The partnership between Cleetus McFarland and Richard Childress Racing is taking on a new tone. McFarland has managed to get Childress to come out of retirement as a racecar driver. That's right, 80 year old Childress is going to get behind the wheel of a Crown Vic at Stafford Speedway.
Everyone who follows Cleetus McFarland knows about his Crown Vic races. It might be the one form of racing he's best known for outside of his drag racing career. We have also seen NASCAR drivers and former drivers participate. Even Michael Waltrip has raced at the Freedom Factory in the Freedom 500.
Before Childress was a championship winning team owner, he was a driver himself. Cleetus confirmed that his NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series team owner will participate in the race, and it might not be his only surprise for Stafford Speedway in the Crown Vic race.
Since hopping into the NASCAR scene in a major way this year, Cleetus McFarland has been a polarizing figure. Without many starts to his name outside of a few ARCA races, McFarland was signed to a NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series deal with Richard Childress Racing.
One of the best and most storied organizations in NASCAR history picking up a YouTuber amid a skid in performance in the Cup Series was seen as a strange decision by some. Then again, you can't deny the popularity of Cleetus and the way he's able to win over crowds of fans.
Everyone saw that McFarland struggled at Rockingham in the NOAPS car. Then he almost went out and won at Talladega in ARCA. Whatever the future has in store for McFarland in NASCAR, he's making the most of it.
At 80 years old, Richard Childress is making his return to racing. It might be in a Crown Vic, but hey, it's something. Will the NASCAR team owner be able to keep up with the young guns?
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on May 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
