Cleetus McFarland (Garrett Mitchell) is a number one NASCAR influencer, race automobile driver, and enterprise mogul who has earned his fortune in a wide range of enterprise actions associated to automotive content material creation, racing, and merchandise. The biggest supply of his income is his YouTube channel, which has over 4 million subscribers. He releases compelling movies of automobile constructions, drag racing competitions, and auto tradition, and earns income by means of promoting, sponsorships, and paid promotions.
Cleetus McFarland first entered the automotive content material and social media world in 2011. He invested in 1320Video, a automobile media firm that was began by Kyle Loftis and provided to take management and develop their Instagram when the positioning was nonetheless new and rising quick. McFarland has assisted within the growth of the 1320Video Instagram web page, which went from nearly nothing to about 10,000 followers, an enormous quantity on the time, by sharing fascinating automotive materials.
McFarland’s curiosity and dedication to work made him assume extra roles, akin to engaged on Fb 1320Video, the place he was finally paid to work. In an April 2024 interview with 1320video, Cleetus defined why he grew to become a YouTuber in a distinct segment like NASCAR.
“Fred filmed, and I used to be simply working round, you already know, taking footage for the Instagram, after which that very same weekend, Kyle was like, hey, I am tremendous slammed, like why do not you put up some stuff on the Fb too, so then I bought entry to that, so then from that time on, we had been within the crew, like we had been formally a part of the group…”
He additional added (8:30 onwards) :
“I might put up, you already know, a cool YouTube video with a title and an outline, after which we would put it on Fb, and if individuals clicked on that hyperlink, we might generate advert income on Kyle’s web site, in order that was how I made my cash for Kyle, after which he would pay me, man, it was 100 bucks every week, I keep in mind on the time, which is, you already know, it is nothing, however I used to be simply so glad to be doing it, and it gave me at the least one thing to pay for, you already know, meals and gasoline and no matter.”
On the time, McFarland was finding out legislation however had already garnered a considerable following within the content material creation area. And he stop college to be knowledgeable “redneck” in his persona, Cleetus McFarland.
Cleetus McFarland additionally owns a 20% stake in Movement Raceworks, an Iowa-based producer of efficiency automotive components, which provides one other income stream. He competes part-time within the ARCA Menards Collection and hosts his personal racing occasions like “Cleetus & Vehicles” and the “Freedom 500.”
In 2020, Cleetus McFarland acquired and revitalized the Desoto Speedway in Bradenton, Florida, renaming it Freedom Manufacturing unit, additional increasing his footprint in motorsports. All have contributed to his internet value being $10 million, in accordance with CelebrityNetworth.
Cleetus McFarland gave up every little thing to accumulate Freedom Manufacturing unit
The forgotten Desoto Speedway drag strip was found by Cleetus McFarland quickly after his relocation to Florida. The observe had been out of fee for a few years due to monetary difficulties and different problems, and it was actually a shabby hangar. McFarland noticed the potential of it being a particular playground for his automotive content material and occasions, and even considered turning it right into a burnout stadium with a essential pad that followers may have enjoyable at.
He spent 2.2 million {dollars}, at the least partly, utilizing loans and promoting his prize Porsche Turbo S to boost the cash. In a February 2025 interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Obtain podcast, he mentioned (2:44 onwards):
“The DeSota had been sitting there for years, shut down as a result of a number of causes, chapter, a pair instances, you already know, a driver that handed away, issues like that. So I drove by, I imply, the place was a dump, however someday, I clicked in my mind as I began doing these burnout occasions…”
Cleetus McFarland additional added:
“I did not have the cash, after which I bought my Porsche turbo S that I had 2011, like We similar to bought every little thing we had, gathered all of it up, and I actually went to that closing with every little thing I had. Rattling it. Each greenback I had. And this was December nineteenth after which COVID hit. Yeah. My grasp plan of getting all my followers out to make some cash. Actually, actually. took some time. Actually crushed me.”
The acquisition in December 2019 marked a daring transfer to safe a authorized and protected atmosphere for the kind of content material Cleetus McFarland creates, on condition that road racing and different high-octane content material usually face restrictions and demonetization on platforms like YouTube.
Edited by Sumeet Kavthale
