Is YouTuber Cleetus McFarland making his NASCAR debut at Daytona? All you need to know

Cleetus McFarland, also known as Lawrence Garrett Mitchell, will be making his NASCAR debut at the Daytona International Speedway in the ARCA Menards Series racing in the Ride The Dente 200. McFarland is a 29-year-old YouTuber who began his YouTube channel in January 2009.

The Nebraska-born began his professional racing career in 2022 as he made his debut in the Stadium Super Trucks at Long Beach and finished P10 and P9 respectively in the two races at the track in California. Later that year in the Stadium Super Trucks, Cleetus McFarland scored his first podium during the second race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Towards the end of 2022, Cleetus McFarland tried his luck in Drag Racing at the 26th Annual Haltech World Cup Finals Import & Domestic Drag Races. He returned to this event for the following year as well.

Earlier this year in January, Cleetus McFarland announced that he will be taking the ARCA Menards test at the Daytona International Speedway. The YouTuber set impressive lap times during the two-day test conducted from January 9-10, with times hovering around in the Top 10, and eventually ended the session as the 15th fastest driver.

Cleetus will be making his NASCAR debut at Daytona in the Ride The Dente 200 race, driving the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing. McFarland revealed his feelings about making his NASCAR debut at the iconic Daytona International Speedway Speedway as he said, (via Speedway Digest)

“This is surreal for me. I'm incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to return to Daytona and compete in the ARCA Menards Series. I appreciate all the support from my friends, family, colleagues and particularly the Rette Jones Racing team for walking through every step of this journey.”

Cleetus McFarland's entry into the Ride The Dente 200 will be sponsored by energy drink company Kenetik.

Cleetus McFarland on getting the Kenetik sponsorship

Cleetus McFarland’s #30 Ford features a Kenetik-themed livery for the Ride The Dente 200 at the Daytona International Speedway, with a base navy paint job and striking orange highlights. Expressing his gratitude towards the energy drink company, McFarland said (via Speedway Digest)

“I'm extremely appreciative of Kenetik being a part of the journey this weekend at Daytona. I don't know what is going to happen on Saturday during the race, but I certainly plan to race smart and be in a position to make my ARCA Menards Series debut a successful one for Rette Jones Racing, Kenetik, Ford Performance and all of those that support me,” McFarland said.

McFarland has over 4.14 million subscribers on his YouTube channel. The YouTuber started the 2025 Ride The Dente 200 in P27 after rain washed out the qualifying day and made a great start to dodge the massive crash on Lap 5. However, he was collected a few laps after the restart by Amber Balcaen as #70’s rear got loose.