Fans’ Favorite Driver Thrown Under the Bus by Controversial NASCAR Pundit Over Bonehead Move

Folks, ARCA is the series that prepares drivers for bigger stages in NASCAR. Compared to dirt racing, it could be considered the grassroots level with more familiar cars. So, this has been the helipad for racers from all strata to land on. Dale Jr. is known to pick drivers from this series for his Xfinity team. When asked why he does so, he said, “Well, it’s just a great place for drivers to come. To hone their skills, develop themselves, and we look at this series to find young talent. There’s enough talent in the series.” Well, this veteran approval goes a long way. But recently, the track is crowded with more influencers than racers. At least that’s what some NASCAR insiders believe in.

In the ARCA race at Charlotte, one influencer-turned driver did the unforgivable. But where’s the heat? Well, he isn’t getting any. And Bubba Wallace’s Crew Chief, Freddie Kraft, has his reasons why there’s no backlash. And that driver is none other than YouTube sensation, Cleetus McFarland, aka Garrett Mitchell. So, what went wrong?

Freddie Kraft questions fans’ double standards

The Driver–a viral sensation—trades burnout contests and drag strips for stock car on ARCA Saturdays. What followed in the Charlotte race was a dramatic spin of the tires, a multi-car pileup, and a flurry of debate over whether Cleetus McFarland, the fan favorite, belonged in that moment at all. While he rallied for a ninth-place finish—his best today—the wreck overshadowed the result. Armed with 35,000 fans watching his every move via a YouTube live stream and a freshly mounted in-car camera courtesy of the NASCAR zone channel, he lined up P2 on a restart and got his first real taste of leading the field. The rookie driver, who is already 4 races in, made his debut at Daytona this year and has had somewhat of a rocky season. Joking in the post-race interview that the race felt like “rip around Daytona like a bald eagle on steroids.”

In the race, as Cleetus found himself in the front row for a green flash restart, he couldn’t keep up; fans thought it was a rookie mistake. But Freddie Kraft doesn’t see it that way. He questioned the judgment behind even putting McFarland in that position. “Guys and girls are being set up to fail at times because they’re being put in cars that they’re not ready they’re not ready to compete in. Everybody’s favorite guy in the world this week for this year is Cleetus McFarland. Zippy leaves him out on the racetrack for his first green flag restart in an unrestricted car to be on the front row, and he ends up wrecking half the field,” he said. Kraft pointed out how poor tire strategy and lack of race readiness amplified an unavoidable situation. Kraft’s frustration wasn’t just with the driver—it was with the system setting him up to fail. But there is something else he shed light on: Double standards in the sport.

A mistake’s a mistake, and Cleetus let the bald eagles fly just a tad bit too hard. @FreddieKraft | @TBR7NY | @LarryMac28 pic.twitter.com/1VxJzZ7ffi

— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) May 30, 2025

Cleetus McFarland is a beloved public figure. But commercial appeal doesn’t change reality. McFarland, for all his enthusiasm and hustle, might be a little over his head in ARCA. Kraft’s warning was clear: Don’t let marketing clout outweigh driver safety and on-track integrity.

“Do I think Cleetus did anything egregious really wrong? No, he made a mistake, but everybody wanted to give him a pass because we all love him because he does, you know, millions of views on Youtube. He’s a funny guy; he gives funny interviews, but if that was Katherine Legge on the outside of the front row and she made that mistake with similar oval track experience, she’d be getting roasted on the internet because she doesn’t belong there,” Freddie Kraft said. He is definitely calling for some changes in the way we see drivers. And McFarland needs to wrap his head around a few things.

It’s important to note that ARCA cars are heavier and handled differently than anything McFarland had driven competitively prior. These cars do not just demand throttle control—they punish you for misreading higher temperature, air pressure buildup, and restart timing. Prior to the restart that triggered the wreck, they struggled to find grip as the green flag dropped. That small slip spiraled into a chain reaction that wiped out several cars and cost thousands in damage.

“Well, it’s the same thing; you got to call a spade a spade, and Cletus is probably a little over his head running an ARCA car right now. But where else you’re going to go to learn on that stage? Where he’s, you know, he’s great for the sport; he’s putting a lot of eyes on our sport but I just hope we don’t get too front too far in front of our skills where we’re putting him in position where he makes a mistake and wipes out a lot of cars and cost people a lot of money,” Freddie said. Maybe Cleetus McFarland has a lot of YouTube revenue to cover the costs. But damage once done is done. Driver safety can never be put at risk.

But Freddie Kraft pointed out something more deeply rooted in the sport. It is the gender bias many female drivers face. The backlash Katherine Legge, Toni Breidinger, or Isabella Robusto would have for a similar action would make them quit racing!

The prevalent gender bias in the sport

Katherine Legge has driven everything from DTM and IndyCar to IMSA and 24 hours of Le Mans. Yet, every time she suits up for a stock car event, particularly in NASCAR or ARCA, social media scrutiny is ruthless. Take the 2023 Chicago Street race, for instance. Despite qualifying decently and bringing her car home clean—something many others couldn’t claim—Legge received online blowback for merely “taking up a seat.”

Women drivers often walk a tightrope in stock car racing—expected to be marketable yet flawless, visible but not controversial. For young drivers like Toni Breidinger in the Truck series or Amber Balcaen in ARCA, one on-track error can lead to a barrage of comments questioning their merit or suggesting that they’re there for the optics. And Legge has been very vocal about it.

In her podcast, Throttle Therapy, two years ago, Katherine shared what it was like being a woman race car driver. “First of all, I want to say that being a woman racing in NASCAR, it comes with an incredible sense of pride, and obviously, it comes with a level of scrutiny and harassment. However, I will say the hate mail, the death threats, and the inappropriate sexual comments that I’ve received aren’t just disturbing; they are unacceptable,” she said. But things are looking up for the sport in those aspects.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. invited Isabella Robusto on his podcast, and through that conversation, one can understand that everyone wants these dynamics to change. With more talented female drivers coming into the sport, it is going to solidify this voice among fans as well. But what do you feel? Leave a comment telling us what you feel about this.

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