Ken Schrader sends a message to NASCAR about Cleetus McFarland

Ken Schrader thinks NASCAR should utilize the engagement it has been getting from social media after YouTuber Cleetus McFarland took part in the ARCA race at Talladega last week. Nearly 70,000 people watched McFarland’s in-car footage as he delivered a solid top-10 finish in his No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford.

According to a report by journalist Adam Stern, NASCAR gained between 20,000 and 30,000 new subscribers on its official YouTube page in one day. Although not a fan of social media, Schrader said that if NASCAR is getting new fans due to McFarland’s involvement, then it should make proper use of it.

“The Cleetus deal, if he's as stout as he is on social media, NASCAR needs to do whatever they need to do to capitalize on that,” the NASCAR veteran said on the latest episode of the Herm & Schrader show.

Cleetus McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, made his ARCA debut earlier this year at Daytona International Speedway, where he could only earn a P30 finish. So it’s safe to say that his Talladega outing went quite well. Although McFarland has expressed his interest in returning as a contestant in the ARCA race at Talladega later this year, nothing has been confirmed yet.

Ken Schrader, on the other hand, competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 11 Ford for Fast Track Racing. He also competed in the Superstar Racing Experience, a popular IROC-style racing series founded by Ray Evernham, Sandy Montag, George Pyne, and former NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart.

Back when Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace opened NASCAR’s return to North Carolina’s Rockingham Speedway

Ahead of the sport’s return to Rockingham Speedway for its Xfinity Series race on April 18 and Truck Series race the next day, NASCAR veterans Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace appeared at the ThunderFest in downtown Rockingham. The duo hosted an interactive Q&A session with the fans at the Rockingham Speedway Fan Zone DJ Stage.

Ken Schrader, now 69, previously ran 39 NASCAR Cup Series races at Rockingham, which include six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Kenny Wallace, on the other hand, recorded his ninth and last Xfinity Series victory at the iconic, D-shaped oval on November 3, 2001.

This year was the first time NASCAR’s national-level events have been held at Rockingham since 2013. Notably, the Xfinity Series race held at the track, named North Carolina Education Lottery 250, featured Kasey Kahne’s return to NASCAR for the first time since 2018.

NASCAR is now ahead of its eighth Truck race of the season. Next up is the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway. Scheduled for Friday, May 2, the 167-lap race will be televised on Fox Sports 1, 3:30 pm ET onwards, with live radio updates on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

After that, NASCAR will host its 12th Xfinity race of the year, which is scheduled for Saturday, May 3. Named Andy's Frozen Custard 300, the 200-lap event will stream live on CW (2 pm ET) with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.