Garrett Mitchell, a.k.a. Cleetus McFarland, had a bumpy ride in his Niece Motorsports truck at Daytona. It was his debut NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series attempt, marking a significant jump from his 2025 ARCA Menards Series campaign.
Through the early stages of Friday’s event at the iconic 2.5-mile tri-oval, McFarland was cruising inside the top-10. But only after six laps, his day came to an abrupt end. Speaking with Matt Weaver of Motorsport.com from the infield care center, the 30-year-old YouTube sensation said,
“Yeah, a hundred percent my fault. Terrible mistake. Man, it’s impressive. Those guys can run three wide for that long, and when that thing’s stepped out, I mean, you just have a couple feet on either side and I just didn’t have the ability to, uh, gather it up and so I wrecked myself.”
Cleetus McFarland got loose while riding on the inside at the exit of Turn 4. His wobbly No. 4 Silverado slid sideways and hit the outside wall at the entry point of the pit road. McFarland’s car finally came to a halt after ripping through the infield grass work.
The Omaha native was upset because he couldn’t learn more. Hoping to make up for it in the ARCA Menards Series season-opener at Daytona on February 14, the driver continued,
“Going into ARCA tomorrow, I don’t know what else I learned today besides being, I just gotta chill out on the steering wheel I think, and, give myself a chance to learn, like need more time.”
Cleetus McFarland was the only one who got involved in the accident, which means that he didn’t ruin anyone else’s day. But the YouTuber ended up 37th (last); definitely not how he was expecting to finish his first-ever Truck Series race.
Cleetus McFarland remembers his NASCAR mentor through an emotional video
Cleetus McFarland had known NASCAR legend Greg Biffle for less than two years before the latter lost his life in a tragic plane crash on December 18, 2025. Biffle, who drove in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2002 to 2016, was reportedly flying to Florida to spend the afternoon with McFarland.
But that meeting never happened. All McFarland could do after that was lament his friend’s untimely demise. He appeared in a tribute video posted on his YouTube channel named “The One and Only Greg Biffle.”
“Our No. 1 favorite thing was our families, but our other two favorite things were helicopters and Crown Vics, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody that has those two things in common with me,” Cleetus McFarland said about Biffle in the 41-minute video.
The duo hit it off while carrying out relief missions after Hurricane Helene ravaged the Carolinas, especially Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia. In fact, Biffle was supposed to coach McFarland if the latter ever planned on entering the crown jewel Daytona 500.
Read More:
Cleetus McFarland’s NASCAR Truck Series Debut at Daytona Obstructed; Needs to Pass Upcoming Test
Cleetus McFarland Makes Major NASCAR Move With Truck Series Test
Cleetus McFarland Credits Greg Biffle for NASCAR Journey As He Chases Daytona 500 Goal
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