BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) – YouTuber and racing enthusiast Cleetus McFarland is hosting his Cleetus & Cars show at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS) this Labor Day weekend.
McFarland told News Channel 11 this weekend will be full of action-packed events including pit parties, an open burnout competition, a stunt jump, the tour of destruction, the Bristol 1000 race and more.
“We’ve got monster truck drivers, Indy car drivers, YouTubers and other pro-drivers,” McFarland said. “Got about 30 Crown Vics racing, battling for a pretty cool Pennzoil Camaro that we’re going to be giving to the winner of the race.”
During the Bristol 1000 race, nitrous-powered Ford Crown Victorias go 100 laps around BMS.
“Going around this track in a Crown Vic is awesome,” McFarland said. “You can actually stay wide-open throttle the entire lap. Now, if you do that for like 50 laps straight, you’ll blow your front right tire. But this is the only track that we race on where you can stay wide-open throttle the entire track because the banks are just so high.”
McFarland said he loves being at BMS and that it’s the biggest facility that his car show tours at.
“We’re kind of a small-time show,” McFarland said. “We come here, we just rent out one side of the stadium. This place is so big and it’s just amazing that they even let us do this. Let us put a burnout pad right about here in the middle of the track.”
Ahead of the events, the vehicles are getting cleaned, detailed and safety-checked.
One of those people preparing the vehicles is Sam Lankford. He has worked for McFarland for three years now but said he’s been working with cars most of his life. Lankford has his own car products that McFarland sells on his website. In return, Lankford cleans and details vehicles for Cleetus & Cars.
“Can be for detail, it can be for something on the windows, have something to do with the paint, can be taking paint off the window, can be a scratch on the paint, can be polishing the aluminum, several things,” Lankford said.
Lankford said it’s a privilege to be on McFarland’s team and at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“When you come to the sign up here it says this is ‘Bristol Baby,'” Lankford said. “Well, it sure is. And this track here and all the facility is, of course, quite legendary. Not only the people that have been through it raced here, but both past present and the ones who will be here for the future.”
“This facility is second to none, the Last Great Colosseum, there it is right there,” Lankford said about Bristol Motor Speedway.
To find a list of the events and to purchase tickets for the two-day Cleetus & Cars event click here.
