YouTube star Cleetus McFarland buys Desoto Raceway in Bradenton. Here are his plans
The death of David Steele in March 2017 in a sprint car crash at Desoto Speedway in East Manatee signaled the virtual end of a speedway that had thrilled racing fans since it opened in the early 1970s.
A year later, the speedway was put up for auction, just four years after it was bought for a little more than $1 million. It has changed hands a few times, but has sat essentially empty for the past two years.
The 63-acre site again has a new owner, and he is an auto sports enthusiast.
YouTube sensation Cleetus McFarland, aka Nebraska-born Garrett Mitchell, announced Friday with none other than a YouTube video that he is the new owner of the track. With 1.75 million followers, the word quickly spread and the video had already been viewed more than 376,000 times in a matter of hours.
The 14-minute video gives hope to fans of the speedway that soon the sound of roaring engines will fill the air, but perhaps not as it once was, at least, not yet.
McFarland said on the video that his first big plans are for a Nov. 20-21 Cars Grand Championship.. He’s now referring to Desoto Speedway as “Freedom Factory.”
McFarland said he finalized the purchase on Jan. 17 without disclosing the price. He would only note that, “We put everything we had into getting this track to have the ultimate content playground for us.”
In fact, McFarland opens the video with dramatic video and a narrative that talks about every young boy’s dream of having a place where, “he can do whatever he wants.”
He has apparently found the potential of fulfilling that dream in his Freedom Factory vision. But he’s keenly aware of the track’s history and what it means to the community.
“The track needs some work but I’m up for the idea to have races out here if the right promoter comes along,” McFarland told his audience. “I’d be happy to have some circle drag races and it would be great to bring it back to what it was. ... I would love to see it run through its veins again ... but there is a lot of work and problems in every corner.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 2:32 PM with the headline "YouTube star Cleetus McFarland buys Desoto Raceway in Bradenton. Here are his plans."