YouTuber Cleetus McFarland signed a deal with Richard Childress Racing earlier this week to make his debut in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this season, and quite predictably, this has left the NASCAR community divided. Many are uncomfortable with seeing someone who doesn’t have any solid racing experience being able to crack into the top levels of stock car racing using internet popularity alone.
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Icons like Kyle Busch and Kyle Petty took a strong stance against his participation but Denny Hamlin has come out with a more controlled opinion. He explained on Actions Detrimental that the question needs to be raised against NASCAR’s driver approval process and not against McFarland’s legitimacy to be a driver at the top level. With good reason, Hamlin sees them as two different things.
He said, “I think he, without a doubt, has an effect on bringing eyeballs to the sport that maybe wouldn’t be paying attention otherwise. I don’t know what’s right. Well, I’ll say this. Uh, I think that our approval process should be tougher than what it is. I think that there’s a certain standard that we need to hold to ourselves.”
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is aware that the Cup Series is where McFarland’s current path is heading. While he sees him as a humble person who values the opportunities he gets, he also understands that alone doesn’t merit a seat at this level.
Why? Because his inexperience could end up costing those around him, particularly his competitors.
Hamlin continued, “I watched him in that truck race at Daytona, and truthfully, he was out of control for all 12 of the laps before he wrecked. I could see it. I know the sport. I know what’s in control and out of control. And I was like, ‘Oh man, this is not going to end well.” It certainly isn’t fair for full-time drivers to have their risk of danger increased by having an inexperienced driver on the track.
There is only one solution to the issue. Make the approval process a lot more stringent. Hamlin said that McFarland’s participation wouldn’t have been an issue at all if he’d driven a few more races at the lower rungs of the sport before getting the chance to move up. Had he done so, he would have also learnt to control his car better and make more sensible decisions.
McFarland will make his debut at the Rockingham Speedway on April 4, 2026.
