NASCAR SHOCK! Cleetus McFarland BUYS His Own Late Model — The Reason Behind It Changes Everything

Cleetus McFarland’s New Race Car Could Be the Move That Finally Changes His NASCAR Future

Cleetus McFarland has made a racing purchase that appears straightforward on the surface but could have enormous consequences for his future behind the wheel.

He bought a Pro Late Model.

Yet this was not simply another race car joining his growing collection of high-powered machines.

The purchase gives McFarland something arguably more valuable: a tool for building the kind of experience that cannot be manufactured through publicity, money, or simulator time.

The No. 33 Pro Late Model is built on a straight-rail chassis from Port City Race Cars and prepared through Red Jones Racing, an organization already familiar to McFarland.

Red Jones Racing fielded the car he drove in the ARCA Menards Series, including the race that produced the best stock-car finish of his career.

That familiarity could make the transition considerably easier.

McFarland’s first extended test came at Tri-County Speedway, and his reaction was telling.

He described the car as dramatically better than some of the equipment he had previously driven, praising its grip, braking, and controllability.

The car also demanded something McFarland needs more of: work.

Unlike a high-speed superspeedway car, the Pro Late Model requires constant steering input and careful management through the corners.

McFarland even described his neck burning from the amount of steering he was doing.

That physical demand is part of the attraction.

McFarland’s career has already revealed a fascinating split.

On superspeedways, he has shown that he can compete.

In ARCA competition during 2025, he recorded top-10 finishes at Talladega and Charlotte, including a ninth-place result at Charlotte.

In 2026, he came remarkably close to winning at Talladega, finishing second, and also captured a pole at Michigan International Speedway.

Those results demonstrate that McFarland possesses genuine strengths in high-speed pack racing.

But the picture changes dramatically away from superspeedways.

His NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona ended in an early crash and 37th place.

His Xfinity Series debut at Rockingham was difficult, while his start at Nashville Superspeedway became even more challenging after rain canceled qualifying and forced him to start at the back.

The pattern points toward a fundamental issue.

McFarland needs repetitions.

Short tracks and intermediate circuits require skills that cannot be developed simply by occasionally showing up for a national-series race.

Drivers need to understand tire wear, braking zones, corner entry, traffic, changing grip, and close-quarters racing.

And they need hundreds upon hundreds of laps to make those instincts automatic.

McFarland has made only a handful of ARCA starts across two seasons.

That is nowhere near enough volume to replicate the experience of drivers who have spent years racing late models every weekend.

That is where the Pro Late Model becomes so important.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been making essentially the same argument.

The two-time Daytona 500 winner has repeatedly encouraged McFarland to accumulate more short-track experience rather than rushing toward higher-level NASCAR competition.

After McFarland’s Daytona Truck Series crash, Earnhardt Jr. emphasized that mistakes were part of the learning process and suggested that the resources available through Richard Childress Racing could accelerate McFarland’s development.

Later, at a Cars Tour event at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, Earnhardt Jr. went further.

He encouraged McFarland to compete in Pro Late Models and other short-track divisions, emphasizing that the objective at this stage should be building a deep catalog of racing experiences rather than simply chasing victories.

After McFarland’s difficult Nashville Superspeedway outing, Earnhardt Jr. offered an even more direct assessment.

He acknowledged that McFarland had made mistakes but believed the driver had performed reasonably well overall.

His recommendation was straightforward: commit to extensive ARCA competition, including short tracks, and use that experience as preparation for eventually competing at the Xfinity level.

But Earnhardt Jr. also recognized the appeal of the late-model route.

McFarland already owns the Freedom Factory Oval in Florida.

That means he has access to a venue where he can practice regularly without waiting for a national-series race weekend.

The opportunity to run multiple sets of tires on an ordinary Tuesday could ultimately be more valuable than an occasional high-profile NASCAR appearance.

And this is where McFarland’s strategy becomes bigger than personal development.

He is not merely buying a car to practice.

He is building an ecosystem around it.

McFarland plans to launch a late-model series that can travel alongside his existing Crown Victoria racing events.

Those events already bring competitors to tracks several times a year, creating an obvious opportunity to add late-model competition to the same weekends.

The inaugural event is scheduled for August 15 at Berlin Raceway in Michigan, with a $20,000 winner’s purse.

That creates an unusual situation.

McFarland can simultaneously compete, promote, create content, and develop his racecraft.

He is effectively building his own classroom.

Instead of waiting for someone else to provide opportunities, he is creating them.

There is also potential for the program to expand.

McFarland has an established relationship with promoter Ricky Brooks through Freedom Factory events and has discussed the possibility of converting his Pro Late Model to Super Late Model specifications.

That could give the car access to an even broader range of races without requiring McFarland to purchase another machine.

His commitment appears serious enough that reports indicated he sold his jet boat to help fund the program.

For a creator whose brand has long been associated with expensive toys and outrageous machinery, the decision represents a meaningful shift in priorities.

The late model program does not mean McFarland is abandoning NASCAR.

Far from it.

His relationship with Richard Childress Racing remains an important part of his development.

RCR announced a two-year part-time developmental arrangement that includes McFarland making Xfinity Series starts in the No. 33 Tommy’s Express Chevrolet.

The goal appears to be long-term development rather than a single publicity appearance.

The relationship has even produced moments that go in the opposite direction, with McFarland helping bring Richard Childress himself back into a racing environment.

At Stafford Speedway, the longtime team owner climbed into a Crown Victoria alongside 2025 Xfinity Series champion Jesse Love, marking a remarkable return for Childress after decades away from professional racing.

That kind of crossover illustrates how unusual McFarland’s position has become.

He is simultaneously a content creator, team owner, event promoter, NASCAR competitor, and racing enthusiast.

Now he is trying to become a more complete driver.

The immediate test is Berlin Raceway.

McFarland will face short-track regulars who have spent years learning the circuit while he arrives with relatively limited experience in the Pro Late Model.

The result could be spectacular—or difficult.

Either outcome should be treated carefully.

A poor finish would not necessarily prove the strategy is wrong.

A victory would not suddenly mean McFarland has mastered short-track racing.

The real test will come over the next year.

How many races will he run?

How many laps will he complete?

How quickly will he learn to manage tires, traffic, braking, and changing track conditions?

Those answers will reveal much more than one Saturday’s finishing position.

That is ultimately why this purchase could be more important than another NASCAR start.

McFarland has already demonstrated that he can be competitive on superspeedways.

The next stage of his development requires him to become more complete.

And a Pro Late Model gives him the opportunity to do exactly that.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes extensive ARCA competition could be the best route toward that goal.

McFarland appears to be pursuing a parallel strategy: race more, race often, compete against experienced short-track drivers, and create as many opportunities for genuine seat time as possible.

The two approaches are not necessarily opposites.

They may actually complement each other.

If McFarland can combine his national-series opportunities with a full schedule of late-model competition, he could arrive at his next major NASCAR opportunity with something he has been missing: thousands of additional real-world racing repetitions.

That may be the difference between simply being a famous personality who races NASCAR and becoming a driver capable of competing consistently at that level.

The new car, then, is much more than a purchase.

It could be the beginning of a different version of Cleetus McFarland.

One with fewer shortcuts, more laps, more mistakes, more learning, and potentially far more speed when the stakes become serious.

The question now is not whether McFarland can make noise in NASCAR.

He already has.

The question is whether he can turn all that attention, access, and opportunity into genuine racing mastery.

And the answer may begin on a short track in Michigan, one lap at a time.