When Dale Jr. holds you in high regard, you know that you’re on the right track. Despite a 35th-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway, Cleetus McFarland will walk away with his head held high. 

Dale Jr., who was at the track with his team, JR Motorsports, stopped by McFarland’s 33 RCR Chevrolet on his way to victory lane and had some words of encouragement for the popular YouTuber. 

The JRM owner was asked about his conversation with McFarland and said, “I asked him if he’s getting dizzy from spinning around in circles. He’s such a great guy.”

McFarland has run two NOAPS races, with the first also coming at an oval, Rockingham Speedway. McFarland finished 32nd there, but he had an ARCA Menards 2nd-place finish in Talladega on his CV too.  Dale Jr. spoke about what he sees McFarland trying to achieve in NASCAR. 

“I’ll be honest, I feel like I’ve gotten to talk to him when the cameras are off, and he is such a great guy, and he truly just wants to come in here. And he doesn’t want to be the story for all the wrong reasons. He wants to come in, run his race, learn, get out of here without ruffling any feathers,” said Dale Jr.

Junior added further that he only sees good things coming from McFarland, as he shows the kind of passion he has for NASCAR. 

“He’s fun to have around. I’ve seen him and listened to him and watched him speak when the cameras aren’t on, and he’s in it for the right reasons. And he just wants to come in and be embraced and have a good time and enjoy himself. I appreciate that about him.”

"Right People Behind Him," says Dale Jr.

Driver development is something of a specialty for Dale Earnhardt Jr. That is the whole purpose behind JR Motorsports. He has seen countless drivers succeed and fail and knows exactly what is needed to get the best out of a driver for their development. 

McFarland has been trying his hand at racing for a while now, but to stay consistent in NASCAR, he needs all the elements around him to align. While Dale Jr appreciated that it looks like he’s on an upward graph. 

“He knows he’s got a long way to go before he can really find the speed to perform, and I think his opportunities in ARCA are incredible opportunities for him to continue to improve as a driver. He’s a way better race car driver tonight than he was at Rockingham. And he’ll keep on getting better,” said Dale Jr.

He added, “I will say this too, he’s with the right people. The folks at RCR have all the resources to tune him and prep him and sim him and tie his excitement around that deal. The team rallying around him. The testing they did with him at Rockingham.”

While Dale Jr appreciated McFarland’s efforts to become better and improve quickly, he also said that the RCR team has also been looking at it with the right intent. 

“I mean, they’re tutoring him, and really, they’re not just cashing a check. They’re really trying to help him progress as fast as possible. He’s with the right people to do what he wants to do, to do this thing the right way. I’m excited to see how it progresses.”

Just like Junior, the fans too are excited to see how Cleetus McFarland comes along on his NASCAR journey.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason