How Cleetus Mcfarland became one of the BIGGEST Automotive YouTubers

1320video
25 Apr 202433:19

Summary

TLDRCletus McFarland shares his inspiring journey from a car enthusiast to a successful drag racer and content creator. Starting with a love for cars instilled by his father's detailing business, Cletus's passion led him to own various vehicles, including a Subaru STI, which introduced him to the 1320 Video crew. His life took a turn when a spontaneous, humorous video as 'Cletus' went viral, leading to a同名 character that resonated with audiences. Despite initial struggles and criticism, Cletus persevered, eventually leaving law school to pursue his dream full-time. With the support of his mentor Kyle and through hard work, his channel grew, and he became a respected figure in the racing community. Cletus's entrepreneurial spirit saw him purchase and revitalize the Freedom Factory racetrack, creating a stable business that fuels his love for racing and content creation. As he looks to the future, Cletus aims to stabilize his company further, support his employees' dreams, and achieve new racing milestones, including winning the World Cup again and building a 5-second car.

Takeaways

  • 🚗 Cletus McFarland's love for cars started from a young age, influenced by his father's passion for car detailing and his own fascination with vehicles.
  • 💰 He is offering a chance to win a C6 ZR1 car and $20,000 cash through a contest on 1320video.com, which is a platform for car enthusiasts.
  • 🏎️ Cletus's first car was a Trailblazer with high mileage, and his journey with cars evolved over time, leading him to own a Subaru STI and eventually get involved with the 1320 video crew.
  • 🤝 Cletus met the 1320 video crew during a street race and was invited to join their car meets, which he attended and eventually became a part of their team.
  • 📈 Cletus's involvement with 1320 video began with social media management and gradually transitioned into creating content, particularly after the success of his first 'Cletus' video.
  • 🎥 The 'Cletus' character was born out of a funny video that Cletus made, which unexpectedly went viral and led to the creation of a brand around the persona.
  • 📚 Cletus pursued law school but eventually decided to focus on his growing online presence and car-related career, leaving school to pursue his passion full-time.
  • 🏁 His channel's success grew from creating content around his car, Leroy, and participating in drag races, which helped establish his credibility within the racing community.
  • 💼 Cletus's business acumen and the growth of his online presence allowed him to purchase and revitalize the Freedom Factory racetrack, which has become a significant part of his brand.
  • 🚀 The Freedom Factory has become a hub for car enthusiasts and a key component of Cletus's business, contributing to the success and expansion of his ventures.
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cletus aims to stabilize his company further to spend more time with his family while ensuring his employees can pursue their dreams and passions related to racing.

Q & A

  • What is the name of the person narrating the story?

    -Cletus McFarland

  • What is the prize for the lucky fan mentioned in the beginning of the story?

    -A jet stream blue C6 ZR1 car and $20,000 cash

  • What is the website mentioned where one can participate to win the car and cash?

    -1320video.com

  • What type of engine does the C6 ZR1 have?

    -A 6.2 L V8 engine with launch control and no lift shift

  • What was Cletus McFarland's father's profession related to cars?

    -His father was a car enthusiast who ran a car detailing business

  • At what age could one legally drive in Nebraska when Cletus was growing up?

    -14 years old

  • What was the first car Cletus owned?

    -A Trailblazer with approximately 245,000 miles on it

  • How did Cletus McFarland meet the 1320 video crew?

    -He met them at a car meet at Sonic after racing Chase from the OG Evo 3DX Evo videos

  • What social media platform did Cletus help 1320 video expand their presence on?

    -Instagram

  • What major event did Cletus and Fred attend as their first event with the 1320 video crew?

    -TX2K 2013

  • What was the name of the character that Cletus became known for on social media?

    -Cletus McFarland

  • What was the name of Cletus McFarland's YouTube channel?

    -Cletus McFarland's Garage

Outlines

00:00

🏎️ Introduction to Cletus McFarland's Automotive Journey

Cletus McFarland introduces himself and shares his passion for cars, ignited by his father's detailing business and his own childhood experiences with power wheels. He reminisces about his first car, a Trailblazer, and his progression through various vehicles, leading to his involvement with Subaru STI and the 1320 video crew. His initial encounter with the crew was through a street race, which eventually led to a friendship and his integration into the car enthusiast community.

05:01

📱 Cletus's Foray into Social Media and Content Creation

The narrative shifts to Cletus's involvement with social media, starting with his filming of a street race that was later included in a 1320 video. His subsequent management of 1320 video's Instagram page led to significant growth in followers. Cletus also recounts his first street racing event, TX2K 2013, and how he transitioned from being a supporter to an official part of the 1320 video team, eventually contributing content through articles and social media posts.

10:04

😂 The Birth of the Cletus McFarland Persona

Cletus describes the spontaneous creation of his online persona during a hotel stay with Kyle, where a humorous video he filmed for fun was unexpectedly uploaded and gained massive traction online. This led to the production of Cletus-themed merchandise and a growing following on social media. Despite initial skepticism, Cletus embraced his online identity and continued to create content, even while attending law school.

15:07

🎥 Cletus's Transition to YouTube Content Creation

Motivated by other content creators, Cletus starts his own YouTube channel, posting videos about his car and racing experiences. With Kyle's support, he begins to grow his channel, CLEtus McFarland, and gradually builds a subscriber base despite the challenges of balancing this with his law school studies and 1320 video work. Cletus's commitment to his passion for cars and racing drives his content creation.

20:07

🚨 Overcoming Challenges and Gaining Recognition

Cletus details the harsh criticism and ridicule he faced as his channel grew, describing the period until reaching 100,000 subscribers as a 'gauntlet.' Despite the negativity, he remained focused on his love for cars and racing, which propelled him through tough times. As his channel gained credibility, he started participating in more races and events, eventually earning recognition and respect within the racing community.

25:10

🏁 Success in Drag Racing and Business Expansion

Cletus's drag racing career takes off with the help of a Holly computer, which significantly improves his car's performance. He starts winning races and earns a trophy at the World Cup. His business stabilizes, allowing him to hire employees and expand his merchandise line. Cletus also purchases and revitalizes the Freedom Factory racetrack, which becomes a significant asset to his business endeavors.

30:10

📈 Future Goals and Aspirations for Cletus McFarland

Cletus outlines his future goals, which include stabilizing his company to allow for more family time and ensuring his employees can achieve their dreams. He expresses a desire to create a 5-second car by the end of 2025 and to continue winning at the World Cup. He also aims to grow his businesses, particularly TBM brakes, and to have them featured on every race car at the track.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡C6 ZR1

The C6 ZR1 is a high-performance variant of the Chevrolet Corvette C6. It is characterized by its powerful 6.2 L V8 engine and is known for its impressive acceleration and top speed. In the video, the C6 ZR1 is used as a prize for a contest organized by 1320 Video, showcasing the car's appeal to car enthusiasts and its role as a dream car for the narrator.

💡1320 Video

1320 Video is a media company that specializes in automotive content, particularly street racing and drag racing. The company is central to the video's narrative as it is where the narrator, Cletus McFarland, starts his journey in the automotive world, eventually becoming a successful racer and content creator. The name '1320' refers to the quarter-mile distance commonly used in drag racing.

💡Launch Control

Launch control is a system in some performance vehicles that helps the driver achieve the fastest possible start from a standstill. It is an important feature for drag racing and is mentioned in the context of the C6 ZR1's capabilities. The narrator highlights launch control as one of the exciting aspects of driving the ZR1.

💡Car Enthusiast

A car enthusiast is someone who has a deep interest in automobiles, often appreciating their design, engineering, and performance. The narrator's father was a car enthusiast, which influenced the narrator's own passion for cars and led him to a career in the automotive industry. The term is central to understanding the video's theme of passion and dedication to the car culture.

💡Instagram

Instagram is a social media platform focused on sharing photos and videos. In the video, the narrator uses Instagram as a tool to promote 1320 Video and later to grow his own personal brand. The platform plays a significant role in the narrator's rise to fame and his ability to connect with a wider audience interested in cars.

💡Drag Racing

Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which vehicles compete to be the first to reach a set distance, traditionally 1/4 mile (1320 feet). The narrator's involvement in drag racing is a pivotal moment in his career, as it transitions him from a content creator to a respected race car driver. The term is integral to the video's narrative of personal and professional growth.

💡Leroy

Leroy is a car that the narrator purchases and modifies for racing. It becomes a symbol of the narrator's underdog story in the racing community. Despite initial setbacks and being underestimated, Leroy helps the narrator gain credibility and success in the racing scene, which is a significant turning point in the video's storyline.

💡Holley Dominator

The Holley Dominator is a type of electronic fuel injection system used in high-performance vehicles, particularly in drag racing. The narrator credits the installation of a Holley Dominator in Leroy as the turning point that transformed the car from a joke into a serious racing contender. This system is a key element in the narrator's success in drag racing.

💡Freedom Factory

The Freedom Factory is a racetrack that the narrator purchases, which was formerly known as the SoDo Speedway. The acquisition of the track represents a major financial risk and a significant milestone in the narrator's career. It symbolizes the narrator's commitment to the automotive community and his entrepreneurial spirit.

💡World Cup

The World Cup, in the context of the video, refers to a prestigious drag racing competition. The narrator's goal to win the World Cup again signifies his ambition and competitive nature. It also demonstrates the high level of success he has achieved in the racing world.

💡TBM Brakes

TBM Brakes is a company mentioned in the video that specializes in high-performance braking systems for race cars. The narrator expresses a desire to have TBM brakes on every race car at the track, indicating the brand's quality and his commitment to promoting excellence in the racing industry.

Highlights

Cletus McFarland's journey from a car enthusiast to a successful YouTuber and racer.

A chance encounter at a stoplight led to Cletus joining the 1320 video crew.

Cletus' first viral video was a spontaneous skit filmed on his phone, which he never expected to be posted online.

The Cletus McFarland persona was born from a humorous interaction with Kyle, the owner of 1320 video.

Cletus' mother warned him about the permanence of online content as his videos started gaining traction.

Despite initial challenges, Cletus' YouTube channel grew from 500 views to thousands, eventually leading to a substantial following.

Cletus dropped out of law school after realizing his passion and potential in the automotive and social media space.

Kyle, the owner of 1320 video, supported Cletus' independent YouTube endeavors, even when they could have been seen as competition.

The purchase and renovation of the Freedom Factory, a former racetrack, marked a significant investment and risk in Cletus' career.

