Cleetus McFarland’s net worth is estimated at $5 million to $8 million as of 2024. His income comes from YouTube ad revenue, merchandise sales, live events at his Freedom Factory racetrack in Florida, and brand sponsorships. His real name is Garrett Mitchell, and he was born on June 4, 1994.
Most people stumble across Cleetus McFarland somewhere between a burnout video and a 150-mph drag pass that sounds like it’s ripping the earth in two. Then they start wondering: Who is this guy, and how did he turn that into a living?
The answer is more interesting than you’d expect.
Cleetus McFarland’s net worth is estimated between $5 million and $8 million as of 2024, and it didn’t come from one source. It came from stacking YouTube revenue, merchandise, event ticket sales, sponsorships, and the ownership of an actual racetrack in Florida. That last part alone tells you this isn’t your average car creator.
Here’s the full picture.
Who Is Cleetus McFarland? (Biography)
Cleetus McFarland’s Real Name
Cleetus McFarland is a persona — the real name behind the brand is Garrett Mitchell. He adopted the “Cleetus” nickname years before it became a brand, borrowing it from the lovably dim-witted character from Futurama. The name stuck, and eventually it became the identity of one of the most recognised figures in automotive YouTube.
Cleetus McFarland Age and Early Life
Garrett Mitchell was born on June 4, 1994, making him 30 years old as of 2024. He grew up in the United States with a passion for cars that started young — the kind that doesn’t come from a magazine but from spending time around engines, garages, and the specific joy of making something loud go fast.
Cleetus McFarland Height
Cleetus McFarland stands at approximately 6 feet 1 inch (185 cm). It’s a small detail, but fans search for it — so there it is.
Cleetus McFarland’s Wife
Garrett is married to Railey Mitchell (née Shearer). She has appeared in his content over the years, and the two have built their life together largely around the automotive world he’s spent his career creating. They got engaged in 2019 and married in 2021.
Why Do They Call Him Cleetus McFarland?
The name comes from the character Cleetus on Futurama — a simple, good-natured, Southern-coded figure who became a joke-turned-identity. Garrett leaned into it as a YouTube persona that matched his energetic, Southern-fried, “America Yeah” personality. It worked. The character gave him a recognisable brand before he even fully understood what branding was.
Cleetus McFarland Net Worth: The Real Numbers
Estimated net worth: $5 million – $8 million (2024)
That range isn’t arbitrary. It accounts for YouTube ad revenue, merchandise sales, event income, sponsorship deals, and the value of physical assets, including the Freedom Factory racetrack in Ocala, Florida.
Here’s what makes his financial picture genuinely interesting: most creators at his subscriber level make good money. Cleetus has built infrastructure — a track, an event brand, a merchandise operation — that generates revenue whether or not he posts a video that week.
| Income Source | Estimated Annual Range |
|---|---|
| YouTube Ad Revenue | $500K – $1.2M |
| Merchandise Sales | $500K – $1.5M |
| Event Ticket Sales & Livestreams | $300K – $800K |
| Sponsorships | $400K – $1M |
| Racing / Partnerships | $100K – $300K |
| Total (estimated) | $1.8M – $4.8M/year |
These are estimates based on publicly available data, industry averages, and channel analytics. Exact figures are not publicly disclosed.
How Is Cleetus McFarland So Rich?
It’s a fair question. Here’s the honest answer: he didn’t get rich from YouTube alone. He got rich because YouTube was the engine, not the destination.
1. YouTube — The Foundation
His main channel, Cleetus McFarland, has over 3 million subscribers and regularly pulls millions of views per video. At average CPM rates for automotive content (which skews high because advertisers pay a premium for that audience), his estimated monthly YouTube earnings land somewhere between $40,000 and $100,000 before expenses.
That’s meaningful income. But it’s also the least interesting part of his business.
2. Freedom Factory — The Asset That Changes Everything
In 2020, Cleetus purchased Famoso Raceway in Ocala, Florida and rebranded it as the Freedom Factory. This was not a stunt. It was a $600,000+ investment in an actual piece of racing infrastructure.
The Freedom Factory hosts ticketed events — burnout competitions, drag races, car shows — that sell out regularly. Live event revenue, merchandise sold at the gate, and pay-per-view or livestream access for remote viewers all run through this property. Owning the venue means he keeps a larger slice of that revenue than any promoter would.
Events at the Freedom Factory have drawn thousands of attendees. At even a modest average ticket price of $40–$80 per person for a multi-day event with 5,000+ attendees, the math gets large quickly.
3. Cleetus McFarland Merch — More Than T-Shirts
Cleetus McFarland merch is a real business. The store at cleetusmcfarland.com carries apparel, hats, stickers, and branded gear — and it moves. Automotive audiences are among the most brand-loyal in the creator economy. Fans don’t just wear the merch; they put it on their trucks, hang it in their garages, and give it as gifts.
Merchandise margins on branded apparel typically run 40–60% after production and fulfilment costs. Given his traffic and audience size, it’s a consistent, scalable revenue layer.
4. Sponsorships and Brand Deals
Cleetus works with sponsors across tools, automotive products, and lifestyle brands. Given his audience — predominantly male, 18–40, with strong purchasing intent around cars and gear — he commands rates that reflect that value.
Mid-tier automotive YouTubers with strong engagement can charge $20,000–$80,000 per sponsored integration. Cleetus, with his audience size and track record, likely sits toward the higher end of that range.
