Cleetus McFarland

StandOnIt said:
For people trying to put Cleetus in a box, my take would be that he is a motorsports entertainer all about having fun doing what he is doing. Very popular, definitely his audience is a majority of the younger blue collar crowd.
Click to expand...
Okay, I've found my box to put him in.

Several months ago I took up pickleball, as required by NC law for retired white guys :D. The neighborhood group plays three times a week. Most weeks I show up once or twice, rarely all three days, and occasionally not at all. I have no plans to become a competitive player, I'm just after exercise with some friends. While I've played tennis and badminton in the past, I'm mediocre and not improving as quickly as I could if I practiced more. Still, I get in some good shots (more by luck than skill) and I'm welcome (especially we need a fourth for doubles ;)).

He's in the same box I am, a guy with the resources to explore something new. I don't get why people want to watch him at his current level of skill, but I don't get why people follow other pop culture figures to their new interests either.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
He's in the same box I am, a guy with the resources to explore something new. I don't get why people want to watch him at his current level of skill, but I don't get why people follow other pop culture figures to their new interests either.
Click to expand...
And it's OK! Today he's gonna fly an airplane he just bought. Then he's gonna save flooding victims with his jet boat. Then he's gonna have over Clay Millican to dyno a Top Fuel car in comical fashion. Tomorrow he's gonna try and get certified for a large helicopter. (these are literally the content of his videos BTW)

People get to live vicariously through his dream-like existence of hanging out with racers and playing with the fanciest toys ever. He's chill about it on camera and appears approachable to everyone. In turn he gets to sell a lot of t-shirts and internet pay-per-views.
 
virtualbalboa said:
I absolutely believe Richard Childress would do so (Cleetus is a ride buyer!) and Biffle and Garrett's relationship came about not via NASCAR but their lives outside it. Namely they way they met flying aid for Hurricane Helene. So yeah. I do believe that and I think it's hilarious that you've invented an entire background for this dude that I'm actually familiar with so you can feel better about their participation.
Click to expand...
If he's a ride buyer then how was it that RCR approached him with an offer? That seems a little backwards to me
 
Dwayne said:
If you really believe .. Richard Childress ... would associate themselves with someone who's only in it for the money and no appreciation for them or the institution of stock car racing,
Click to expand...

virtualbalboa said:
I absolutely believe Richard Childress would do so (Cleetus is a ride buyer!)
Click to expand...
Richard can be both a businessman and a bulwark of the sport at the same time.
 
wi_racefan said:
If he's a ride buyer then how was it that RCR approached him with an offer? That seems a little backwards to me
Click to expand...
Tough to get around that one when I posted here Richard saying straight out of the horses mouth, Post #1 in this thread lol, that his grandson Ty brought Cleetus to his attention and Richard called Cleetus and made the deal. lol.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Richard can be both a businessman and a bulwark of the sport at the same time.
Click to expand...
This is the same guy who kicked prime Kevin Harvick to the curb in favor of his grandson and loses money racing while he makes money fabricating defense industry stuff ('member the lawsuit? pepperidge farm 'members). He contains multitudes.
 
virtualbalboa said:
This is the same guy who kicked prime Kevin Harvick to the curb in favor of his grandson and loses money racing while he makes money fabricating defense industry stuff ('member the lawsuit? pepperidge farm 'members). He contains multitudes.
Click to expand...
Running with the goal posts lol.
 
virtualbalboa said:
This is the same guy who kicked prime Kevin Harvick to the curb in favor of his grandson ...
Click to expand...
I don't regard that as a good decision (booting Busch for Gibbs, either) but it's his business to do with as he wants.
virtualbalboa said:
and loses money racing
Click to expand...
As do most owners to varying degrees.
virtualbalboa said:
while he makes money fabricating defense industry stuff
Click to expand...
Wine too, but I don't see the relevance. Hendrick sells cars. Penske rents trucks. Jenkins pushes fast food. What's your point? Mine was only that making business decisions (however questionable they may be) doesn't mean the guy has no respect for the sport. And in the end, it IS a business.
 
virtualbalboa said:
People get to live vicariously through his dream-like existence
Click to expand...
Thanks for putting your finger on the part I don't get. It applies to my relationship with almost all celebrities and most forms of fandom. I have few touchpoints and can only relate my limited experiences. Jimmy Buffett had planes and boats and I didn't care what he did with them. My interest was almost exclusively limited to his music, with a background awareness of his environmental work. I knew Matt Kenseth was into metal rock but that didn't motivate me to take a second look at a genre I'd already decided wasn't for me. I couldn't tell you what the casts of the several Star Trek series did / do with their off-screen time, but I probably wouldn't watch them doing it or take those interest up for myself simply because they're interested. I scratch my head at Taylor Swift's fans flocking to the Chiefs like they'd never heard of the NFL before two seasons ago. (Maybe this is why I also don't get the entire 'influencer' thing?)
virtualbalboa said:
(Today he's gonna fly an airplane he just bought. Then he's gonna save flooding victims with his jet boat. Then he's gonna have over Clay Millican to dyno a Top Fuel car in comical fashion. Tomorrow he's gonna try and get certified for a large helicopter. (these are literally the content of his videos BTW)
Click to expand...
So, no, I don't get the appeal of watching someone else do something I otherwise have no interest in, especially when it's being done as ... poorly? as McFarland is currently driving. I understand in my head that some folks enjoy watching a particular person do things but I don't get it in my gut. Again, that's not just McFarland's videos; for me, it's the entire genre of watching folks stream their activities.