Cletus' transition from being seen as a 'joke' in the racing community to a respected competitor was a pivotal moment in his career.

The introduction of a Holly computer to his race car, Leroy, was a game-changer that propelled Cletus to win races and gain credibility.

Cletus' long-term goals include financial stability for his company, allowing him to spend more time with his family while maintaining the business's success.

His aspiration to build a 5-second car by the end of 2025 is a major personal and professional objective.

Cletus aims to grow his employees' wages and support their dreams, fostering a passionate and successful team.

The Freedom Factory has become a stable business that funds many of the company's projects and is a source of pride for Cletus.

Cletus' vision for the future includes expanding into aviation, continuing to grow his racing and automotive businesses, and winning the World Cup again.

His story is a testament to passion, hard work, and the power of social media in building a successful career in a niche market.

Transcripts

00:00

hey guys I'm Cletus McFarland and this

00:02

is my

00:13

story

00:17

hey imagine yourself rolling to a meet

00:19

in your very own C6 ZR1 this jet stream

00:22

blue ZR1 along with $20,000 cash is up

00:25

for grabs to one lucky fan all you got

00:26

to do is go to 1320 video.com links in

00:29

the description below and every dollar

00:30

you spend this week is three entries to

00:32

win this car in the cash comes with a

00:34

6.2 L V8 launch control no lift shift

00:37

and it's a blast to

00:41

[Music]

