(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Cleetus McFarland Reacts to Debut NASCAR O'Reilly Series Qualifying Result at Rockingham

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Apr 3, 2026 3:49 PM ET

Racing in the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevy at Rockingham Speedway, Cleetus McFarland has qualified for the first time. It wasn't the result he was necessarily looking for, and the driver expressed a little disappointment after.

When it was all said and done, Cleetus qualified P35. He ran a few tenths slower in qualifying than he did in practice. So, there was more to be desired on the track.

"Dude I wussed out on the qualifying," McFarland said to his friend "LS George" after getting out of the car, via Peter Stratta of TSJSports. "You know what it is dude, you get on throttle so early in [Turn] 3 and you just feel like you're doing 200. And whatever reason I was just being cautious even though I know the car has the grip with the qualifying setup, and I got out of it when I did and I was like, 'Oh, I'm five miles an hour slow right here.' Tried to pick it back up the rest of the run but it was too late."

NASCAR rain delay during Rockingham weekend. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

So, what was a lesson that Cleetus McFarland learned in qualifying? Rockingham is not a track for the faint of heart. In fact, he gave a ton of credit to the other drivers who ripped quicker times because they simply sent it in faster than he did.

"It takes a lot of cajones to drive it into [Turn] 1 as hard as these guys do," McFarland said during the debrief.

A little taste of NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series action has Cleetus a little wide-eyed. Tomorrow, he will try to race from P35 and get the best result he can manage. Will this be a learning moment or a reality check for the YouTuber?

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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