ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Ready or not, Rockingham Speedway race weekend is here.
Garrett Mitchell — better known as Cleetus McFarland — backed by his millions of YouTube subscribers, is set for a busy weekend at “The Rock,” competing in both the ARCA Menards Series East and making his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut as part of a doubleheader day of racing.
An extremely busy weekend of practice, qualifying and 375 laps of racing at Rockingham Speedway presents a new opportunity for McFarland to not only continue honing his craft, but also put himself in contention for two competitive finishes.
Mitchell is no stranger to the ARCA Menards Series East division. While this weekend marks his first start of the season, he competed in the combination event with the premier ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East divisions last fall at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
This weekend’s Rockingham ARCA Menards East 125 will serve as his first standalone ARCA Menards Series East appearance under the tutelage of former ARCA Menards Series championship crew chief Mark Rette.
With five ARCA Menards Series national starts under his belt — including an 11th-place finish in the season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway — McFarland is determined to keep absorbing the intel around him while delivering results that may give the naysayers reason to reconsider.
“Man, I’m just excited for the opportunity more than anything,” said Mitchell. “To be able to come to a place like Rockingham, run double duty and keep learning every time I’m on track — that’s what this is all about for me.
“I’ve got a great group around me with Mark and the team, and I’m just trying to soak up everything I can and put together two solid races. If we can do that, I think we’ll turn some heads this weekend.”
Just hours after taking the checkered flag in his second ARCA Menards Series platform race of the year, McFarland will climb aboard the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, aiming to capitalize on the laps gained in the ARCA car and translate that experience into a productive performance in his series debut.
“That’s the plan — get as many laps as I can in the ARCA car and carry that right over into the O’Reily Auto Parts Series race,” added Mitchell. “Track time is everything for me right now, so having that first race earlier in the day is huge.
“Then jumping into the RCR car, it’s about being smart, hitting my marks and putting together a clean day. If we can stay out of trouble and keep learning, I think we’ll have something to be proud of when it’s all said and done — and hopefully look ahead to more races as the season moves forward.”
While finishing well in both races is important to McFarland as he continues to build his racing résumé, he is equally focused on earning his competitors’ respect
“I know I’ve got a lot to prove out there,” sounded Mitchell. “These guys do this every week, so for me it’s about racing them the right way — giving respect and earning it back. I want to be competitive, but I also want people to know I’m not out there doing anything crazy.
“If I can leave this weekend with solid finishes and the respect of the guys I’m racing around, that’s a big win for me.”
