Denny Hamlin weighed in on the growing debate surrounding Garrett Mitchell entering NASCAR competition. He suggests the situation highlights a broader issue with the sport’s approval process.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin acknowledged McFarland’s attitude and humility. Still, he decided to question whether NASCAR’s standards for approving drivers should be stricter.
“Cleetus has been ultimately one of the most humble people,” Hamlin said. “When I hear him do his serious interviews, like with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and whatnot, he is very humble when it comes to these opportunities that he’s getting.”
However, Hamlin pointed to McFarland’s recent NASCAR Truck Series debut at Daytona International Speedway as evidence that the learning curve remains steep: “But I watched him in that truck race at Daytona, and truthfully, he was out of control for all of the laps before he wrecked,” Hamlin added.
“You could just see it. I know the sport. I know what’s in control and out of control. I was like, ‘Oh man, this is not going to end well.’”
Moreover, Hamlin’s concern centers on how inexperienced drivers might affect competitors who are racing for championships: “Should guys that are running full time for points, for championships, have to be potentially affected if he ends up spinning to the right and wiping out half the field, versus going to the left and only wiping himself out?” Hamlin asked.
All in all, the veteran driver believes NASCAR may need to revisit how it approves drivers to compete in its national series: “I think the approval process in NASCAR probably needs some work. It needs to be more stringent,” Hamlin explained. “I think if you made the approval process more stringent, people would hire more off of talent than they would dollars.”
Regardless, Hamlin acknowledged the issue is complicated though, given the financial realities teams face: “Now, it would be tough on the car owners, because then they don’t have anyone to support their business,” Hamlin relented. “So this is a very, very tough slippery slope that we’re on. But I really caution NASCAR on letting this get too far.”
All told, McFarland recently announced that he signed a deal with Richard Childress Racing to compete part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division. The wheelman’s first race with the team is expected to come at Rockingham Speedway next month as he continues building experience behind the wheel.
“Guys… I can’t believe I get to say this, but I’m officially a driver at Richard Childress Racing for the Oreilly’s Series,” McFarland wrote in a social media post. “This is a part time deal (3 races a year right now) but hopefully it grows into something bigger.”
Despite the debate surrounding his rise through the ranks, McFarland has already begun expanding his racing résumé with ARCA starts and NASCAR approval testing. His journey into the sport is far from finished, and Hamlin will be watching the whole way.