The place did Cleetus McFarland end within the 2026 ARCA Menards Collection race at Talladega Superspeedway? 

YouTube character and part-time racer, Cleetus McFarland, aka Garrett Mitchell, completed second in Saturday’s Alabama Manufactured Housing 200 at Talladega Superspeedway. He misplaced by 0.111 seconds to Andy Jankowiak in a three-wide end on the ultimate lap of one of the vital chaotic ARCA races in current historical past.

The No. 30 BaldEagle.com Rette Jones Racing Ford led laps, survived the large one with seven to go, and got here agonizingly near successful. It was his second ARCA nationwide collection begin at a superspeedway, having been denied approval to run the NASCAR O’Reilly race at Talladega weeks earlier.

The race unfolded in a method that suited Cleetus McFarland’s growing superspeedway instincts. He began twentieth, and by the competitors warning on Lap 40, had labored his method to second. He was led by Alex Bowman’s spotter, Kevin Hamlin. When race chief Gio Ruggiero’s workforce declined to push him, Hamlin suggested McFarland to side-draft Ruggiero aggressively to guard monitor place.

On the restart, with a push from Daniel Dye, McFarland cleared Ruggiero on the surface and took the lead for the primary time. His radio name in that second was quick and unrepeatable in well mannered firm — the type of response that made 100,000 folks watching his in-car digital camera on YouTube erupt. He led by means of a number of cautions, giving floor and taking it again, surviving contact scares and preserving the No. 30 Ford clear by means of conditions that ended different drivers’ days.

The massive one got here with seven laps remaining. Thomas Annunziata went round and picked up Tim Richmond, Bobby Dale Earnhardt, Bryce Haugeberg, Ron Vandermeir, and others. Will Kimmel tagged Annunziata, and Gio Ruggiero picked up slight harm within the course of because the pink flag was out.

When the sphere restarted, Isabella Robusto held the lead with McFarland in fourth. He was instructed it might be a one-lap shootout. His response on the radio:

“One lap is all I must get in entrance, and we’ll be dialed. I really love our spot.”

The ultimate restart delivered on the chaos. Robusto, who completed on the rostrum right here a 12 months again, received a superb push and cleared to the lead. Kimmel ran second with Cleetus creating a 3rd lane. McFarland got here down, took the run from Gus Dean, who had been pushing Kimmel, and took the lead getting into the trioval.

However each low-lane vehicles misplaced momentum within the remaining nook as Jankowiak discovered the excessive lane, constructed a run, and received on the line by 0.111 seconds. Cleetus McFarland was second and Dean third. The margin between first and third was 0.114 seconds. Prime 10 within the Alabama Manufactured Housing 200 at Talladega Superspeedway:

1. No. 71 – Andy Jankowiak
2. No. 30 – Garrett Mitchell (Cleetus McFarland)
3. No. 25 – Gus Dean
4. No. 55 – Isabella Robusto
5. No. 18 – Gio Ruggiero
6. No. 77 – Taylor Reimer
7. No. 8 – Sean Corr
8. No. 91 – Ryan Vargas
9. No. 28 – Jack Wooden
10. No. 24 – Daniel Dye

Carson Hocevar reacts to Cleetus McFarland main at Talladega

Carson Hocevar was watching from pit street when Cleetus McFarland first took the lead, and jumped on the radio instantly to let his buddy know what that second appeared like from the surface. Hocevar instructed him:

“Hey Cleetus, that is Carson, I am on pit street! They yelled at you such as you had been Dale Jr. once you took the lead. Pleased with you, brother.”

After the race, Cleetus McFarland defined what occurred within the remaining laps:

“Nicely, that, I feel I wanted to again up a smidge to get that assist that was behind me. I type of left the 71 (Andy Jankowiak) and tried to go down. I did not have sufficient room to get previous Will. We began beating one another up, after which Andy handed us and received the W. Congratulations to him. What an insane day of racing. The best race I’ve ever been part of in my life proper there. My workforce, Kevin Hamlin, did such a superb job with Rette Jones Racing and Mr. Sam Sprayback… In all probability essentially the most enjoyable I’ve ever had with garments on. It was freaking insane. Talladega.”

The end result places Cleetus McFarland’s 2026 ARCA trajectory in real perspective. Fourth at Rockingham within the East Collection, eleventh at Daytona on the nationwide stage, twentieth at Kansas after working seventh earlier than a mechanical failure, and now second at Talladega.

The criticism that he was leaping ranges too rapidly is tougher to maintain after Saturday. His subsequent confirmed begin is the O’Reilly Auto Components Collection race at Nashville Superspeedway on Could 30, once more within the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing with Tommy’s Specific backing.