Overview

• Cleetus McFarland, also known as Garrett Mitchell, finished 10th in the ARCA Menards Series race at Talladega, overcoming a broken valve spring that left his car running on seven cylinders.
• His in-car camera stream on NASCAR’s YouTube channel drew nearly 70,000 live viewers, contributing to a 20,000–30,000 subscriber increase for the channel within a day.
• McFarland’s performance, marked by smart drafting and crash avoidance, earned praise from veteran drivers like Max Papis and Alex Bowman, who highlighted his dedication and growing skills.
• The race marked a significant improvement from his ARCA debut at Daytona earlier this year, where he finished 30th after multiple wrecks.
• McFarland hinted at a potential return to ARCA racing in the fall at Talladega, though no official plans have been confirmed.