Like Hollywood is a glittering starland for commoners, NASCAR seems to be the same for influential people. Why? Well, Frankie Muniz, Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle, is now a Truck Series racer. LeBron James owns minority stakes in RFK Racing, and Michael Jordan is the co-owner of 23XI Racing. Well, another well-known YouTube sensation has also started his journey to land in NASCAR. He is currently running in the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing. And, it is none other than car enthusiast Cleetus McFarland. And recently, he has Dale Earnhardt Jr. scratching his head. Why?
Well, a gift from McFarland to the Junior was more than a random gratitude gesture. It was so unthinkable that even Dale Jr. wondered how in the world he could reciprocate. A light moment in the recent episode of Dale Jr.’s podcast captures the funny situation, but the incident is a sweet story of friendship. What began as a fascination with the pond grew into a lifelong obligation and an entirely new level of gift-giving pressure for Junior.
Singing a song of friendship in a pond
Cleetus McFarland is a self-made personality and race promoter. He has built a kingdom out of turbo-charging all the fun, doing everything at American horsepower, even grassroots racing antics, and viral burnout competitions like the one he’s hosting most recently at his own track, Freedom Factory in Florida. Insane, right? No, there’s actually more. “The other thing I wanted to tell you was I got a visit from Cletus yesterday… he brought me a gift,” Dale Jr. recalled, sounding amused and a little bit in awe. That gift? Not memorabilia, not a car part, but two live swans!
Dale Jr. shared on the podcast, “Somebody brought him two beautiful swans… I was watching that video and I was texting him and I was like, ‘Dang man, that’s pretty cool.‘” What happened next was an actual delivery. ‘Cleo’ and ‘George’, both elegant white swans, are now at the pond on Dale Jr.’s property, much to the delight of his daughters Isla and Nicole. “We turned them loose in the pond… Being in the water is where they’re the safest,” Junior said, informing that the pair cannot fly, and will remain in the pond for the next 30 years.
TJ Majors, the co-host and best friend to Junior, sounded equally shocked, “I didn’t realize they would stay for that long.” The birds quickly became family with Dale Jr. explaining how the swans to recognize his truck and hiss a bit before getting warm. “They’ll get better… They’ll always be together, about five feet apart at all times.” Having spent his entire life behind the wheel and in the spotlight, Dale Earnhardt Jr. now faces a classic dilemma of etiquette: How in the world do you reciprocate someone who gave you two swans?
“It’s absolutely got to happen… You have to,” Junior mused about what would possibly measure up to such a grand gesture. “It’s got to be something cool… it can’t just be like random.” The podcast team threw around ideas-from Omaha Steaks to some crazy full-blown buffalo. “I guess I could see if I could send him a buffalo… there’s a buffalo farm in the same state as his. Gotta get him a buffalo,” Dale Jr. reflected. But these were just jokes. Now, Junior is a practical man, and came up with the idea of giving the perfect gift. But, it seems he has just reached a checklist rather than an actual gift.
The gift can obviously not be random, as pointed out by one of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team members. With quiet acknowledgement, Junior said, “Yeah. Also, it has to be something that pleases the wife. As the swans have done. Cause it was like a cool gift, but it ain’t like a dude’s gift. ” Well, the gift was no shotgun, or something for Dale Jr only. It was something for his wife, Amy, and his adorable little angels. Maybe the Pied Piper will take some time to figure out a gift. Let’s just hope it’s not a buffalo! “We’ll figure something out,” Dale Jr. said. “But whatever it is, it’s gotta be legendary.” But, Cleetus needs to work harder on his racing prowess.
Cleetus McFarland’s ARCA Menards season so far
McFarland’s season does not look very smooth. In his debut race at Daytona International Speedway, he was caught up in a wreck, finishing 30th. But, the next race is at Talladega, and we know what the track is known for! It offers plenty of room for drivers to go three and four-wide while running full throttle around the 2.66-mile complex. But the stakes are high, as one slip of the steering wheel could land any driver deep into a 10-car crash. However, McFarland is still a rookie. But, with his expertise in cars, it does not look like he will take more than 2 seasons to collect his first win. But hey, is there an underlying implication of him sending gifts to Dale Jr.?
Two paths can be speculated hereon. First, a way of welcoming Junior to his race track, Freedom Factory. McFarland established it in 2020, and the track has an active season of its own. With Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s approval, things will look on the heavier end of the spectrum in revenue. Maybe it will open up other special opportunities like the JR Motorsports team doing their short track practice. But there is another path.
Well, now we do not know how serious Cleetus McFarland is towards racing in NASCAR. Because if he is, who would be a better help than Junior? He is the lead analyst of Amazon’s upcoming NASCAR streams, knows each team and driver, and has authority as well. JR Motorsports could open up for Cleetus to run part-time in the Xfinity or any other series. But these are all speculations.
But, do let us know what you think in the comments below.
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