Dale Jr.'s niece and Kelley Earnhardt's daughter shares her feelings on meeting "national treasure" Cleetus McFarland

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s niece, Karsyn Elledge, shared a social media post featuring Cleetus McFarland. Elledge considers the YouTuber and now-part-time ARCA Menards Series driver a "national treasure" as they posed for a photo op.

Karsyn Elledge is Dale Jr.'s niece from sister Kelley Earnhardt-Miller. Elledge recently joined the Door, Bumper, Clear podcast as a host with Freddie Kraft and Tommy Baldwin to cover the latest in the racing scene.

In her latest post on X (formerly Twitter), Elledge caught up with Cleetus McFarland and shared her feelings about meeting him.

"Met a national treasure today. #Cleetus," she wrote.

Dirty Mo Media, an original content company owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., dropped a three-emoji reaction to the post.

"🦅🇺🇸🔥," Dirty Mo Media wrote.

Lawrence Garrett Mitchell, a.k.a. Cleetus McFarland, is known for his patriotism in his automotive videos on YouTube, hence the bald eagle and American flag comment. He also makes racing content around his oval racetrack, Freedom Factory.

But lately, McFarland's name came to light in the NASCAR world after entering the ARCA Menards Series. He debuted at Daytona International Speedway driving the No. 30 Ford Mustang for Rette Jones Racing.

However, McFarland exited the race early after making contact with Amber Balcaen.

Cleetus McFarland during practice for the Ride the 'Dente 200 at Daytona International Speedway - Source: Imagn

The YouTuber and racing driver is expected to return to the No. 30 Ford, though the list of additional races is yet to be disclosed. He looked forward to racing at Talladega Superspeedway but the entry could still depend on his car's condition.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. teases new podcast episode with Cleetus McFarland

Dale Jr., via Dirty Mo Media, shared a post teasing Cleetus McFarland's guesting in the Dale Jr. Download podcast. The content company posted a screenshot on X accompanied by a caption to amp up the excitement.

Dirty Mo Media wrote:

"If you know Cleetus McFarland, get excited. If you don't, buckle up. 🦅 🇺🇸 [...] Coming to the @DaleJr Download tomorrow. 🎙️"

While waiting for the new episode to drop, Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined Cleetus McFarland as another racing personality who debuted at Daytona, but as a team owner.

Earnhardt Jr. brought Justin Allgaier to the Cup Series stage in the No. 40 Chevrolet Camaro. Allgaier qualified for the race after finishing ninth in the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1, with Bubba Wallace emerging victorious in the same.

Allgaier was among the four drivers from unchartered teams to qualify alongside Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., and Corey LaJoie. Helio Castroneves, a four-time Indy 500 winner, also joined the grid under the new provisional 41st starting position, Open Exemption Provisional (OEP).

On the final lap of the Daytona 500, the No. 40 driver broke into the top 10 following a multi-car wreck in the front of the field. He finished a respectable ninth behind race winner William Byron and fellow open car driver Jimmie Johnson in P3.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Jimmie Johnson in the 2025 Daytona 500 - Source: Imagn

Despite a satisfactory result, Dale Jr. still has no concrete plans to join the premier series.