NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has revealed his words of wisdom for Cleetus McFarland ahead of a huge weekend for the YouTube star.
McFarland has over 4.7million followers on YouTube, but is now landing himself opportunities in NASCAR after racing in ARCA last season and previously in Stadium Super Trucks.
The Omaha, Nebraska native made his NASCAR debut in the Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway in February, but unfortunately, it was short-lived, ending in a self-inflicted early wreck on lap six. This led to plenty of discussion in the NASCAR community about whether or not he should have been approved to race in the first place.
However, despite some backlash, it was soon revealed that he had landed a huge opportunity with legendary outfit Richard Childress Racing to race in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
McFarland is set to make his RCR debut at Rockingham Speedway this weekend, and ahead of the action, he's been taking advice from a man who has been there and seen it all, Earnhardt Jr.
READ MORE: Cleetus McFarland hits out at NASCAR critics ahead of O'Reilly Series debut
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s advice for Cleetus McFarland
Speaking on his Dale Jr. Download podcast ahead of the weekend, Earnhardt Jr. has revealed the advice he has given to McFarland for the event, and it's clear it's all about keeping out of trouble rather than being fast after what happened at Daytona.
“I told Cletus to stay out of the news,” Earnhardt Jr. explained. “Go race, have fun.
“My expectation, and I mean this in the best possible way, my expectation is for him to not be fast, right?
"Don't try to do any hero s**t, just go out there, run the laps, learn.”
Earnhardt Jr.: I don't care where he finishes
“I talked to him the other night,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “He's like, ‘Man, I don't want to embarrass myself. I hope I can be good.’
“Don't worry about being good, you don't [have to] be good in race one, think about the long game. You're gonna need a bunch of races before this starts to work.
“Do everything conservatively, learn what you can learn, go through the process. Get out and go, ‘Alright, I'm ready for the next one.’
“I don't care where he finishes, just go out there and run all the laps.”
How to watch Cleetus McFarland's O'Reilly Series debut
Fans wanting to catch Cleetus McFarland's O'Reilly Series debut at Rockingham can do so for free!
On Friday, both practice and qualifying (1:30 p.m. ET) will be shown live on the CW App, while Saturday's race (2:30 p.m. ET) will be broadcast live on the CW TV channel.
You can also tune into the race via the radio, with MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio having the call.
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