Cleetus McFarland made his first Super Late Model start, and it wasn’t pretty

Popular internet personality turned racer Garrett “Cleetus” Mitchell endured a true baptism by fire Wednesday night, crashing out of his Super Late Model debutduring the annual Tekton 250 Battle at Berlin at Berlin Raceway.

Sixteen-year-old racing prodigy Tristan McKee claimed the checkered flag and the $40,000 top prize, short track superstar Bubba Pollard finished second, and NASCAR Cup Series regular Carson Hocevar finished third.

Mitchell, a rookie stock car driver widely known to millions of YouTube subscribers for his high-horsepower stunts and promoting celebrity-filled Crown Vic races, faced a steep learning curve against a stout field of UARA National Tour drivers. Driving a car prepared by Rette-Jones Racing, Mitchell qualified 22nd in the 27-car field.

The 250-lap feature proved to be a test of survival for Mitchell. He spun early in the race while trying to avoid a multi-car pileup, but managed to keep the car off the wall. As the race progressed, Mitchell battled handling issues and inexperience, making various levels of contact with multiple drivers over the course of his time on track. Frustration boiled over a bit when Mitchell received a middle-finger gesture from fellow competitor Evan Szotko while being lapped.

Mitchell’s night came to an abrupt end with 20 laps remaining. While running near the tail end of the field, Mitchell spun directly in front of the oncoming leaders, collecting driver Keith Herp in the process. The heavy contact severely damaged Mitchell’s car, relegating him to a 19th-place finish.

😮 Cleetus McFarland SPINS & takes Keith Herp with him! CLOSE CALL for leaders Evan Szotko & Bubba Pollard! #BattleAtBerlin 250! pic.twitter.com/l3BFjSOPYD

— FloRacing (@FloRacing) August 13, 2026

“Well I just suck, you know,” Mitchell said in a candid post-race interview on the FloRacing broadcast. “I was just fighting for my life trying not to get lapped. I overheated the right-rear tire and it just got away from me. I’m sorry to the leaders and to Keith for getting caught up in it.”

The damage to the car required a great deal of repair work, but most of that was accomplished on Thursday. The car should be ready to race once again for the debut of the Cleetus McFarland Late Model Series, which is also racing at Berlin on Saturday, August 15th. 

Mitchell then went on to talk about what he learned in his debut.

“Obviously, the exact opposite of what I wanted to have happen,” he said. “Completely got my ass kicked tonight, but I learned a lot. The racecraft that you need to pass somebody when there’s really just no good place to pass was insane. It was so competitive. I got flipped off by a guy. I mean, it was insane out there. This is just as hard as the big series in NASCAR, but not how I wanted my debut to end. We will be racing on Saturday. The car is fixable, but just got to get back out here and keep learning. I suck and I just got to keep working on it.”