Cleetus McFarland apologizes after causing ARCA pileup at Charlotte

Austin Green captured the checkered flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway, becoming a first-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. Meanwhile, Garrett Mitchell, who is better known as Cleetus McFarland on his popular YouTube channel, finished ninth in his third career ARCA start and his first at a non-superspeedway.

He also earned a top-ten finish at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year, bettering that result by one position today. But it was not all smooth sailing for Cleetus. Beginning the race from 11th position on the 32-car grid, he steadily moved forward, reaching seventh before choosing to stay out during the first caution of the race.

McFarland restarted on the outside of the front row with 62 laps to go, but he spun the tires as the leaders accelerated through the restart zone. The No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford fishtailed before connecting with the right rear of Isabella Robusto’s car, sending her head-on into the outside wall. Several other cars were collected as well with about ten drivers sustaining damage. McFarland escaped with only minor damage to the left front.

He was visibly frustrated with himself, slamming the wheel and even slapping the top of his helmet inside the race car. “I blew it,” he radioed to the team, calling it a rookie mistake.

McFarland was still keeping decent pace even after the incident, running seventh at the halfway break. As the race carried on, he avoided any further drama, climbing as high as fifth before dropping to ninth in the final green flag run. He also fell off the lead lap near the end as Green made his way by. 

McFarland apologizes for restart pileup

“I want to start out by apologizing to the team that I took out,” McFarland told FOX Sports 1 after the race. “I think it was several cars. I just feel terrible. Every time I go racing, I don’t want to get taken out. I’ve felt it. It sucks. I’ve been sent home and I made a complete rookie maneuver on the restart. I zigged and then I zagged and then (she) was blowing my door off and on the zag. I hit her and put her in the wall. I feel terrible about it. I know those guys work hard to be out here. It sucks to send them home.”

He admitted that racing at Charlotte was “100x harder” than competing at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, saying that he got “humbled on that restart.”

Speaking further on the incident, he added: “I forgot there was no dang restrictor plate on this thing. I’m like ‘wham,’ gave her the beans. It steps out, steps out and then I clipped (Robusto). Just feels bad, but we’ll move forward.”

McFarland’s next planned ARCA start will be at Bristol Motor Speedway in September.