Greg Biffle wasn't just a friend to Cleetus McFarland; he was his complete NASCAR guide. When McFarland held the steering wheel for the first time on the track, he believed that his journey to the Daytona 500 would be much easier than he had imagined. But Biffle immediately cautioned him.

“Well, here's, you know, when I set out with this with Greg Biffle, I called him up, and I said, ‘Biff, I want to run the Daytona 500.’” McFarland recalled. “And I'm like, ‘Well, damn, can I run that? You know, what about next year? Could I run it if I ran ARCA this year?’ And he's like, ‘No, you know, that's crazy. Maybe the year after.’”

McFarland long believed that his experience in ARCA would strongly translate to driving in NASCAR’s biggest race. But reality, unfortunately, was far harsher.

“And I started running ARCA, and I realized, you know, I have no intentions of running the Daytona 500 anytime soon because I would just get absolutely wrecked, literally. You know, like, it's just a way bigger skill gap than I imagined," he added.

Biffle started mentoring McFarland in 2024. Since then, they became close friends, and he helped the YouTuber-turned-driver enter stock-car racing. In 2025, McFarland made ARCA starts at tracks like Daytona, Talladega, and Charlotte.

After Biffle passed away tragically in December last year, McFarland was shattered and initially wanted to quit racing. But he then changed his perspective and wanted to race to honor his friend and mentor's legacy.

Today, racing well in the Daytona 500 remains his ultimate goal, but his experience now suggests otherwise. In fact, if we recall, he has already tried his hand at Daytona. Let’s find out how his last outings there went.

Daytona exposed the challenges ahead

McFarland’s experiences at Daytona were truly a mixed bag. Let’s go back to 2025. At his first ARCA event there, he could only last 17 laps before he was swept up in a multi-car accident, leaving him with a disappointing 30th-place finish.

A year later, in 2026, he showed promise. He qualified an excellent 12th and was displaying a competitive pace in his Truck Series debut.

However, it all ended when his race came to a close on Lap 6 after he got loose exiting Turn 4, slamming into the inside wall and finishing last. What was more promising about this outing was his ability to hold consistent speed against a much stronger field.

This translated very well the next day as he returned for the ARCA race. McFarland stayed out of trouble, charging from 19th to 11th in the closing laps, showing that he finally had things under control.

Finally, these experiences showed us exactly what McFarland was talking about. Racing at Daytona can be unpredictable, and right now, he just doesn’t have enough experience.

If he continues developing, however, the signs are promising enough that the day may not be far away when we see the young star cross the finish line in NASCAR’s biggest race.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason