Insider provides intel on why Rockingham this weekend is critical for Cleetus McFarland, what NASCAR is saying

This Saturday at Rockingham Speedway, Cleetus McFarland will make his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut. McFarland will be behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet, as part of a three-race deal he signed with Richard Childress Racing last month.

The deal tentatively includes starts at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Raceway. McFarland was must first gain approval from NASCAR to compete in a NOAPS superspeedway race. Running at a short track satisfies that requirement, which is why McFarland has to go to Rockingham. However, according to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, simply showing up and logging laps will not be enough.

“This Rockingham race matters for him because he wants to be racing at Talladega as part of this deal with RCR, but NASCAR first has to approve him,” Gluck said Thursday on the Gluckcast. “This is not going to be rubber stamp. I checked with NASCAR this week, and they laid out the approval process. He got approved to run all Truck races, which he did at Daytona. That’s the highest approval to run a superspeedway in Truck.

“But now to run O’Reilly, you got to run a short track or a road course first. That’s the first step before you can be approved for a superspeedway in O’Reilly. Rockingham is considered a short track, and he will be able to check that box if he does well enough.”

What does NASCAR need to see from Cleetus McFarland at Rockingham?

NASCAR, per Gluck, needs to see that McFarland “can handle himself,” unlike what he showed when he made his Truck Series debut in the 2026 season opener at Daytona. There, he wrecked by himself just six laps into the race, posting a DNF.

Where McFarland finishes on Saturday won’t be the lone determining factor of if he gets approved for a NOAPS superspeedway race. McFarland has to showcase other things as well.

“NASCAR said they’re not a looking for a certain finish here, but they need to see if he can handle himself,” Gluck said. “So, if he wrecks Lap 6 again by himself, he’s probably not getting approved for Talladega. It’s not gonna be, ‘OK, yeah, go ahead.’ So, this matters.”

There will be a lot of eyeballs on the YouTube sensation, who has 4.67 million subscribers on his channel. He’s received criticism over his presence in the sport but whether his critics like it or not, he will be in the field on Saturday, racing with his entire NASCAR future on the line.

“Once I get on that track on Saturday, it’s up to me,” McFarland told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports earlier this week. “So, they can complain as much as they like, but it’s happening. They better buckle up.”