00:55

drive so I got in cars oh man I don't

00:58

know I guess probably from the first

01:00

time I could even realize what they were

01:02

my dad was a car Enthusiast not on the

01:05

side of racing but more so on the side

01:07

of car detailing he had a car detailing

01:10

business when I was growing up he was

01:11

doing mobile car detailing as well as

01:14

working at McDonald's so we had a pretty

01:17

cool setup you know there was couple

01:19

cool cars coming in and going when I was

01:21

growing up and it just kind of sparked

01:23

my interest for being around Vehicles

01:26

plus we had power wheels you know and

01:29

obviously power wheels are freaking

01:31

insane when you're a kid so it just

01:33

sparked my love for driving and then I

01:35

wanted to be a race car driver since I

01:38

can even remember so obviously got older

01:41

and started really getting into cars cuz

01:43

I could drive them and my dad had a taxi

01:46

cab business so we had a lot of crown

01:48

vix and when I was young you know I'd go

01:50

to work with them on the weekends move

01:52

the crown vix around the parking lot

01:53

that was basically my favorite thing to

01:55

do looked forward to it so much and in

01:58

Nebraska you can drive when you're 14 so

02:01

I think I was about to turn 15 when I

02:03

got my first car which was a

02:06

Trailblazer with like 245,000 Mi on it

02:10

so fast forward a couple years you know

02:13

I kind of went through a few different

02:14

cars I had a 4Runner I had a Ram

02:17

1500 and then I ended up getting into

02:20

the Subaru game you know Subaru STI

02:22

which I know the guys that you guys

02:24

can't see behind these cameras know

02:26

about that's when I met the 1320 video

02:29

crew so it's the middle of the summer

02:31

I'm cruising down the streets of Omaha

02:33

in my Subaru and I come up on a Mazda

02:37

speed three at a stoplight and the guy

02:40

rolls down his window he's like hey

02:43

what's up man you want to race or you

02:45

know something along those lines we

02:47

ended up racing that guy was Chase from

02:52

the OG Evo 3DX Evo videos that went

02:56

viral on 1320 video so if you haven't

02:59

looked at those those videos you should

03:00

go check those out well chase at the

03:03

next stop light was like Hey dude I like

03:05

your car you should come to one of our

03:09

car meets we do at Sonic every was it

03:12

Wednesday every Wednesday so I'm like

03:15

hell yeah that sounds really cool I had

03:17

never been to a car meet in my life when

03:20

this happened besides maybe with my dad

03:22

when I was younger so that upcoming

03:24

Wednesdays maybe 2 days later I show up

03:27

at the car meet and that's when I met

03:30

chase

03:31

forly chase that same day introduced me

03:34

to Kyle lus owner of 1320 video which

03:38

are telling me about at the time and I'm

03:39

like YouTube channel you know this is

03:41

2011 when this is all happening and I'm

03:44

kind of like you know that's pretty

03:48

interesting so you know that night I go

03:50

home pull up the family computer I'm

03:52

checking out 1320 video I'm like dude

03:54

this is crazy I'm like this guy is

03:57

filming free race and I can't believe

03:58

this the next week I go back to the meet

04:02

and now I'm like I got to be friends

04:04

with these guys these are like the

04:05

coolest guys I've ever seen you know I'm

04:07

young and just excited to be there and

04:10

I'm watching them with their big cameras

04:12

and I'm like this is just insane you

04:15

know and they all have modified cars my

04:16

car was bone stock cuz I was really kind

04:19

of scared to modify I didn't really know

04:20

what to do and you know they're like

04:23

downpipes turbos they got all this stuff

04:26

going on which was just mindblowing to

04:28

me so I started easing my way into the

04:31

friend group even though I was uh

04:34

younger than the crew they were pretty

04:35

welcoming to me and then maybe 6 months

04:39

later we're at the Sonic Meet and I hear

04:42

word that we're about to go street

04:45

racing and I'm like holy crap I'm

04:47

definitely following this so they all

04:49

pull out I follow the group and it's the

04:53

beater bomb Mustang the fox body driven

04:56

by Joey and he's going to race some

04:58

street bikes you remember this Fred we

05:01

have that video we have the video yeah

05:03

the video is exists so it's on 1320

05:06

video right now so we turn down the road

05:09

right out Sonic and I see the beater

05:12

bomb line up and the street bikes line

05:14

up and I'm on the opposite side of the

05:16

road so I just pull over at basically

05:18

what would be the 60 foot of a drag

05:20

strip and I whip my phone out and I film

05:24

out the window of my Subaru and Joey

05:28

races these dudes and I'm just like holy

05:31

crap that was the most insane thing I've

05:32

seen in my life but I got a sick video

05:34

of it so we get back to Sonic I go up to

05:37

Kyle you know I'm like hey dude check

05:39

out this video and he's like oh man

05:42

that's a really good video you got to

05:43

send that to me and I'm like hell yeah

05:46

I'll send it to you so I send it to him

05:48

and he's like you know puts it in a

05:51

video and I'm just showing every single

05:53

person I know this video I'm like I

05:56

filmed that that 4C scene right there

05:59

that was was me

06:01

so it's probably now a year or maybe 6

06:06

months after it's all blurry this is

06:09

crazy this is like 2011 so long ago

06:12

now I was kind of hanging out with some

06:15

friends and they were telling me about

06:17

Instagram and I'm checking it out and

06:20

you know I kind of made one and you know

06:23

we kind of all made him at the same time

06:24

all the guys and I hit up Kyle from 1320

06:27

and I'm like hey dude like we should get

06:29

on Instagram I know your Facebook page

06:31

is huge like let me uh run an Instagram

06:33

page for you so he created it gave me

06:36

the password whatever I logged in and

06:39

just started posting stuff and before we

06:43

knew it we had like 10,000 followers

06:44

which is insane at the time 10,000

06:46

Foggers was huge and the Facebook page

06:49

has like I don't know 1.5 million at

06:52

this time so the Facebook page is like

06:54

one of the biggest on

06:56

Facebook so I'm starting to do the

06:58

Instagram thing a lot now I'm like

07:00

pushing it cuz I'm so excited Kyle's not

07:03

paying me anything I'm just like dude

07:04

I'll do anything you want to be a part