I realized that I was holding all the recent hoopla against the guy, and that wasn't fair to him. I resented posts making it sound like he was yet another messiah to resurrect the fanbase. I find it hard to believe the viewers of a motorhead stream aren't already aware of NASCAR, and I am still unsure how many of his fans will become long-term NASCAR watchers when he isn't racing. But as far as I know, he hasn't claimed bringing viewers to NASCAR is his goal. He has no control over what people post about him, which outlets want to interview him, or what hopes others project onto him.

He just wants to make some laps. For the most part I'll watch his stock car racing through the same lens as Frankie Muniz and Patrick Staropoli, or Angus Young and Patrick Dempsey when they drove sports cars. With all of his business interests and other hobbies, I doubt he'll have the time to become competitive but he has as much right to try as anyone else who can leverage a seat.

It's been a slow day waiting for vehicle inspections. Sorry.
 
StandOnIt said:
And there are some of us who have done similar things and even some others that he hasn't done yet. Some of us are here for the adventure and Cleetus gives us that.
Click to expand...
It's just my opinion, but my idea of adventure is out-braking a guy entering turn 3, wrapping the yellow line on the bottom (or maybe ripping the wall on the high line), and getting back on the gas early to complete the pass. The art of racing... that's why I watch. YMMV.
 
Cleetus signed a multi year deal with Polaris last week. They supplied these for his track and some others that run on dirt.

1776453392557.png

1776453509477.png

1776453643127.png
 
LewTheShoe said:
It's just my opinion, but my idea of adventure is out-braking a guy entering turn 3, wrapping the yellow line on the bottom (or maybe ripping the wall on the high line), and getting back on the gas early to complete the pass. The art of racing... that's why I watch. YMMV.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what my idea of 'adventure' is these days but it was never watching someone else do something. Entertainment, but not adventure. Hopefully it never will be.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
I'm not sure what my idea of 'adventure' is these days but it was never watching someone else do something. Entertainment, but not adventure. Hopefully it never will be.
Click to expand...
I can understand. If you have never done those things or something similar, the curiosity of how it will turn out for them wouldn't be something very interesting.
 
StandOnIt said:
I can understand. If you have never done those things or something similar, the curiosity of how it will turn out for them wouldn't be something very interesting.
Click to expand...
Oh, interesting and as I said, entertaining. But adventurous? Just watching someone else? Not watching in person but remotely over video? Recorded, not live? My definition for 'adventure' includes active participation. The people we're watching may be having adventures, but I wouldn't say I was.
 
Dwayne said:
I just want to know when things changed? Nascar has always had drivers with zero experience, 3 off the top of my head, Kenny Wallace, no diving experience borrowed a Bush car from Sr. ran one race and then ran the whole season the next year with zero experience, Steve Kinsner, no stock car experience straight to the Cup series and Kyle Petty, these are 3 I can think of if we were to do research we would find dozens of drivers who've run the full Bush schedule with zero experience, Garrett has just as much a right to race as any other driver with limited to no experience. So again, when did this change and why now?
Click to expand...
This is what I tell a lot of people, "What do you expect?? like... what is a rookie supposed to go out and do in your eyes? does a flat out rookie need to go oiut and get a top 10 in his first race? No. His job is to not ruin anyone's day (he did that), bring the car home in one piece (he did that also), and get track hours with other cars. What is the issue here???? Sure, there's a big jump from arca to NOAPS, but if JR motorsports or JGR called out and asked you to race, what the hell are you supposed to say."

But that's what I have to say. I look forward to seeing what he does tomorrow at Kansas.
 
It's frankly a bit ridiculous to me. We are all fired up and mad about a guy who has zero intention of racing full time in any series of the sport. He likes to show up to the big races here and there in the lower series, and maybe a race or 2 in NOAPS every year. The dude has car control, he raced 90 lap tires at the rock and recovered from 4 spins. As for his experience, hes raced a lot of stadium truck races, jet boat racing, air racing, a considerable history at the drag strip, and so so much more. He has the car control, he has the maturity, and he has the fans. There is zero problem with him racing as long as he doesn't cause problems. Which he doesn't.

I want to clarify for the record that I have been a Cleetus McFarland fan for about 8 years now. This doesn't mean that I have these opinions just because im a fan. I believe that this sport should be open to everyone as long as your not an idiot and cause everybody headaches on the track. This sport started as regular dudes who got in their cars and raced em. Now it's like formula 1 where it costs millions to get into the sport.

But that's just what I think :blush:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom