Cleetus McFarland hits radial tire record of 261 MPH at World Cup Finals

It looks like Cleetus McFarland is on his way to a third World Cup championship. He just hit 261 MPH in his Camaro on radial tires. That speed of 261 MPH breaks the previous speed record on radial tires, also owned by Cleetus.

This NASCAR season, fans were introduced to Cleetus McFarland. Not the YouTuber that everyone is familiar with. No, we got to see the racer. His starts in ARCA were fun to keep up with. But it is clear where McFarland excels in motorsports – drag racing.

Not just drag racing, but doing it on radial tires. For those who aren’t super familiar with the term, that means he’s on street-legal rubber, folks. McFarland noted after his run in the final qualifying round and his new record that his windows had to be redone. Well, the newest set lived up to 261 MPH.

Cleetus McFarland has raced an ARCA car at Daytona. He just went another 80 MPH faster in his Camaro on street-legal tires than he did in that stock car. What a pass for McFarland at Maryland.

The good people over at FloRacing are going to have all of your World Cup Finals content. Watching these dragsters is something else. Each for of motorsport has its own unique qualities, but going from stock cars to these horizontal rocket ships is something else. Just unfiltered speed.

Will we see Cleetus McFarland in NASCAR 2026 season?

As we wait for the offseason to pass us by, are we going to see more of Cleetus McFarland? Rumor has it that he will have some kind of connection to the new Kaulig Ram Trucks organization. Whether that is a part-time schedule in one of the trucks or an ambassador role of some sort remains to be seen.

Ram Trucks wants to go all in on America. The commercials tell you that much. Raw, mean speed. Hemi V8s. Ram Trucks. Screaming eagles soaring across the sky. All of that. Cleetus fits that branding almost perfectly.

While I think Cleetus McFarland meant well this season in ARCA, he was a bit over his head. That might change in 2026. I think anyone who works with Greg Biffle, like McFarland does, has a chance to get the hang of things. Clearly, he knows how to handle the power of a car that goes 261 MPH. So, there’s legitimate wheel talent there. Will we see it behind the wheel of a Ram?