Dale Earnhardt Jr. welcomes Cleetus McFarland, one of the most recognizable stars in the YouTube automotive scene, to the Dale Jr. Download this week. Fresh off his ARCA Racing Series debut at Daytona, McFarland caught the eyes and hearts of race fans with his post-race interview and time spent in the Fox broadcast booth. Garrett Mitchell was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and the Cleetus McFarland character was born thanks to a viral video made by a burgeoning street racing film company he worked with. After splitting his time between video editing, covering events, and law school, McFarland decided to go full-time with his own YouTube page and rapidly grew into one of the biggest followings on the platform. 

McFarland turned heads in the oval racing world when he purchased the dilapidated Desoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida, and turned it into his personal playground for content. He and Dale recount the story of how the purchase came to be, and how a run-in with the IRS and COVID restrictions almost stopped him dead in his tracks. In an effort to bounce back from the obstacles, McFarland hosted his first Freedom 500, a race held for state auction purchased Crown Vics. The races have since become marquee events, held at established short track strongholds such as Indianapolis Raceway Park, Stafford Springs, and Bristol. The guys also discussed his time spent with Greg Biffle in relief efforts for Hurricane Helene and how Greg has become a mentor in his stock car racing efforts.

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