Cleetus McFarland Surprised Kevin Harvick With His Next Move in NASCAR

Garrett Mitchell, a.k.a. Cleetus McFarland, dropped some news that shocked FOX Sports' Kevin Harvick during the latest episode of "SPEED With Harvick And Buxton." "I just signed a two-year deal with RCR," Mitchell said, referring to Richard Childress Racing, the team for which Harvick made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2001. "What?" Harvick replied, stunned. "Richard Childress Racing," Mitchell elaborated. "A two-year, part-time [deal]. I'm racing the superspeedways in the O'Reilly [Series] car." There it is. After running his first NASCAR race in the Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway last month, Mitchell is set to compete in the NASCAR O'Reilly Series on a part-time basis behind the wheel of the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. He'll debut in the O'Reilly Series at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina in April. Mitchell is scheduled to race the No. 33 Chevrolet as a third entry in RCR’s championship-winning NASCAR O’Reilly Series program. "Well, you've got the best cars," Harvick said, complimenting RCR. "I raced for Richard for a long time, and there isn't anybody that puts any more effort into superspeedway racing than Richard." With more than 4.6M YouTube subscribers, Mitchell has quickly built a passionate fan base enthusiastic to learn more about motorsports as they watch the Bradenton, Florida native and Freedom Factory race track owner build his racing resume. He made his first ARCA Menards Series start in 2025 driving for Rette Jones Racing, earning top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. He most recently made his NASCAR Truck Series debut for Rette-Jones Racing at Daytona, running five laps before getting caught up in a wreck that ended his day. He also finished 11th in the ARCA race at Daytona in February. It's yet to be seen if Mitchell is ready for this step in his career, but a two-year deal from a respected name in racing would suggest confidence.