07:06

of this deal and then came up tx2k 2013

07:13

which is a big street race event or well

07:15

it's a it's a drag race but a lot of

07:17

Street Racing that's why 1320 video

07:19

would go as to film the street racing

07:21

and Fred and I that was our first event

07:24

ever we both kind of hit up Kyle and

07:27

we're like hey you know we just want to

07:29

to come and be a part of it and I

07:32

remember we drove ourselves you know we

07:35

didn't go with the crew we just kind of

07:36

followed the pack and I think we were

07:40

just excited to get T-shirts instead

07:42

1320 video staff on it absolutely and we

07:45

showed up and Fred filmed and I was just

07:49

running around you know taking pictures

07:51

for the Instagram and then that same

07:53

weekend Kyle was like Hey I'm super

07:55

slammed like why don't you post some

07:57

stuff on the Facebook too so then I got

07:59

access to that so then from that point

08:01

on we were in the crew like we were

08:04

officially part of the team it's kind of

08:06

like we were just there to support

08:07

before that and then TX

08:09

2K13 we got our

08:11

jobs so from that point on you know I

08:16

graduated high school that same year and

08:18

I went off to college in Florida and I

08:21

would just kind of travel to the big

08:24

events like tx2k or the street car

08:27

takeovers and do my Instagram and

08:29

Facebook posts and that grew into a a

08:33

more formal job where I was actually

08:35

getting paid because I was doing these

08:38

articles on Kyle's website called

08:40

racecar things.com and I would post you

08:43

know a cool YouTube video with a title

08:46

and a description and then we put it on

08:49

Facebook and if people clicked on that

08:51

link we would generate ad revenue on

08:53

Kyle's website so that was how I made my

08:55

money and for Kyle and then he would pay

08:58

me man it was it was a hundred bucks a

09:00

week I remember at the time which is you

09:03

know it's nothing but I was just so

09:06

happy to be doing it and it it gave me

09:07

at least something to pay for you

09:10

know food and gas and whatever I had

09:14

another job at Jimmy John's at the time

09:16

so it was it was all good then fast

09:19

forward the website starts popping off

09:21

you know I'm Kling I'm writing these

09:23

good articles we started making some

09:25

money he started paying me more and then

09:27

if you fast forward two years now it's

09:31

July of

09:32

2015 we all fly out to Colorado for

09:36

Rocky Mountain race week and this is a

09:39

new event we've never been to we show up

09:42

and it's a drag and drive event where

09:44

the race cars have to drive from track

09:47

to track around Colorado and set their

09:49

best time for the best average of the

09:51

week we show up doing the same social

09:54

media thing we had some other

09:56

extracurricular social media things

09:57

going on but every day you know have to

09:59

write these articles I have to schedule

10:01

out posts on the 1320 video Facebook

10:03

page it came out to about 10 posts a day

10:05

on that and then maybe five posts a day

10:08

on

10:09

Instagram and it's like day four right

10:13

day three or four we're in peblo

10:15

Colorado

10:17

and Kyle and I are walking in the hotel

10:20

with like Alec and maybe Matt maybe Fred

10:25

it's a little blurry I don't remember

10:27

but Tom Bailey's car is sitting outside

10:29

of

10:30

the

10:31

hotel and I'm looking at it and I'm just

10:34

kind of joking around like Kyle let's

10:37

make a funny video because I had never

10:40

been in front of Kyle's cameras but for

10:43

funny random stuff that never made the

10:45

videos and I just was always a goofball

10:48

I was like I'll film this we'll make

10:49

something funny to send to our buddies

10:51

in the group chat whatever it's no no

10:53

big deal so I had this shirt that I just

10:56

bought from Walmart like 5 minutes prior

10:59

stopped at Walmart just to get some

11:01

random stuff I bought this Chevy t-shirt

11:02

and I ripped the sleeves off in the

11:04

store and I'm wearing it and I'm like

11:07

yeah this is my 3,000 horsepower Camaro

11:09

I'm out here and and Kyle says what

11:12

should I call you and I'm like call me

11:14

Dale McFarland or something and Kyle

11:18

goes all right we're staying here

11:20

with Cletus McFarland and he just like

11:22

rattles off the name and uh I remember

11:25

thinking like that's hilarious we are

11:27

here with Cletus m Carland and you're

11:32

1969 yep it's a big block Chevrolet

11:37

engine a big Chevy fan God damn I love

11:43

America and I do this whole little skit

11:46

and Kyle's like dying laughing he thinks

11:48

it's the funniest thing and I'm like all

11:50

right that was that was funny you know

11:52

whatever send it to the guys and he was

11:56

like no way I'm putting this on the

11:58

internet and I was like all right

11:59

whatever so I I literally go in my other

12:03

hotel room or whatever go to sleep and I

12:06

wake up my phone's just blowing up and

12:10

Kyle had edited together this first

12:12

Cletus video it's titled Cletus mcfr is

12:15

3,000 horsepower Camaro and on Facebook

12:18

it had like close to a million views

12:20

overnight and then on YouTube it was

12:24

like nothing it was like you know 30,000

12:26

views so it's just getting going there

12:28

but people are blowing me up like what

12:29

is this CLE video I my mom called me

12:32

she's like what is that CLE video and

12:34

she's like remember what you put on the

12:35

internet stays on there forever you know

12:38

cuz I'm just like being an idiot you

12:41

know and and she knows at the time that

12:43

my my goal is to go to law school so

12:46

she's like you know don't make a fool of

12:49

yourself for no reason is basically what

12:51

she's saying which it made sense and uh

12:56

I remember going to the track and

12:58

someone was like Oh Cletus like I saw

13:00

your video last night and I was like oh

13:02

man yeah that's cool and and all my

13:04

friends from home are texting me and it

13:06

was just a exciting day I remember it

13:08

being like really weird because

13:10

everyone's calling me Cletus but uh I

13:13

just embraced it and and tried to make

13:16

the most out of it but I didn't realize

13:18

at the time that it had any substantial

13:20

power over what we were doing we just

13:23

were like oh this is a fun thing you

13:25

know because Facebook you don't make any

13:26

money right and it really only took off

13:28

