Cleetus McFarland
| Cleetus McFarland | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  American |
| Full name | Lawrence Garrett Mitchell |
| Born | April 5, 1995 Omaha, Nebraska |
| Stadium Super Trucks career | |
| Debut season | 2022 |
| Current team | Fun-Haver |
| Car number | 1776 |
| Starts | 6 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Best finish | 9th in 2022 |
| Finished last season | 9th (2022) |
| Last updated on: November 14, 2022. | |
Lawrence Garrett Mitchell[1] (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Cleetus McFarland, is an American racing driver, car enthusiast, and YouTube content creator.
YouTube career
On January 28, 2009, Mitchell would start up the Cleetus McFarland YouTube channel. Around the same time, he would become the social media manager for car media company 1320Video.[2] He eventually left 1320 to pursue a full-time career with his own YouTube channel.[3]
In 2015, he would adopt the moniker Cleetus McFarland after the character went viral at the Rocky Mountain Drag Week.[2]
Freedom Factory
In January 2020, Mitchell would buy the abandoned Desoto Speedway, and would eventually rename the track to the now-called Freedom Factory.[4]
During one of Mitchell's "Cleetus and Cars" events in November 2020, Parker Whitlock suffered third-degree burns due to a radiator hose explosion. Up until this event, drivers that entered the competition were not required to be wearing a full fire suit. During Whitlock's burnout in his bodiless Ford Mustang, a radiator hose routed past the driver exploded. Because Whitlock was only wearing a hoodie and shorts, he suffered third degree burns and required multiple skin grafts. Mitchell was later accused of safety negligence, and hiding Whitlock's injuries.[5]
Racing career
On April 6, 2022, it was announced on The Checkered Flag that Mitchell would make his debut in the Stadium Super Trucks at Long Beach, California, racing the No. 1776 truck.[3] In the weekend's second of two races, he was leading on the final lap, poised to take the victory until the last jump, when he spun out after his truck hit the ground, leaving Robby Gordon to steal the victory.[6] Another attempt came at the Music City Grand Prix in August, but he was involved in crashes in both races; the second race saw him get squeezed into the wall while racing Gavin Harlien and Robert Stout, causing him to flip onto his roof.[7] He invited the trucks to his Bristol 1000 at Bristol Motor Speedway a month later, where he scored his first podium in Race 2 by finishing third.[8]
Motorsports career results
Stadium Super Trucks
(key) (Bold – Pole position. Italics – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)
| Stadium Super Trucks results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | SSTC | Pts | Ref | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | LBH 10 |
LBH 9* |
MOH | MOH | NSH 10 |
NSH 9* |
BRI 12 |
BRI 3* |
9th | 84 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
* Season in progress.
References
- ^ "Who is Cleetus McFarland? Probably the most interesting car guy on YouTube, that's all". DriveAndReview. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ a b Hachat, Josh (2020-04-03). "The Triumph of Garrett Mitchell". Drag Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ a b Nguyen, Justin (2022-04-06). "Cleetus McFarland to make SST debut at Long Beach". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ Adams, Rick. "YouTube star Cleetus McFarland buys Desoto Speedway in Manatee County". My Sun Coast. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ Smith, Steve Cole (2020-11-29). "YouTube Star Cleetus McFarland Accused of Hiding Car Show Participant's Severe Injuries". The Drive. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ McTaggart, Bryan (2022-04-12). "Yeehaw By Fire: Cleetus Takes On Super Stadium Truck Racing And Damn Near Wins!". BangShift.com. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
- ^ Atadero, Julybien (August 9, 2022). "Watch Cleetus McFarland Wreck His Stadium Super Truck While Racing In Nashville". HotCars. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Nguyen, Justin (September 5, 2022). "Robert Stout beats McFarland for SST Bristol Race 2 win". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved November 14, 2022.