Richard Childress Racing last fielded a full-time ARCA Menards Series championship program in 2011, when Ty Dillon delivered a title-winning season with seven victories and 16 top-10 finishes in 19 races. The campaign showcased RCR’s ability to develop young talent before moving on to bigger stages, a tradition the organization has maintained through drivers such as Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon. Now, 15 years later, RCR is preparing to revive that development pathway with an unconventional prospect: YouTube star Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, who is ready to trade viral racing moments for a full-season pursuit of an ARCA championship.

Cleetus McFarland is preparing for the biggest commitment of his stock car racing career. The YouTube star will compete full-time in the 2027 ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.

The program marks the next stage of his two-year partnership with RCR, which began in 2026 with a part-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series deal. McFarland is also expected to continue competing part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. This gives him opportunities to gain experience across multiple levels while working toward his long-term goal of reaching the Cup Series.

The full ARCA schedule will give McFarland something he has not had before: an entire season to develop his racecraft and chase a championship. The series visits superspeedways, intermediate ovals, traditional short tracks, road courses, and dirt tracks, demanding adaptability rather than strength at a single type of venue. McFarland has already shown flashes of speed, finishing second at Talladega in 2026 and earning his first ARCA pole at Michigan. Now, he will have a full campaign to build on those results.

A conversation with Ty Dillon helped convince McFarland that RCR was the right place to make that leap. He recalled getting a text and a phone call from Dillon, who described an organization filled with people who shared McFarland’s enthusiasm for cars and racing.

“I got a text from Ty Dillon and a phone call. He explained, he’s like, you’re just going to love it when you come to RCR. There’s like 400 guys here who are just, you know, the same type of people that you guys are. You like race cars and just having fun, and everybody is just our type of people, and we fit in really fast. So when I got this opportunity to do the ARCA thing, I jumped on it,” McFarland said.

That sense of belonging mattered to a driver arriving from a very different background. McFarland built his audience through automotive projects, racing videos, and his Freedom Factory short track in Florida. Yet he has made clear that his ambitions behind the wheel are serious. He has committed to putting in the work through testing, simulator sessions, and every opportunity to improve, rather than treating racing as an extension of his online content.

Robert Strmiska will oversee that development as crew chief of the No. 33 Chevrolet. A longtime RCR employee, he joined the organization in 2010 and has contributed to championship-winning campaigns across NASCAR’s national series. His experience gives McFarland a seasoned guide as he takes on his first full national stock car season.

Strmiska began working with McFarland earlier in 2026, serving as crew chief for his O’Reilly Series starts at Rockingham Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway. He initially admitted he was unsure what to expect, but meeting McFarland changed his outlook. After watching him test at Rockingham, Strmiska saw the driving ability needed to make the partnership work.

McFarland also recalled sensing some skepticism from the crew during that first test, particularly from Danny Stockman. He said it took only a few hours for the team to warm to him, adding that he had initially expected Strmiska, nicknamed “Bug,” to be too quiet for the cameras. Their relationship has since grown more comfortable, both at the track and in front of the camera.

The full-time ARCA program adds a new dimension to RCR’s relationship with McFarland. His existing deal provides a route into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, while the Truck Series offers another opportunity to gain experience at the national level. Those starts will complement the ARCA campaign, exposing him to different competition and helping him learn how to manage races across a wider range of tracks.

McFarland’s goals for 2027 are clear: multiple wins, a championship, and steady improvement toward the dream of one day racing in the Daytona 500. For RCR, the program is an investment in a driver willing to learn and put in the work. For McFarland, it is a chance to prove that the passion that made him an online star can translate into success across a full racing season.

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