | BRI 17 |
SLM | KAN | TOL | 40th | 110 | [26] |
| 2026 | DAY 11 |
PHO | KAN 20 |
TAL 2 |
GLN | TOL | MCH | POC | BER | ELK | CHI | LRP | IRP | IOW | ISF | MAD | DSF | SLM | BRI | KAN | 11th* | 100* | [27] | |||
ARCA Menards Series East
Stadium Super Trucks
(key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)
* Season in progress.