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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 23: Garrett Mitchell, also known as Cleetus McFarland, driver of the #30 Kenetik Ford, poses for photos on the grid prior to the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 23, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Richard Childress has seen just about everything NASCAR can throw at a team owner. So when critics questioned Garrett \u201cCleetus McFarland<\/a>\u201d Mitchell\u2019s move into stock-car racing, Richard Childress<\/a> didn\u2019t hesitate to push back. Instead, he leaned in.<\/p>\n Speaking in a recent interview<\/a>, Childress made it clear the partnership between Richard Childress Racing and the YouTube star wasn\u2019t a gamble. In his view, it was a smart, forward-looking move for both his organization and the sport.<\/p>\n When Ty Dillon first brought the idea to him, Childress said the decision came easily. The potential upside was too big to ignore, especially at a time when NASCAR continues to look for new ways to grow its audience.<\/p>\n Richard Childress sees Value in Cleetus McFarland\u2019s Reach<\/p>\n Childress pointed<\/a> straight to one thing, the audience.<\/p>\n \u201cHere, Cleetus, who is Garrett (Mitchell), has close to five million followers. And if we can get 10% of those new fans coming to races and looking at the racetrack because of Cleetus\u2026 and I know he brought people to Rockingham, brought people watching the race.\u201d<\/p>\n That kind of reach is hard to find in traditional driver development. Garrett Mitchell<\/a> built his following outside NASCAR, but Childress believes that\u2019s exactly what makes him valuable.<\/p>\n The early numbers back it up. McFarland\u2019s debut in the NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series at Rockingham delivered a 12 percent increase in ratings and an 11 percent jump in total viewership compared to the previous year. That spike came with heavy social media attention, as fans followed every moment of his race.<\/p>\n Rookie Reality Brings Both Mistakes and Attention<\/p>\n Childress didn\u2019t ignore the challenges. He acknowledged McFarland is still learning and facing the usual growing pains that come with stepping into NASCAR competition.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a rookie. I\u2019m proud of what he did last week. He finished fourth in the ARCA race. He\u2019s raced, but he doesn\u2019t have the experience. I think some of the drivers are beating him up a little excessively because he\u2019s getting a lot of attention, probably.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s for sure. You worry when they don\u2019t talk about you. But Cleetus did a great job.\u201d<\/p>\n For Childress, the mistakes aren\u2019t a concern. He pointed out that every driver he has worked with went through the same process early in their careers.<\/p>\n Long-term Plan Focuses on Growth and Opportunity<\/p>\n Childress framed McFarland\u2019s journey as part of a larger progression that every driver faces in NASCAR.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you step up, if you go from late model to trucks to Xfinity car, every step is tougher and tougher and tougher. I think you learn something from it.\u201d<\/p>\n McFarland\u2019s deal with RCR runs for two years, with at least three races per season planned. NASCAR has not yet approved him for superspeedway events like Talladega, opting for a more gradual path. Childress expects that to change with time and experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019ll see Cleetus, we\u2019re going to get him in some more races along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond results, Childress highlighted McFarland\u2019s natural ability to connect with fans. That, he believes, is just as important as performance on track.<\/p>\n For a veteran owner, this isn\u2019t about short-term headlines. It\u2019s about building something that lasts. In Childress\u2019s view, bringing in a personality like McFarland is a calculated move to grow NASCAR\u2019s fan base and keep the sport moving forward.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a writer covering NASCAR, Formula 1, and the IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. He has also written for Sportsnaut, FanSided, Total Apex Sports, and Last Word on Sports. Wilberforce focuses on the NASCAR Cup Series, breaking down news, driver stories, and key moments with a clear, fast, and engaging style. His work connects headlines to context, helping readers understand what matters most in the sport. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 23: Garrett Mitchell, also known as Cleetus McFarland, driver of the #30…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":592803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-592802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=592802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/592802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/592803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=592802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=592802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=592802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}