on Facebook so from that point forward I

13:31

was publicly known as

13:33

Cletus and then you know my friends

13:35

still called me gar and it was just it

13:37

was just kind of this thing

13:39

so I don't know it might have been a

13:42

month or two after I made couple more

13:44

random funny Cletus videos and those

13:47

took off too so it was it was working

13:51

and Kyle's pretty amped up about him you

13:53

know he made the decision to do a Cletus

13:56

t-shirt which was cool and I made made a

13:59

couple thousand off of that which is

14:01

really exciting and I still at this time

14:06

didn't realize any of this was worth

14:08

something to my life you know more than

14:10

just a fun little side gig so I didn't

14:13

do anything with

14:14

it just continued to make maybe one

14:17

cetus video every 3 or 4 months and then

14:21

I'm sitting in law school now it's been

14:23

that long since we started right so I

14:25

was only two or 3 years into college and

14:28

then I went to law school and this is

14:30

and then that whole time I just made

14:31

some Facebook videos while I'm sitting

14:34

in law school doing the same thing that

14:37

I've been doing this whole time

14:38

Instagram Facebook website

14:41

articles it's and uh I'm watching these

14:44

YouTube videos cuz my job on the website

14:46

was to find interesting YouTube videos

14:49

that people would click on so we get

14:51

that ad

14:52

revenue and I'm watching these guys

14:54

videos and I'm like dude I could do this

14:59

I remember watching uh several vloggers

15:02

at the time Street speed rob fretti you

15:06

know super spearers Rob

15:09

and I just got some motivation after

15:12

watching these really a couple cool

15:14

videos one of them being a video of hurt

15:17

from hoonigan and his RX7 on the street

15:19

and I was like man I just want to make

15:21

some videos maybe for my own thing so I

15:23

hit up Kyle that

15:25

evening and I was like hey buddy do you

15:28

think that that I could post some cus

15:30

videos on my own YouTube channel you

15:32

know because we had just been doing the

15:34

uh cletus's garage videos on his channel

15:37

and he was like absolutely you know post

15:40

whatever you want so he gave it his

15:44

blessing and I just went home that night

15:46

and made a video in my garage with my my

15:48

pickup truck or my C7 it was I don't

15:51

remember the first video but I just

15:54

posted it up kind of put it on my

15:56

Instagram feed and and I started getting

15:59

some views and I can just remember the

16:02

the first time I got over 500 views

16:04

overnight it was uh it was awesome and

16:07

then once I started kind of formulating

16:10

my formulating my process I hit up Kyle

16:13

when I would have like a really good

16:15

video I was proud of and I'd be like hey

16:16

like can we put this through the 1320

16:19

you know funnel and get it some views

16:21

and and he would give his Blessing maybe

16:24

every two weeks on doing that which was

16:26

awesome because in this world you see

16:29

more often than not a boss or you know

16:34

the owner of a

16:35

company if one of their main guys was

16:38

starting to to take off on a path of

16:41

basically the same exact business plan

16:44

they would be like whoa dude like you're

16:46

just you you need to stop like you're

16:48

competing against my

16:50

company Kyle like never for a

16:54

second tried to stop what I was doing

16:57

with the cevan fr brand he only helped

17:01

me put it on the path that it's on today

17:04

which like I am forever grateful for and

17:08

I live my life the same way because of

17:12

that reason I would never

17:14

block any of my guys from starting their

17:17

own thing because if Kyle did that to me

17:21

I don't know where I'd be today and I'm

17:23

so grateful for Kyle and his generosity

17:27

in those times when

17:29

he could have easily I mean easily put a

17:32

stop to it if he asked me one time to

17:34

stop posting videos I would have stopped

17:37

and there were times

17:38

when like say my work kind of took a hit

17:42

because I was so distracted by the cetus

17:43

stuff and he would be like hey dude like

17:46

I know you want to do the CLE stuff

17:48

you're excited about it you got to do

17:50

your job and then I would focus up and

17:52

do my job so the CLE stuff went from 500

17:56

views overnight to 1,000 views to 2,000

17:58

views 5,000 views and it just started

18:00

really picking up and I it was such an

18:02

exciting time I basically had a priority

18:05

list of 1320 video Work c mcf frolin

18:09

channel and then law school and I was

18:12

just working through the grind every day

18:14

doing all three every day I'd wake up

18:16

get my 1320 video post all scheduled out

18:18

go to school go home shoot my C's video

18:22

uh edit it put it up and then maybe do

18:26

some homework if I had time but I don't

18:27

really care about that

18:29

and that went on for two years you know

18:31

I stayed in law school for for two years

18:35

decided after racing home from tx2k all

18:39

night to show up to con law Constitution

18:42

law and the guy put on a movie and I was

18:44

like dude I'm done with this you know

18:46

I'm I'm I'm fed up with this law school

18:48

thing I'm paying for it right so it's

18:50

$36,000 a semester and uh I had student

18:55

loans on it and I just decided it's time

18:58

it's game time so I finally I saw this

19:01

Gary ve video that day and he's like I

19:05

mean straight up this video that Gary V

19:06

posted he's like f your parents F what

19:11

everyone thinks he's like you got to

19:13

risk it for the biscuit like he didn't

19:17

say those exact words I mean he said the

19:18

f your parents thing but he's like quit

19:21

listening to everybody else do what you

19:24

want to do and I'm like yeah so I get

19:27

out of class that day I called my

19:29

parents I said look I hope you guys

19:32

understand you know I'm starting to make

19:35

some money I made $4,000 last month off

19:38

the Cletus Channel like I'm I'm going to

19:40

go for it I got to be done with school

19:42

I'm done and they're like do it so

19:47

I I drop out of law school it was crazy

19:50

it was a it was a weird feeling cuz I

19:51

just put in all that work for years and

19:53

now it's kind of like you can go back

19:56

but after 5 years all that all your

19:57

credits and stuff J

20:00

and uh boom we went fulltime on the

20:02

channel so that was like 2017 when I

20:04

started getting after it and just doing

