The YouTuber Garrett Mitchell, better known by his alias \u201cCleetus McFarland,\u201d was on a call with reporters this week when he was asked how closely he had monitored the social media criticism surrounding his accelerated foray into NASCAR.<\/p>\n
It turns out he\u2019d seen most of it, if not all of it. After all, Mitchell noted, a YouTuber must live on social media as much as journalists do.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job is probably more similar to yours than closer to the drivers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And yet, unlike those staring back at him on the Zoom session, Mitchell will be much closer to the drivers Saturday when he makes his debut in NASCAR\u2019s O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series \u2014 the equivalent of Triple-A baseball, one level below NASCAR\u2019s premier Cup Series \u2014 at the challenging Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old\u2019s sudden emergence in NASCAR has sparked everything from fascination to excitement, skepticism to scorn \u2014 seemingly all at once.<\/p>\n
Mitchell\u2019s massive audience \u2014 4.7 million YouTube subscribers<\/a>, 3.1 million followers on Facebook and another 1.6 million on Instagram \u2014 gives him \u201ca stronger following than any Cup driver in NASCAR,\u201d as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin said in a recent video<\/a>.<\/p>\n And in a sport based on sponsorship dollars to fund expensive race cars, where drivers often have to bring their own money to secure a seat, the idea of an attention-grabbing YouTube personality behind the wheel was attractive for his new team, Richard Childress Racing. The longtime home for the late Dale Earnhardt Sr., RCR secured sponsorship from Tommy\u2019s Express Car Wash to back Mitchell\u2019s ride \u2014 and give him a $1 salary, making him a paid driver rather than one who buys a ride.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would only want to do this if you can stay original to who you are,\u201d RCR\u2019s Ty Dillon said of his pitch to McFarland. \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t want this to take you off of who Cleetus is, what your channel is and what makes you fun. And if we\u2019re not having fun doing this whole project, we\u2019re failing.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell\u2019s channel\u00a0is\u00a0fun, but his YouTube videos aren\u2019t something totally unrelated to NASCAR. For more than a decade, he\u2019s made a career out of automotive content, often using the skills that could come in handy for his new NASCAR venture.<\/p>\n While making videos, Mitchell has developed extensive experience drag racing, drifting, racing Crown Victorias, high-performance boating and piloting aircraft \u2014 as well as a variety of stunts that defy simple explanation. His skills have impressed the likes of pro race car drivers, many of whom have become his friends and have participated in Mitchell\u2019s events.<\/p>\n Cup driver Ryan Preece, a longtime fan of Mitchell\u2019s who recently recorded a video with him drafting Crown Vics at Talladega Superspeedway<\/a>, cited the YouTube star\u2019s ability to top 261 mph down a quarter-mile drag strip.<\/p>\n \u201cListen, he\u2019s a wheelman,\u201d Preece said. \u201cDon\u2019t let him fool you by any means.\u201d<\/p>\n The biggest believer in the NASCAR world was retired driver Greg Biffle, who hit it off with Mitchell immediately after they met. Biffle quickly became a trusted friend and mentor who guided Mitchell toward stock car racing; they were two peas in a pod and even flew helicopter rescue missions together in the North Carolina mountains after Hurricane Helene.<\/p>\n But in December, tragedy struck. Biffle and his family were on their way to visit Mitchell in Florida when Biffle\u2019s plane crashed<\/a> \u2014 killing the driver, his wife, two children, a friend and two pilots. The devastated Mitchell confirmed the news on social media and later gave a tearful eulogy at Biffle\u2019s memorial service.<\/p>\n In that sense, the NASCAR journey marks a continuation of something his friend wanted to see him do. But Mitchell\u2019s entry into NASCAR\u2019s national series got off to a rough start in February.<\/p>\n Upon making his Craftsman Truck Series debut \u2014 NASCAR\u2019s equivalent of Double-A baseball \u2014 at Daytona International Speedway, Mitchell lost control of his truck and crashed by himself after completing just five laps. It drew a harsh spotlight from some in NASCAR who felt the incident showed Mitchell wasn\u2019t ready to compete at a professional level and shouldn\u2019t have been approved by NASCAR\u2019s licensing committee to participate.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I was NASCAR, I wouldn\u2019t be worried about making content and making clicks and how can we put him in front of the camera and how can we make a YouTube video that gets two million views \u2014 I wouldn\u2019t worry about that s\u2014t,\u201d Dale Earnhardt Jr. said afterward on his \u201cDale Jr. Download\u201d podcast. \u201cI would be making him a race car driver.\u201d<\/p>\n But the criticism only grew louder when Mitchell and RCR suddenly announced on March 4 that he would already be moving up to the second-tier O\u2019Reilly Series \u2014 beginning with Saturday\u2019s race. RCR signed Mitchell to a two-year deal that will see him run three races per season.<\/p>\n The idea is to race on the superspeedways \u2014 Daytona and Talladega \u2014 which are wide and allow drivers to draft in large packs. Although dangerous, fewer racing skills are required to drive on those tracks because drivers never take their foot off the gas pedal.<\/p>\n Even though Mitchell would like to run the Talladega race later this month, there\u2019s a hitch: He\u2019s not yet allowed to do so. NASCAR\u2019s approval process means he first must run a short track in the O\u2019Reilly Series and perform competently enough to earn officials\u2019 trust for Talladega, which means there are real stakes for Mitchell\u2019s performance Saturday.<\/p>\n