YouTube sensation Cleetus McFarland (Garrett Mitchell) put himself in position for a gargantuan upset Saturday (April 25) in the ARCA Menards Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Andy Jankowiak had other ideas.
After a late caution, Jankowiak edged McFarland to the line to score an unexpected victory in the Alabama Manufactured Housing 200. He emerged in a chaotic final restart to pass several of the day’s top contenders and secure his first ever win in the series.
Isabella Robusto lined up on the front row for that restart with Gio Ruggiero and surged to the lead before the field caught back up. Gus Dean, Garrett “Cleetus McFarland” Mitchell and Andy Jankowiak all fought for the top spot, but a late charge by Jankowiak carried him first to the checkered flag.
A shocked Jankowiak told Fox Sports 1, “There’s never been more of a team effort, and to end it in victory lane at Talladega, what an adventure.” He went on to call himself the “luckiest guy in the world” and asked in disbelief, “Did this just happen?”
After not running near the front for much of the race, Jankowiak indeed left Talladega with the trophy. Cleetus McFarland crossed the line second with Dean and Robusto following narrowly behind in third and fourth. Despite receiving damage, Gio Ruggiero was able to wind up with a top-five finish.
Despite receiving two early penalties, Taylor Reimer recovered for sixth. Sean Corr, Ryan Vargas, Jack Wood, and Daniel Dye rounded out the top 10 in seventh through 10th, respectively.
The race began with Ruggiero on pole, and he led from lap one as a lead pack formed and settled into a mostly single-file run. That rhythm was broken on lap 30 when contact sent Alli Owens hard into the wall, bringing out a pivotal caution and sending the leaders to pit road.
On the restart that followed, Pinnacle Racing Group teammates Wood and Reimer were penalized for getting out of line before the start finish line. While serving the penalty, they sped on pit road and received another penalty, sending two top-five cars to the back of the field just before a competition caution came out a few laps later.
After the competition caution, the race reset for a restart on lap 47 with Ruggiero and McFarland on the front row. They ran side by side, and McFarland lost momentum on the outside before surging to the lead on the next lap with a push from Dye. McFarland held the lead through a debris caution on lap 50, when guest announcer Brenden “Butterbean” Queen remarked, “If Cleetus pulls this off, I would be scared to be in the infield tonight.”
With 18 laps to go, Eric Caudell made contact with Bobby Dale Earnhardt, forcing Earnhardt to check up. Bryan Dauzat was unable to avoid Caudell’s No. 7 as it drifted down the track, bringing out a caution, which proved not to be the last, as the field was yet to experience The Big One. It was Jankowiak who was able to take advantage of the final restart and find the biggest run when it mattered most.
With 12 laps to go, Jake Bollman pushed McFarland to the lead as the pack battled. Bollman spun after contact, but the race stayed green. Shortly after, Thomas Annunziata, racing without a radio, moved into Will Kimmel and triggered The Big One at Talladega. The crash ended Annunziata’s day and damaged several other cars.
ARCA Results from Talladega
ARCA takes a week off while both the ARCA Menards Series East and West are in action on May 2. After that, the ARCA national series returns to tackle its first road course of the season on Friday, May 8 at Watkins Glen International. The race will begin at 1:30 p.m. ET with TV coverage provided by Fox Sports 2.
‘That Was Probably the Most Fun I’ve Ever Had with Clothes On’: Cleetus McFarland Finishes Second at Talladega
