Lawrence Garrett Mitchell[2] (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Cleetus McFarland, is an American YouTuber. As of April 2025, he has over 4 million subscribers.[3]
On January 28, 2009, Mitchell started his YouTube channel around the same time he would become the social media manager for car media company 1320Video.[4] He eventually left 1320Video to pursue a full-time career with his own YouTube channel.[5]
In 2015, he would adopt the moniker "Cleetus McFarland" after a character he created that went viral at the Rocky Mountain Drag Week with Tom Bailey. The name Cleetus was quickly adopted by his YouTube channel and is now how he is most referred-to, rarely hearing his real name used outside of close friends and family.
Mitchell would then go on to create a bodyless Chevrolet Corvette C5 with an exo-cage named "Leroy". Leroy built a major fan following online, winning numerous trophies and setting both personal and world records. After finding career success as a YouTube content creator and racing enthusiast, he built a purpose built race car from a Chevrolet El Camino known as "Mullet".[4]
Freedom Factory
In January 2020, Mitchell bought the abandoned Desoto Speedway, a 1/3mi Asphalt Oval & Figure 8 Track in Manatee County, Florida,[6][7] and later renamed the track to Freedom Factory.[8]
During one of Mitchell's "Cleetus and Cars" events in November 2020, Parker Whitlock suffered third-degree burns due to a radiator hose explosion.[9] Until this event, drivers that entered the competition were not required to be wearing a full fire suit. During Whitlock's burnout in his bodyless Ford Mustang, a radiator hose routed past the driver exploded. Because Whitlock was only wearing a hoodie and shorts, he suffered third degree burns and required multiple skin grafts.[10]
Racing career
On April 6, 2022, it was announced on The Checkered Flag that Mitchell would make his debut in the Stadium Super Trucks at Long Beach, California, racing the No. 1776 truck as Cleetus McFarland.[5] In the weekend's second of two races, he was leading on the final lap, poised to take the victory until the last jump, when he spun out after his truck hit the ground, leaving Robby Gordon to claim the win.[11] Another attempt came at the Music City Grand Prix in August, but he was involved in crashes in both races; the second race saw him get squeezed into the wall while racing Gavin Harlien and Robert Stout, causing him to flip onto his roof.[12] He invited the trucks to his Bristol 1000 at Bristol Motor Speedway a month later, where he scored his first podium in Race 2 by finishing third.[13]
On November 6, 2022, Mitchell & his crew won 1st place after eliminating Carlos Olivo in the McLeod Racing Warriors VS Tres Cuarto category of the 26th Annual Haltech World Cup Finals Import & Domestic Drag Races in the 4 day event. His Chevrolet El Camino (Mullet) managed an elapsed time of 6.474 seconds at a top speed of 222.95mph on the final round of the elimination race.[14]
Returning to the event in 2023, he won in the Grannas Racing Stick Shift class driving his body-less Chevrolet Corvette "Leroy" with time of 7.325 and speed of 203.95mph in the finals.[15]
In 2025, it was revealed that Mitchell would participate in the pre-season test for the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway, driving the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing as Garrett Mitchell.[16][17] On January 15, it was announced on Facebook that Mitchell would drive in the season opener at Daytona for RJR also as Garrett Mitchell.[18][19] He finished in 30th after being involved in a multi-car crash over a quarter of the way through the race. On February 20, 2025, it was announced that Mitchell will return with the team at Talladega Superspeedway.[20] On April 3rd it was announced on Stacking Pennies with Corey LaJoie that Mitchell would run the ARCA / ARCA East at Bristol.[21]
Motorsports career results
Stadium Super Trucks
(key) (Bold– Pole position. Italics– Fastest qualifier. *– Most laps led.)
↑ Garrett Mitchell (January 15, 2025). "(Facebook post)". Facebook. Retrieved January 15, 2025. Well folks, I was trying to keep this a secret but word spreads fast…we're going NASCAR RACIN!!! February 15 I'll be racing at Daytona in the #30 Kenetik Energy Gen 5 ARCA Mustang.
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