20:07

the thing me and Cooper were were making

20:09

videos in the driveway we had the uh

20:13

first video go viral of the exhaust

20:16

whistles in the C7 that video went viral

20:19

and we were just getting hated on so bad

20:22

because the videos were so bad but they

20:25

had great titles and thumbnails so we

20:28

were getting aot of views but we're

20:29

getting almost no subscribers at that

20:31

moment and the hate sucked it really was

20:35

brutal I've had everything said about me

20:38

that any person could possibly say about

20:40

a human being during that rise to say

20:44

50,000 subscribers or 100,000

20:46

subscribers like I call it the gauntlet

20:49

because people were so

20:50

ruthless

20:52

and so just they just wanted you to fail

20:56

so badly when you're in that Grind from

20:58

Z to 100,000 subscribers no one wants

21:01

you to win besides maybe your girlfriend

21:03

and your friends maybe some of your

21:05

friends don't even want you to win and

21:08

uh I did I just sometimes at night would

21:12

you know it would it would definitely

21:14

hit and I would wonder if this is all

21:16

right you know if this is smart and then

21:18

you know you'd have a really bad week of

21:20

videos where your views

21:21

sucked and you don't know if it's going

21:24

to be enough money to to Really support

21:28

the the

21:29

upcoming plans you have and it sucked

21:34

you know and and a few different times

21:37

but I always just was so excited to work

21:39

on my car and make it faster that that

21:41

was that's what dragged me

21:44

through to get to that over that Ridge

21:47

of where I then had enough people

21:49

supporting me and and positive comments

21:51

that when someone would say like you

21:54

know look at

21:56

this ugly idiot you know just some

21:59

hurtful thing like then I had enough

22:01

people that would jump in there like hey

22:02

I like this guy leave him alone and

22:06

that's when things you know kind of

22:07

started to take a positive turn in my

22:09

comment section and I was like all right

22:12

we're fired up and and that's I guess

22:16

where I I caught that break mentally to

22:20

just full send it I was nonstop from

22:23

that moment on I mean there was no way

22:26

for me to fail because my mindset was so

22:29

so to the top like we just had to win so

22:33

we just started making videos like crazy

22:34

you know and and this is all still while

22:36

I'm working for Kyle because I didn't

22:37

want to leave what made me who I was

22:42

behind right away you know so I still

22:44

worked for Kyle for several years and

22:46

then we had a meeting we we brought in

22:49

another social media guy train him and

22:51

then let him off you know to do his

22:54

thing so and then I think we're at like

22:57

2018 or something something now

22:59

somewhere in that area

23:01

2019 I don't know but it it all seems

23:04

like a blur now but it was just so fast

23:07

that we went from uh law school dragg

23:10

down maybe this is a good idea maybe

23:12

this is a bad idea to just full rip you

23:15

know and then we started getting some

23:16

credibility and then I went and did some

23:18

car challenges with Rob Freddy meeting

23:21

up with the boosted boys and man the the

23:24

afterburners turned on and there we went

23:27

we found our Niche pretty fast in Drag

23:29

Racing specifically I loved it you know

23:32

and street car takeover which was owned

23:34

by Chase and Justin Keith I loved their

23:37

events so you know naturally I just kind

23:39

of started drag racing so that I could

23:41

be at their events and then you know

23:43

1320 video I wanted to be at 1320 videos

23:46

events to just be a part of it and race

23:50

and all that

23:51

so uh you know we started showing up to

23:53

these races with

23:55

Leroy and you know Leroy really put us

23:57

on the map because that car was so

23:59

unique and different you know I bought

24:01

it for five grand off of eBay and Leroy

24:05

was just u a joke almost in the car

24:08

world because no one considered it you

24:12

know a legitimate race car yet we were

24:16

pushing really hard to make it a

24:18

legitimate race car and uh we'd show up

24:21

to these races and just do bad like I

24:23

remember showing up to lsfest it's our

24:27

first year there

24:29

I did the burnout and uh Cooper

24:33

accidentally pulled the parachute pin

24:35

out walking by the car or something and

24:38

like the parachutes laying in the water

24:40

box and he's scrambling to put it on and

24:43

I'm in the car kind of panicking on

24:46

what's going on and someone took a

24:49

picture of it and was just kind of

24:51

roasting us on on the internet and I was

24:53

like gosh we are such idiots like why

24:55

can't we just get it together the

24:58

throttle body on the car would just

24:59

close every time I tried to make a

25:01

quarter mile run it was a disaster at

25:04

the time I felt bad cuz I just gotten

25:07

Texas Speed to sponsor me and I just

25:10

could not pull it together and it was so

25:12

tough but then couple months down the

25:14

road I started getting some help from

25:17

Kevin Smith from ksr so finally we took

25:20

the stock computer off the car and Holly

25:24

helped me put a holly dominator in the

25:27

car and honestly hly I can say that that

25:29

was the changing point from when I went

25:31

from a YouTuber to a race car driver

25:34

because all of a sudden I had a race car

25:37

I got to give a lot of credit to the

25:40

Holly computer because it it totally

25:42

changed Leroy I didn't realize the

25:45

difference between a racing computer and

25:46

a stock computer I just thought like oh

25:48

whatever it's it's just a computer then

25:50

we started showing up to races and we

25:52

had the fastest stick car out and I'm

25:54

like what is happening people are trying

25:56

to kick us out of classes and all of a

25:59

sudden we went from the guy that

26:01

everyone thought was a clown to the guy

26:03

that people were like oh you know he's

26:06

got sponsors and whatever if he wins

26:10

it's it was a shoe in anyway he's got

26:12

every part on that car sponsored and we

26:15

started winning and now it's like we go

26:17

to World Cup and we leave with a trophy

26:19

and I'm like I can't even believe it it

26:22

it was uh a a pretty quick transition

26:25

all of a sudden we went from the jok the

26:26

the clown of the town to a guy that you

26:29

had to watch out for and it it it was a

26:31