Cleetus McFarland’s Cars
The cars are central to the brand. A few standouts:
- LeRoy — A 1000+ horsepower Chevrolet Camaro that became one of YouTube’s most famous drag cars. Fans followed its builds, blowups, and comebacks like a soap opera with exhaust fumes.
- Ruby — A Corvette C5 that’s been through more configurations than most people own cars.
- The Neighbour — A Corvette C6 that fans affectionately adopted as a second character in the channel.
- Various project cars, beaters, and one-off builds that exist to be pushed to their limits on camera.
The cars aren’t just content. They’re proof of concept for his events, testing grounds for his ideas, and the reason his audience keeps coming back.
Cleetus McFarland’s Racing Career
CleetusMcFarland ARCA
Cleetus has competed in ARCA Menards Series events, putting him on legitimate oval tracks in real race cars. ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) serves as a developmental series that feeds into NASCAR. His participation brought him credibility with the hardcore racing community and new content angles for his channel.
Cleetus McFarland NASCAR
The NASCAR connection is real but often overstated in search results. Cleetus has been involved in NASCAR-adjacent activities — including appearing at NASCAR events and running in feeder series — but he has not held a full-time NASCAR Cup Series ride. His lane is grassroots, high-energy, fan-first racing, which is where his personality and brand genuinely thrive.
He’s been connected to NASCAR events as a celebrity participant and cultural crossover figure. His reach gives race organisers something valuable: a social audience that may not watch NASCAR on TV but will watch Cleetus try it on YouTube.
Cleetus McFarland’s Business Model, Explained
Most YouTube channels are businesses in the same way a lemonade stand is a business. Cleetus built something with actual structure.
Here’s the model at its core:
- Audience building via entertaining, authentic automotive content
- Merchandise is sold to that loyal audience
- Events that bring the audience into physical spaces they pay to attend
- Venue ownership (Freedom Factory) that gives him control over the event economics
- Sponsorships that pay for access to that same audience
- Racing that adds credibility, content, and cross-audience appeal
Each layer feeds the others. The YouTube channel drives merch sales. The merch builds brand recognition. The brand sells event tickets. The events create more YouTube content. It’s a loop, not a ladder.
How Much Money Does Cleetus McFarland Earn Per Video?
Based on industry CPM averages for automotive content and publicly available view count data, a video that earns 1 million views likely generates between $8,000 and $25,000 in ad revenue alone, depending on the time of year, ad format, and audience geography.
His more viral or high-production videos consistently cross 1–3 million views. Average-performing uploads still pull strong numbers given his subscriber base and the algorithmic favour that comes with consistent engagement.
That said, ad revenue per video is only one piece. A sponsor integration on the same video might add another $20,000–$50,000, depending on the deal structure.
Comparing Cleetus McFarland to Other Car YouTubers
| Creator | Est. Net Worth | Notable Asset |
|---|---|---|
| Cleetus McFarland | $5M – $8M | Freedom Factory racetrack |
| Tavarish | $2M – $4M | Exotic car restoration |
| Hoonigan | $10M+ | Full media/brand operation |
| Streetspeed717 | $1M – $3M | Supercar content |
| B is for Build | $1M – $2M | Project car builds |
Cleetus separates himself from most in this space by owning physical infrastructure. That’s a different category of financial asset than ad revenue or merch alone.
Conclusion
Cleetus McFarland — Garrett Mitchell — built something that most people would consider impossible: a multi-million dollar business out of going fast, making noise, and being genuinely entertaining while doing it.
His net worth of $5M–$8M reflects the total picture: a YouTube career that became a merchandise brand that became an event company that became a racetrack. Each layer was built intentionally, even when it looked like chaos.
The real takeaway isn’t just about cars or money. It’s that audience trust, built honestly over years, is one of the most durable business assets in existence. Cleetus has that in abundance.
FAQs
How is Cleetus McFarland so rich?
Cleetus McFarland built wealth through multiple income streams: YouTube ad revenue, a high-volume merchandise store, ticketed live events at the Freedom Factory, sponsorship deals with automotive brands, and the asset value of the racetrack he owns in Florida. No single source explains it — the combination does.
How much money is Cleetus McFarland worth?
His estimated net worth in 2024 is between $5 million and $8 million, based on channel size, merchandise volume, event income, and known business assets. Exact figures are not publicly disclosed.
Why do they call him Cleetus McFarland?
The name comes from Cleetus, a character from the animated TV show Futurama. Garrett Mitchell adopted it as a YouTube persona that fit his personality and Southern-flavoured, high-energy content style. Over time, it became his full brand identity.
What NASCAR team is Cleetus McFarland on?
Cleetus McFarland does not have a permanent NASCAR Cup Series team affiliation. He has competed in the ARCA Menards Series — a NASCAR developmental league — and participated in NASCAR events as a crossover personality, but he is primarily a content creator and event promoter, not a full-time NASCAR competitor.
What is the Freedom Factory?
The Freedom Factory is a racetrack in Ocala, Florida, that Cleetus McFarland purchased in 2020. It hosts regular motorsport events, including drag races, burnout competitions, and car shows. It’s one of the central pillars of his business model and a major source of event-based revenue.
Where can I find Cleetus McFarland merch?
Official Cleetus McFarland merch is available at his store (cleetusmcfarland.com) and at Freedom Factory events. The lineup includes apparel, hats, and branded accessories targeted at automotive fans.
