Events

Cleetus McFarland’s ‘The New England’ 900 at Stafford Speedway, USA

Fried tyres, flying monster trucks, and nitrous-fed oval-track racing had more than 10,000 freedom-loving rednecks screaming, “Hell yeah, brother!”

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Alastair DAVENPORT
Photographers: Matthew Christian

When Cleetus McFarland throws a party, fellow YouTubers and fans alike show up in droves. Cleetus’s New England 900 is a 90-lap race at Stafford Speedway in Connecticut, featuring Cleet and four of his onscreen buddies, 13 drivers from other YouTube channels, and a couple of bona fide NASCAR drivers in the form of Greg Biffle and Ryan Preece.

First published in the September 2025 issue of Street Machine

Their race cars of choice? Identical Ford Crown Victorias, each fitted with a basic rollcage and window net, as well as a small nitrous kit (around 40hp worth) that the drivers use as a push-to-pass, with a yellow light on the boot letting spectators know when drivers are on the spray.

The Van Prix minivan race required combatants to hit the jump ramp at least once, but for many, once was nowhere near enough

The racing was wild at the 2025 running of the event. Drivers pushed their Nitto street tyres well beyond their intended use, with fading front-rights the cause of a number of bumps. Perhaps appropriately, the only major incident saw Jim York, the field’s sole stunt performer, back into the outside wall at pace. turning his Crown Vic into something more Ford Festiva-sized.

Through a mix of nitrous strategy, tyre conservation, and plain old racing chops, the battle for the win came down to current Cup Series competitor and home-track hero Ryan Preece and fellow NASCAR racer Greg Biffle. The lead changed half a dozen times in the final laps, with Preece coming out victorious before a huge fireworks display closed the show.

On the final lap, NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece took the New England 900 win over Greg Biffle

Day Two was for killing tyres in the Burnout Rivals comp, with a host of new competitors rolling into Stafford to put on a show in one of three categories. The Open class kicked things off with an interesting mix of abilities and vehicles – most of them LS-powered, but each one there to party.

Well, there goes the Stafford Speedway pace car! Not to worry, Cleetus gifted the venue a new one

Things got a little more serious when the Rivals class took to the pad, as Cleetus, his team, and some of his invited guests battled for bragging rights and a giant bald eagle trophy.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Heath Waddington in the WAR-BIRD Falcon showed the Yanks how it was done in the Burnout Rivals comp, scoring the top gong in the Pro Blown class

Significant prize money was then up for grabs in the Pro class, with Australia’s own Heath Waddington of Castlemaine Rod Shop fame taking the win in the WAR-BIRD XP Falcon.

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