Cleetus McFarland

Last updated
Cleetus McFarland
Cleetus McFarland in a YouTube video.png
McFarland in 2024
Nationality Flag of the United States.svg American
Full nameLawrence Garrett Mitchell
Born (1995-04-05) April 5, 1995 (age 29)
Omaha, Nebraska
Stadium Super Trucks career
Debut season 2022
Current teamMcFarland Racing
Car number1776 and 4
Starts6
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Poles0
Best finish9th in 2022
Finished last season9th (2022)
ARCA Menards Series career
ARCA no., teamNo. 30 (Rette Jones Racing)
WinsTop tens Poles
000
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2009–present
Subscribers4.07 million [1]
Total views1.69 billion [1]
Last updated on: January 16, 2025.

Lawrence Garrett Mitchell [2] (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Cleetus McFarland, is an American racing driver. He competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing. He is also a car enthusiast, amateur airplane and helicopter pilot, RC pilot, and YouTube content creator.

Contents

YouTube career

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. [3] He eventually left 1320Video to pursue a full-time career with his own YouTube channel. [4]

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". [3]

Freedom Factory

In January 2020, Mitchell bought the abandoned Desoto Speedway, a 1/3 mi Asphalt Oval & Figure 8 Track in Manatee County, Florida, [5] [6] and later renamed the track to Freedom Factory. [7]

During one of Mitchell's "Cleetus and Cars" events in November 2020, Parker Whitlock suffered third-degree burns due to a radiator hose explosion. [8] 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. [9]

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 Cleatus McFarland. [4] 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. [10] 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. [11] 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. [12]

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 222.95 mph on the final round of the elimination race. [13]

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 203.95 mph in the finals. [14]

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. [15] [16] On January 15, it was announced on Facebook that Mitchell would drive in the season opener at Daytona for RJR also as Garrett Mitchell. [17]

Personal life

Mitchell is married to Madi Mitchell. They have a son named Ripper and a daughter named Ella.

During the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Mitchell and 37 other private helicopter owners lead the grassroots operation under “Operation Airdrop” that flew supplies by helicopter into areas that had no road access.

Motorsports career results

Stadium Super Trucks

(key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)

Stadium Super Trucks results
Year12345678SSTCPtsRef
2022 LBH
10		 LBH
9*		 MOH MOH NSH
10		 NSH
9*		 BRI
12		 BRI
3*		9th84 [18]

* Season in progress.

ARCA Menards Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
YearTeamNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920AMSCPtsRef
2025 Rette Jones Racing 30 Ford DAY PHO TAL KAN CLT MCH BLN ELK LRP DOV IRP IOW GLN ISF MAD DSF BRI SLM KAN TOL -*-*

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References

  1. 1 2 "About @CleetusM". YouTube.
  2. ↑ "Who is Cleetus McFarland? Probably the most interesting car guy on YouTube, that's all". DriveAndReview. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  3. 1 2 Hachat, Josh (2020-04-03). "The Triumph of Garrett Mitchell". Drag Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  4. 1 2 Nguyen, Justin (2022-04-06). "Clitus McFarland to make SST debut at Long Beach". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  5. ↑ Adams, Rick (3 February 2020). "YouTube star Cleetus McFarland buys Desoto Speedway in Manatee County". My Sun Coast. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  6. ↑ "New Owner For Desoto Speedway (FL)". Performance Racing Industry. February 11, 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "Freedom Factory USA (fka DeSoto Speedway) in Bradenton, FL". RacingIn.com. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  8. ↑ Paulo Acoba (November 24, 2020). "Cleetus & Cars burnout participant suffers 3rd degree burns after radiator hose blows on his homebrew Fox Body kart". Alt Car news. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  9. ↑ Smith, Steve Cole (2020-11-29). "YouTube Star Cleetus McFarland Accused of Hiding Car Show Participant's Severe Injuries". The Drive. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  10. ↑ McTaggart, Bryan (2022-04-12). "Yeehaw By Fire: Clitus Takes On Super Stadium Truck Racing And Damn Near Wins!". BangShift.com. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  11. ↑ Atadero, Julybien (August 9, 2022). "Watch Cleetus McFarland Wreck His Stadium Super Truck While Racing In Nashville". HotCars. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  12. ↑ Nguyen, Justin (September 5, 2022). "Robert Stout beats McFarland for SST Bristol Race 2 win". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ Dali, Jimmy (November 6, 2022). "MCLEOD RACING WARRIORS VS TRES CUARTO Elimination Results". Import vs Domestic. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Drag Racing World Cup Finals Results: Cleetus McFarland Wins In Stick Shift - FloRacing". www.floracing.com. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  15. ↑ Srigley, Joseph (January 8, 2025). "77 Drivers on Entry List for ARCA Pre-Season Practice at Daytona". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Entry list for the 2025 ARCA Menards Series pre-race practice at Daytona". ARCA Racing.com. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ "2022 Overall Point Standings". Stadium Super Trucks . Retrieved April 20, 2023.
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