During coronavirus crisis, ‘the trailer park version of the Daytona 500’ is entertaining
The global COVID-19 pandemic has uprooted the social aspect for so many people in the world.
And after days of quarantine life practicing social distancing, finding new forms of entertainment at home can present a challenge.
But for sports fans looking for something other than old games to watch, there’s something happening in Manatee County next week to whet your appetite thanks to a YouTube star.
Cleetus McFarland, who was born Garrett Mitchell in Nebraska, is holding the Freedom 500 race at the Freedom Factory, which was renamed after McFarland bought the DeSoto Speedway in January, next Friday on pay-per-view only.
No spectators are allowed, the 22 participating drivers will receive health screenings and none are arriving via plane, McFarland said.
“They can expect a trailer park version of the Daytona 500,” McFarland said in a phone interview with the Herald.
The race takes place Friday, April 3, and to watch the race, a $9.95 fee is charged in advance. That goes up to $14.95 on the day of the event, and it can be purchased online here.
Home entertainment during COVID-19
Safety precautions for the event include not hanging in large groups and keeping distance from each other. Anyone who was feeling sick was told to stay home, McFarland said.
“We had it actually planned long before there was this outbreak and all that stuff,” McFarland said. “We’re just doing it because our facility’s not ready yet for the public. Now that this stuff’s going on, we definitely can’t open it to the public.”
“Just a fun race that people can watch from home, hoping to make it a more modern style where you can choose to go out and see it if you want. Eventually, we’ll have it public. But for now, you can watch it from home. And it’s pay-per-view, so we can utilize the money that we’re going to destroy during the race.”
McFarland boasts a YouTube following of more than two million subscribers. The race sees drivers going 100 laps on the old DeSoto Speedway track that’s had several owners since the 1970s. It was put up for auction in 2018, and McFarland eventually bought it in January.
McFarland said it won’t be ready to open to the public for a couple months. Of course, that’s also dependent on how long the coronavirus crisis lasts.
For now, he’s throwing an event for people to catch in the comfort of their home.
“The world’s in a bad place right now,” McFarland said. “I think a lot of people are cooped up and don’t have anything fun to look forward to, so we’re hoping the Freedom 500 can let people stay in their homes, not have to worry about being in contact with other people and they can enjoy the show. Hopefully, it gives something positive in all this sea of negativity.”
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 10:29 AM with the headline "During coronavirus crisis, ‘the trailer park version of the Daytona 500’ is entertaining."
