Cleetus McFarland has built an enormous following by making cars do ridiculous things.
This time, he didn’t even need a car.
The NASCAR driver and YouTube personality is going viral for a video from his Michigan 100 event at Berlin Raceway, where one of the biggest reactions of the night came from an almost comically simple competition: rolling a tire.
Yes, just a tire.
The challenge requires competitors to send a tire rolling down the racing surface and somehow guide it through a narrow opening in a barrier several yards away. The viral clip shows one attempt staying upright, tracking toward the target and eventually slipping cleanly through.
Then the place erupts.
McFarland shared the video in a collaborative Instagram post with 1320Video, writing, “The tire roll has become one of the best parts of the event!”
Based on the reaction, he wasn’t exaggerating.
Cleetus McFarland’s tire roll delivers huge reactionThe Michigan 100 took place Friday, Aug. 14, at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan, as part of a two-day McFarland event that also included Burnout Rivals and his new Late Model Series. The Michigan 100 featured a 100-lap race in nitrous-equipped Crown Victoria Police Interceptors.
Yet one of the moments attracting attention online required no horsepower at all.
The tire-roll competition is exactly what it sounds like. A participant lines up a loose racing tire, sends it on its way and hopes it remains upright long enough to make it through the opening at the other end.
The video captures the crowd following the tire as it slowly makes its way toward the target. When it finally rolls through, the successful competitor throws his arms into the air as spectators cheer.
It’s a wonderfully absurd contrast to the rest of the weekend.
McFarland’s Michigan event featured Crown Vics racing around Berlin’s 7/16-mile oval, a burnout competition and a 75-lap Late Model feature with a $20,000 winner’s prize.
And somehow, rolling a single tire through a hole became a showstopper.
McFarland has turned his massive following into a NASCAR careerThe moment also captures why McFarland has developed such an unusual place in modern motorsports.
McFarland, whose real name is Garrett Mitchell, built his audience through automotive videos, racing events and increasingly ambitious car projects. He owns the Freedom Factory in Bradenton, Florida, and had amassed more than 4.75 million YouTube subscribers by June.
But his racing résumé has expanded well beyond YouTube.
After making four ARCA Menards Series starts in 2025, McFarland moved into NASCAR’s national ranks this season. He made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona with Niece Motorsports and later returned to the series at Michigan International Speedway. He also made his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Rockingham Speedway in April, finishing 32nd for Richard Childress Racing.
McFarland has continued working to develop as a stock car driver, recently purchasing a Pro Late Model as he focuses on improving his racecraft.
At the same time, he hasn’t abandoned the unconventional events that helped make him one of motorsports’ biggest online personalities.
The viral tire roll might be the perfect example.
Sometimes you don’t need hundreds of horsepower, an expensive race car or even an engine to get a racetrack crowd on its feet.
Apparently, all McFarland needs is one tire and a very small opening.
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