The Freedom 500 wrapped up over the weekend and Travis Pastrana took the gold medal and the prize vehicle of his choice, a Mercedes VIP Sprinter van or a C8 Z06 Corvette. What should come as no surprise is that Pastrana picked the Z06 over the van, and no surprise that he also decided to spray paint the flat-plane-crank supercar red, white, and blue immediately right before a celebratory burnout.

The Freedom 500 is an annual racing event organized by automotive YouTuber Cleetus McFarland at the Freedom Factory, a 3/8-mile asphalt oval track located in Bradenton, Florida. This event features drivers competing in nitrous-equipped Ford Crown Victoria sedans over a 100-lap race. The Freedom 500 has gained popularity for its unique blend of professional drivers, automotive influencers, and high-octane entertainment.

Photo Credit: Cleetus McFarland Facebook

Travis Pastrana and Cleetus McFarland in front of the freshly spray painted C8 Z06.

The Freedom 500 was born out of pure American horsepower and YouTube ingenuity. It was founded by Cleetus McFarland (aka Garrett Mitchell), an automotive YouTuber with a diehard fanbase and a deep love for all things bald-eagle-approved, the event was first held in April 2020, right when the world was slowing down due to the pandemic. While most motorsports paused, Cleetus doubled down — buying a rundown racetrack in Bradenton, Florida, naming it the Freedom Factory, and throwing a no-holds-barred race with nitrous-fed Ford Crown Victorias. Yeah — cop cars, retrofitted with cages, nitrous, and a dose of chaos. It was patriotic. It was insane. And it was exactly what gearheads needed.

Garrett has been hosting the Freedom 500 since 2020.

At its core, the Freedom 500 is a 100-lap race run entirely in Ford Crown Victorias featuring over thirty drivers, ranging from YouTubers and influencers to legit professional racers. All cars are prepped by Cleetus’ team — equal performance, nitrous-equipped, and dialed for battle. No team radios, and minimal strategy — just driver skill, guts, and crowd energy. It’s like NASCAR meets demolition derby, meets a Redneck Revival, on asphalt.

The heart of the show is Cleetus McFarland’s Freedom Factory, a 3/8-mile paved oval track Cleetus bought and revived. Formerly Desoto Speedway, it sat abandoned for years until Cleetus brought it back to life with a fresh racing surface, full media coverage, broadcast-quality live streams, and a sold-out crowd every single time. It’s now a grassroots motorsports hub, with events like the Danger Ranger on Dirt, Burnout Rivals, and of course the Freedom 500.

Over the years, the race has seen everything from blown engines and flipped cars to fires and a few wild restarts. Appearances by big names like Travis Pastrana, Hailie Deegan, Greg Biffle and famed YouTubers like WhistlinDiesel, Tavarish, Adam LZ, and Taylor Ray. A winner’s prize that levels up every year — from massive cash to this year’s C8 Corvette Z06 or a Mercedes VIP Sprinter van. And of course, Cleetus himself often runs the show and races in it.

The Freedom 500 isn’t just a race — it’s a movement. A platform and stage for freedom-loving gearheads who want loud engines, gnarly passes, and an American flag flying high. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t happen without people like Cleetus, who took a dream, a racetrack, and a fleet of Crown Vics — and turned it into one of the most exciting races in the country.