damn good feeling because we were we

26:32

were kind of clowns of the town for a

26:35

while and I just hated posting these

26:37

videos of going out like first round

26:39

every race it's just a terrible feeling

26:42

so that transition felt good and uh Libo

26:46

I mean he's a dominant Force to this day

26:48

just won World Cup finals in the S shift

26:50

class so the major parts of the story

26:53

there are starting Cletus becoming a

26:56

successful racer and then now the

26:59

channel is is making enough money that I

27:03

have employees I have merchandise

27:05

which everything's going well and I was

27:08

actually able to buy the racetrack known

27:11

as the freedom Factory today formerly

27:13

known as the SoDo Speedway which was a

27:16

really wild process it actually four

27:19

years ago last week is when I released

27:21

the first video on it it was December of

27:24

2019 I bought this old Circle Track that

27:27

had been abandoned for years and since I

27:30

was a drag racer I was always down here

27:31

at Bradon Motorsports Park and I saw

27:33

this place and I was always like dude

27:35

who's who hole is that you know I

27:37

was like what is that place over there

27:39

it's just weeds everywhere it's always

27:41

closed and I dumped every dollar that I

27:44

had literally into this place to

27:47

purchase it and at the time all I had

27:50

was the least shop I had Ruby Leroy and

27:53

neighbor and

27:54

every every other dollar I had went into

27:59

purchasing this track it was by far the

28:03

most leverage I've ever been financially

28:06

in debt I had barely enough income to

28:09

cover the $177,000 mortgage I had barely

28:14

enough money to pay my payroll which I

28:17

don't know if James and our merch girl

28:21

and Cooper even knew that at the

28:23

time but uh I'll never forget the

28:27

pressure of of those months before I was

28:30

able to make a financial comeback and uh

28:35

get through that time but the pressure

28:36

was immense you know one of definitely

28:39

one of those keep you up at night every

28:41

night for weeks months type situation

28:45

but it did work out and and I got lucky

28:48

based on uh some really good mentorship

28:51

from a good friend of mine Allen and my

28:54

parents I was lucky enough to make the

28:57

right decisions and get through all that

28:58

but golly I don't know if i' ever risk

29:02

it like that financially again because

29:04

uh at the time I didn't have a lot to

29:06

lose so we made it through that you know

29:09

now our we have a very stable business

29:11

over there and it helps pay for a lot of

29:13

the stuff and you know now we have so

29:16

many freaking cars because of the Crown

29:17

Vic races and stuff it's it's just

29:20

insane since the freedom

29:22

Factory everything has blown up like

29:24

Leroy kind of put us on a trajectory

29:26

like this freedom Factory tilted that up

29:29

even more and like we just have been on

29:31

a a rip ever since and it's it's insane

29:37

so at this point in time goals and ideas

29:39

for the

29:40

future we have several things on the

29:44

plate right now we're getting into some

29:46

Aviation stuff we have just the carbon

29:49

Cub but I have a really really really

29:53

cool project that's right on the the

29:56

front you know you know I I can't get

29:59

into it much but it's so cool that uh I

30:03

just can't

30:04

even can't even think about it straight

30:08

and I think the goals that I have right

30:10

now would be

30:11

for the company

30:14

to stabilize even more to a point where

30:19

I can

30:20

spend more time with my family and my

30:24

son and wife and my soon to be here

30:27

daughter so

30:29

that you know I get that from time but

30:31

also that these guys can keep the shop

30:34

running at full speed so the videos are

30:36

the same and just as awesome I'm just

30:39

here a little bit less but when I get

30:41

here I can do our thing make just as

30:45

even better videos than

30:47

before but also have that extra time

30:50

with my family that's one of my goals I

30:52

I want my guys I want all my employees

30:55

to make more money you know so we're

30:58

constantly doing raises I would say one

30:59

of my goals would be for for all of

31:01

these guys to make enough money to uh do

31:06

their dreams too you know build the cars

31:08

they want to have I think they they all

31:09

can right now but I want that to just

31:12

keep growing I mean I look at our

31:14

payroll now and I'm like I just can't

31:16

even believe these numbers are

31:17

real and that we're able to afford them

31:20

but I want to keep that whole side of

31:22

the business growing so that these guys

31:25

can do what they love CU their passion

31:26

for racing exists out outside of the

31:28

shop and what we do here so I love

31:31

seeing

31:32

that uh the freedom Factory already runs

31:35

itself so that goals achieved that was

31:36

one of my big ones but

31:39

uh I don't know I would say I need a

31:42

5-second car bad I'm ready for that

31:45

we've been sitting at the table talking

31:47

several times lately about what our

31:49

5-second car is going to be and we have

31:52

not landed on that just yet so our 5-sec

31:56

car I would say is will be completed by

31:59

the end of 2025 but I don't know what

32:02

it's going to be yet so that's that's a

32:04

big goal of mine is to have a 5-second

32:05

car and go just knock some heads off

32:09

with it so long those are long-term

32:12

goals short-term goals win World Cup

32:14

again this year get the trifecta you

32:16

know we've won it the last two years

32:18

with different cars but I'd I'd also

32:21

like it to be double win dual class win

32:23

so we'll see on that I want to take

32:25

motion race works just up a whole

32:28

another

32:29

notch TVM brakes is like probably our

32:32

fastest growing company right now and uh

32:36

I want there to be TBM brakes on every

32:37

race car I see at the track which is

32:39

it's almost there like there's a ton of

32:41

TBM brakes so we just have I don't know

32:44

like I could talk about every single

32:45

portion of what we're doing and say that

32:47

I want to be bigger and better cuz I do

32:50

and uh we just got to get back to work

32:51

and make it happen I guess well I guess

32:53

that's the short version of it but I'm C

32:55

McFarland and that was my story

33:04

oh my God this those look freaking

33:15

epic this is so ridiculous

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