Freedom Factory
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21050 East State Road 64
| Fastest 3/8 Mile Speedway in the South | |
|---|---|
 2023 aerial view of the track. Bradenton Motorsports Park is adjacent to the track. | |
| Location | Bradenton, Florida, USA |
| Coordinates | 27°28′25″N 82°19′35″W 21050 East State Road 64 |
| Owner | Cleetus McFarland |
| Broke ground | Late 1970's |
| Opened | 1978 |
| Former names | Desoto Speedway (1978–2020) |
| Major events | Current: Freedom 500 (2020–) Altima 600 (2024–) 2.4 Hours of LeMullets (2020–) Florida Man Games (2026–) |
| Paved-Oval (1978–present) | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.23 mi (3⁄8 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns: 12° Straightaways: 6° |
The Freedom Factory, (formerly Desoto Speedway from 1971 to 2020) is a 3⁄8 mi (0.60 km) oval short track in Bradenton, Florida. The track primarily holds events held by YouTuber/owner Cleetus McFarland
Early days
The track was opened around the late-1970s under Desoto Speedway. The track remained open until 2018, where it sat abandoned.
Under McFarland
In January 2020, content creator Cleetus McFarland bought the abandoned Desoto Speedway, a 3/8 mi Asphalt Oval & Figure 8 Track in Manatee County, Florida,[1][2] and later renamed the track to Freedom Factory.[3]
Incidents
In 2017, Dave Steele was killed in a racing accident during a Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series race at the track on March 25, 2017. His car's front wheel struck and overrode the rear wheel of another car during the event, sending him into the wall; he was pronounced dead at the scene.[4]
During one of McFarland's "Cleetus and Cars" events in November 2020, Parker Whitlock suffered third-degree burns due to a radiator hose explosion.[5] Until this event, drivers that entered the competition were not required to be wearing a full fire suit. During Whitlock's burnout in his bodyless Ford Mustang, a radiator hose routed past the driver exploded. Because Whitlock was only wearing a hoodie and shorts, he suffered third-degree burns and required multiple skin grafts.[6]