NASCAR witnessed an all-time high TV audience during the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series Daytona race. The FOX Sports PR page shared the rise in viewership in the series for the first time in a decade. Following that, fans expressed their thoughts in the comments, claiming that Tony Stewart’s return and Cleetus McFarland’s debut played a crucial role in exploding the race ratings.
The Fresh From Florida 250 was held on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway. The event marked the debut of RAM trucks with Kaulig Racing and the YouTuber making his first NASCAR start with Niece Motorsports. Meanwhile, the former NASCAR champion returned to the sport after a decade with the North Carolina-based team and drove the #25 RAM truck for the team.
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Apart from these two stars, NASCAR Cup Series driver Carson Hocevar also competed in the event. Following that, the viewership ratings recorded a 37% average increase compared to the 2025 season. The peak viewership rose to 1,604,000 from 9:45 to 10 p.m. ET. Reflecting on that, stock car analyst Jeff Gluck wrote:
“Most-watched Truck race since 2016! The Tony Stewart Effect?”
Fans continued the discussion in the comments, with one stating:
“Tony, Cleetus, Travis… I’m a fan of the truck series anyway, but I was excited for those 3 to be in the race. Plenty of Star Power to be had.”
Meanwhile, another commented:
“For sure the “Smoke” Effect! Great stuff! Any word if there was an increase in ticket sales for Friday as well?”
Here are some more reactions to the news:
“The Cleetus effect,” wrote an X user.
“Don’t underestimate the Cleetus eyeballs,” stated a NASCAR fan.
“Cleetus + Hocevar + Smoke + Butterbean + Pastrana = sure we’ll watch,” another user stated.
“For us it was Ram and watching Race For the Seat,” a motorsports enthusiast commented.
However, both Tony Stewart and Cleetus McFarland were involved in wrecks in the 102-lap race. The #98 truck driver slammed the #25 RAM driver on lap 36, which led to his exit from the race. Meanwhile, McFarland was out of the race within six laps of the race.
“Terrible mistake”: Cleetus McFarland owned up to his mistake during his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut
ARCA Menards Series driver Cleetus McFarland made his NASCAR debut in the Truck Series at the Daytona International Speedway. He joined hands with Niece Motorsports to compete in the 102-lap race held last week.
McFarland piloted the Black Rifle Coffee Company and Brunt Workwear sponsored #4 Chevy in the event. The YouTuber had a decent qualifying session and qualified 12th for his first-ever Truck Series race. However, within the first six laps of the race, the #4 Chevy lost traction and slammed into the inside wall.
Reflecting on that, Cleetus McFarland owned up to his mistakes and stated:
“Yeah, 100% my fault. Terrible mistake. Man, it’s impressive those guys can run three-wide for that long and when that thing stepped out. I mean, you just have a couple feet on either side. I didn’t even have the ability to gather it up, so I wrecked myself.”
Cleetus McFarland climbed out the window, removing the net on his own. Later, he gave the impact a 5/10 rating and mentioned he had witnessed much worse crashes before. Also, he has nothing new planned in NASCAR beyond his ARCA Menards career as of now.
Edited by Karan Yadav
