On Wednesday, RCR confirmed that Garrett Mitchell, aka Cleetus McFarland, will drive the No. 33 Chevrolet throughout the 2027 ARCA Menards Series season with Robert Strmiska as crew chief.
The reporting first surfaced on October 26 about McFarland pursuing the full ARCA schedule. Those reports identified RCR as the organization preparing his car, while the team’s October 28 release confirmed the number, crew chief, and team’s full-time return to ARCA competition. McFarland feels like the move is “a dream come true” for him.
A full ARCA season will give Cleetus McFarland the time inside the car his part-time NASCAR starts could not.
He said, “Ever since I got behind the wheel with RCR, I’ve wanted more. The goal has always been to become the best race car driver I can be, and running the full ARCA Menards Series schedule gives me that opportunity. Richard Childress and everyone at RCR believes in me, and having the support of a legendary team gives me a ton of confidence to focus on learning everything I can about stock car racing. I’m ready to get after it every week.”
McFarland has already sampled several NASCAR levels, but short programs create a different learning environment from a championship schedule. He has made nine starts across the ARCA platform since debuting at Daytona in 2025, three Craftsman Truck Series starts in 2026, and two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series appearances with RCR. His best ARCA result came at Talladega this spring, where he finished second after leading 19 laps, and he later earned his first ARCA pole at Michigan.
The national-series results clearly revealed how much work still separates raw speed from complete race execution. McFarland finished 32nd in his O’Reilly debut at Rockingham after several difficult moments, including a late spin. Then Nashville brought pit-road mistakes and penalties before he finished 36th. Those weekends exposed the racing-skill challenges that isolated starts make hard to correct through repeated rounds.
But now, ARCA can give him 20 races at 19 tracks in 2027. The schedule will move from Daytona and Talladega to short tracks such as Toledo, Berlin, Elko, Madison, and Salem; add road courses at Lime Rock and Watkins Glen; and include dirt races at Springfield and DuQuoin. Phoenix, Michigan, Kansas, Chicagoland, Iowa, Bristol and World Wide Technology Raceway add more oval variation.
Strmiska will play a very big role in that process. He joined RCR in 2010, contributed to three championships, and already called McFarland’s O’Reilly races at Rockingham and Nashville. That existing relationship will give them a good baseline start.
The team seems to know what it wants from McFarland. RCR president Mike Verlander made the organization’s purpose clear.
“Cleetus [MacFarland] has an undeniable passion for racing and a work ethic that has impressed everyone at our organization. Cleetus is a perfect fit for RCR. He’s earned this opportunity, and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish over the course of a full season. Pairing Cleetus with Robert Strmiska gives him the support of a talented leader who is equally passionate about racing.”
The program will also revive an RCR development route. The organization last ran a full ARCA campaign in 2011, when Ty Dillon won seven races, scored 16 top-10 finishes in 19 starts and won the championship. That explains why RCR views the series as a development platform, not simply another place to put him in a race car.
McFarland has already shown flashes of speed, especially at superspeedways and Michigan. The next question involves whether he can turn isolated peaks into a complete season across tracks that punish different weaknesses.