The conversation about Cleetus McFarland Racing in NASCAR’s national series is still far from over, and now Brad Keselowski has stepped in with an idea he believes can fix what he calls a “broken” system.
McFarland, a YouTuber who built a large following through online car content, recently received clearance to compete in NASCAR’s upper divisions despite limited racing experience. After a few starts in the ARCA Menards Series and a debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he was cleared to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing.
Understandably, this decision didn’t go down well with everyone in the garage.
Keselowski said the situation shows how unclear NASCAR’s development ladder has become over the years. Speaking on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s podcast, the RFK Racing driver said the structure that once guided drivers through the sport has slowly disappeared.
“The problem we have is the industry of NASCAR as a whole, for whatever reason we have completely abandoned the identity of those four series,” Keselowski said.
“Not necessarily the Cup Series, but those four series, like the pecking order, has been thrown around. And it started with the removal of Cup drivers from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.”
Previously, most drivers climbed ladder by ladder. Many started in ARCA, moved to the Truck Series, then moved to the Xfinity Series before moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series. Keselowski believes the path is no longer as clear.
Because of this, he suggested a stricter approval system that would require drivers to gain more experience before moving to the next level.
“Personally, I think the 3 series should have three different approval criteria with the Truck Series being sanctioned. So, here’s my opinion. If you want to run ARCA and you know you have less than 100 starts in any major or minor league form of racing. Yes. OK, great. ARCA is your place. In my opinion, you should not be allowed to run the Truck Series unless you say so, “I have around the country. There are over 100 starters.”
The conversation intensified after McFarland’s truck’s start ended early following a crash during the race weekend at Daytona International Speedway.
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Kyle Busch also questioned NASCAR’s decision
Keselowski isn’t the only driver to raise concerns. Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch also questioned how quickly McFarland was able to break into NASCAR’s national series. Busch explained that most drivers spend years gaining experience before reaching those levels.
In an interview with Fox8, Busch said, “I don’t know how many races he’s run. Denny Hamlin ran 10,000 races before he got here, right? So, I don’t know if Cletus has run 10 races or not, but definitely needs enough experience. My son has probably run more races than him, and he’s 10 years old. You know what I mean? So, I don’t think it sits well. There are a lot of us.”
The Cletus McFarland debate highlights a broader debate that is growing in modern motorsports. On one side are traditionalists who believe drivers should climb the established development ladder – karting, Late Model, then ARCA – gaining years of experience before reaching NASCAR’s national series. On the other hand, teams like NASCAR and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) understand that driver reach and marketability can be important in today’s media landscape. It also seems like NASCAR is in desperate need of getting younger fans.
The real point of contention among insiders is not whether McFarland can actually drive. His top-10 finish in ARCA at Talladega shows he has some driving skills. Instead, some are questioning whether NASCAR’s licensing standards have become too flexible. By allowing only a small number of ARCA drivers to compete in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, he believes the sanctioning body risks putting online popularity ahead of the competitive standards expected at the experience and professional level. And along with this, security is also at risk.
Either way, McFarland will drive the №33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing at Rockingham Speedway later this season. It remains to be seen whether he proves the critics wrong, but the discussion about NASCAR’s sanctioning system is unlikely to subside any time soon.
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