Dale Earnhardt’s grandson earns special Daytona Invite as social media star Cleetus McFarland stirs fans' excitement

ARCA Menards Series driver Cleetus McFarland just recently invited Dale Earnhardt's grandson, Bobby Dale Earnhardt, to participate in the 2026 Freedom 500. During the Daytona weekend, Bobby Earnhardt met McFarland and posted a clip of the YouTuber inviting him to the next Crown Victoria endurance race.Bobby Dale Earnhardt secured a ninth-place finish after the 210-mile race. apparently Cleetus McFarland was two spots behind him in P11. After the race ended, the two interacted and had a conversation, and the YouTuber invited Bobby Earnhardt to join the Freedom 500 scheduled for April 10, 2026.Dale Earnhardt's grandson, Bobby Dale Earnhardt, shares excitement via an X post. Considering the invitation, he wrote,"Well, you guys saw the invite… now I can officially say I’m locked in for the Freedom 500 in April. Racing Crown Vics at the Freedom Factory should get interesting. Appreciate Cleetus McFarland for the invite. Looking forward to mixing it up and putting on a show. Let’s go have some fun with this one."On Feb. 14, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway, both the YouTuber and Bobby recently competed in the General Tire 200. Rise Racing's #89 Chevy was driven by Dale Earnhardt's grandson and finished seventh for the 84-lap race with a best lap time of 49.771 seconds and a top speed of 180.828 mph. In the meantime, McFarland was in P5 in the #30 Ford for Rette Jones Racing.Cleetus McFarland and Bobby Dale Earnhardt both achieved their best-ever finishes at Daytona International Speedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Gio Ruggiero, led six laps in his #18 Toyota and won the 210-mile race with Nitro Motorsports driver Jake Bollman as the runner-up.On February 13, 2026, ARCA Menards Series driver Cleetus McFarland made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut with Niece Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway. He revealed his debut in stock car racing's third-tier series supported by Black Rifle Coffee Company and Brunt Workwear for his #4 Chevy Silverado.McFarland kicked off the Truck Series with a decent 12th place, setting the stage for his performance. Following that, he climbed into the top ten drivers in the early laps. However, six laps into the 100-lap race, the ARCA Menards Series driver lost control while coming out of turn 4 in his #4 Chevy truck and collided with the inside wall.