Matt Johnson
A week after YouTuber Cleetus McFarland was denied entry into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race this coming weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, he’s now revealed when he’ll get his next chance to get behind the wheel of an O’Reilly car for Richard Childress Racing.
McFarland announced Monday afternoon on Instagram that he’ll be driving the No. 33 car for RCR on May 30 in the Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 at Nashville Superspeedway.
“Look out guys, your boy is going back O’Reilly raccing. On May 30th, I’ll be in the No. 33”
Cleetus McFarland announcing he’ll run in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on May 30 at Nashville Superspeedway
McFarland, age 31, made his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Rockingham Speedway in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 on April 4. He struggled in qualifying, posting the fourth-slowest lap time, and found himself in the back of the field for the majority of the race. However, he avoided wrecking and finished the day in 32nd, with NASCAR drivers praising him for making it through the entire race.
NASCAR ultimately determined that he hadn’t quite shown enough, even with time to prepare for Talladega, to race in the upcoming Ag-Pro 300 on Saturday. Instead, his next opportunity behind the wheel came in the ARCA Menards Series this past weekend at Kansas Speedway.
Related: NASCAR Schedule This Week for Talaldega
While McFarland only finished in 20th, he ran much better than that in the No. 30 car. He demonstrated the ability to make passes on the outside, navigating his way through the field to get as high as seventh with 41 laps to go, and he was 10th with 25 to go in the race. Unfortunately, the engine blew and he was forced to save it just to avoid a wreck.
McFarland has continued to earn praise from fellow drivers and NASCAR media members for his dedication to improving his craft, committing a significant amount of time to learning in the simulator and gaining insight from his peers.
He’ll now have six weeks to prepare for the O’Reilly Series race at Nashville, another opportunity to gain experience in the car. While McFarland will almost certainly finish near the back of the field in the Sports Illustrated Resorts 250, NASCAR and the CW Network will get great TV ratings from it, and the race should help him improve even more moving forward.
