Cleetus McFarland can have his chance, but he needs to prove he belongs

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series was rocked this week by an unexpected announcement. Garrett Mitchell, the YouTube star more commonly known by his stage name Cleetus McFarland, is set to make his series debut with Richard Childress Racing at Rockingham Speedway next month.

McFarland's experience consists of five ARCA Menards Series starts and one Craftsman Truck Series appearance, in which he crashed after five laps at Daytona International Speedway in February. Now he's lined up to compete at American stock car racing's second-highest level, at one of its toughest tracks, for one of its fastest teams.

The merits of his qualifications are a very real discussion. And if he's going to be a serious racer in NASCAR, he's going to need to be held to the same standard as everybody else.

Cleetus McFarland can't fall back on internet celebrity status to keep his NASCAR dream alive

Whenever a driver lands a ride in NASCAR for reasons other than talent, there is going to be criticism. And until you prove you belong, that criticism is going to be entirely warranted.

McFarland needs to recognize this, and it doesn't seem like he does.

NASCAR isn't a place to "have fun"; it's the top level of stock car racing in the world. You don't get to be a YouTube influencer and race as long as you feel like racing. At least, you shouldn't.

McFarland, thus far, is no different than Toni Breidinger or Frankie Muniz. He is a publicity machine first and a driver second, and nothing he has shown has indicated that he will be competent on the track.

If he can show that, then great. He could be really good for the sport, given his popularity and unconventional road to the NASCAR ranks. But if he can't, he's not special. NASCAR needs to be able to keep a high standard in regard to who is allowed to compete, and if you can't meet it, tough luck.

In a lot of ways, that standard has already been lowered too far. Nepotism and pay-to-play run rampant in all of the top three series, and there's no need to name names, but there are at least a dozen or so drivers who would not have the rides they have – if any at all – in a true merit-based system.

NASCAR isn't open mic night, and it's completely fair to label McFarland as an unserious driver who is unfit to race at this level. It's up to him to prove the doubters wrong.