Cleetus McFarland was having another strong run in the NASCAR ARCA Menards Series on Saturday at Kansas.
The driver of the No. 30 started 25th in the Tide 150 and navigated his way to as high as seventh place. McFarland was sitting in 10th position with just 25 laps remaining.
Unfortunately, the internet sensation’s day would go up in smoke. McFarland’s BaldEagle.com Ford suffered an engine failure, ending his bid for another top-10 finish in the ARCA Menards Series.
When the checkered flag flew, McFarland was out of the race and posted a 20th-place result.
McFarland gave spirited interview after engine failure
Despite his race being over, McFarland was all smiles when talking to reporters.
To be able to drive from 25th to seventh at one point was a win in McFarland’s eyes.
“I had a blast. I mean, I basically won. … What [did] I make it to, seventh? I mean, come on. From 25th to seventh? That’s a win right there, so I had a great day,” McFarland said.
Late in the race, McFarland ripped the outside line and executed a bold three-wide pass to jump to the seventh position.
Taking advice from Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar, McFarland said if the other cars went to the bottom, he was going to the top.
“I just went top, kept my foot buried in it, [and] literally screamed around them like a bald eagle,” McFarland said.
McFarland said he had no warning that his engine was about to expire. Fortunately, the 31-year-old said it happened at the perfect time.
“It blew up in a great spot. I was literally ripping down the front straight and oil just blasted into the car and white smoke. I’m like, maybe a tire was blowing or something, but then I smelled the bald eagles coming out of my engine. They were bald eagle tears. I just had to get out of it, drifted the entire turn one and two, which was sick. Then, parked it. Not a scratch on it,” McFarland said.
McFarland assess second 1.5-mile ARCA race
Saturday marked McFarland’s second start on a 1.5-mile track in the ARCA Menards Series.
Last year, McFarland was timid to do just about anything at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. On Saturday at Kansas, the YouTube star found his groove.
“I was terrified at Charlotte last year, so I was just underdriving the car so bad that I wasn’t doing anything. Today, I mean we went from 25th to seventh. I think we were really doing something, and I was battling being tight, so I had to run the top, which was a blast,” McFarland said.
When talking about running the high groove at Kansas, McFarland referenced defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, who is known for ripping the wall around 1.5-mile tracks.
McFarland joked that he hoped he looked like the driver of the No. 5 in Saturday’s race.
“I was trying to channel my inner Kyle Larson if there is any, but it was really fun,” McFarland said.
McFarland is scheduled to race in next week’s ARCA Menards Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway. The race is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time.
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