Cleetus McFarland Making O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Debut With RCR in 2026

Cleetus McFarland is scheduled to make his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with Richard Childress Racing in 2026.

Garrett Mitchell, commonly known as Cleetus McFarland from his popular YouTube channel, will make his O'Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with support from Tommy's Express. McFarland will field the No. 33 Tommy's Express Chevrolet.

“To have the opportunity to make my NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with a legendary race team like Richard Childress Racing is a dream come true,” said McFarland. “It’s a huge honor, and I am incredibly grateful to learn under the leadership of Richard Childress, Mike Verlander, Danny Lawrence and everyone in Welcome, North Carolina.

"Having Tommy’s Express on board for my debut makes it even more special. They’re a fast-forward brand that understands speed, performance, and connecting with people, which lines up perfectly with everything we are trying to accomplish.”

Currently, McFarland is slated to make his NOAPS debut at Rockingham Speedway on April 4.

McFarland made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut in February at Daytona International Speedway, finishing 37th in the season-opening event. He has also made five starts in the ARCA Menards Series, with two top-10 finishes and a best finish of ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"We could not be more excited about hitting the track with Richard Childress Racing and Cleetus McFarland,” said Alex Lemmen, Chief Executive Officer of Tommy’s Express. “We are humbled to partner with an iconic brand, company, and story such as RCR - our organizations share many of the same mission and purpose. Family-owned, multi-generational, vertically integrated, and on the cutting edge of speed, technology, and execution. We could not think of a better fit.

"When you add Cleetus McFarland as our driver, you truly have a dream team. Cleetus is not only a skilled driver and motorsports enthusiast, but also a genius marketer with an authentic connection to millions of his fans. We can't wait to bring our shared energy, purpose, and execution to the racing world."

The North Carolina Education Lottery 250 Presented by Black's Tire is scheduled for Saturday, April 4 at Rockingham Speedway. Coverage of the event will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Richard Childress Racing