Since its opening in 1971, Bradenton Motorsports Park has hosted a lot of solid racing, including ground breaking events, world records and even teamed up with their next-door neighbor, the Freedom Factory.

Recently, co-owner of Bradenton Motorsports Park Victor Alvarez announced some updates that will affect both tracks, and we talked with general manger Josh Dauta to expand on them.

These upgrades don’t come as a surprise to some, as both tracks have seen some major changes in the last five years. “You have two owners that are motivated to bring motorsports at these tracks to the next level,” said Josh. “We always have ideas in the pipeline.”

Noted chassis builder and fellow enthusiast Cameron Johnson was tapped to build a unique hatchback as a birthday surprise for Cleetus McFarland. We spoke with Cameron about how the build originated and some of the finer details.

In everything he does, from piloting helicopters to 5-second race cars, hosting events to rebuilding a race track, Cleetus McFarland continues to elevate not only his impact on the sports and hobbies he enjoys, but brings along millions of viewers to watch the adventures on his popular YouTube channel.

It was about five years ago that Cleetus (the adrenaline-fueled alter face of Garrett Mitchell) purchased DeSoto Memorial Speedway, an oval track adjacent to Bradenton Motorsports Park that had sat abandoned for nearly two years.

And after a lot of work and success from that track, Cleetus didn’t have to look far for his next opportunity, as he announced today he is partnering with good friend and current owner Victor Alvarez, as 50 percent owner in Bradenton Motorsports Park.

Christmas traditions might include egg nog, listening to your favorite songs around a fire, and exchanging presents with family and friends. But instead of trimming the tree with ornaments, 32 racers trimmed their tree to fit on cars and trucks at the fifth annual Christmas Tree Drag Racing World Championship at Bradenton Motorsports Park.

The brainchild of Cleetus McFarland and good friend Victor Alvarez, owner of Bradenton Motorsports Park, the annual event draws some solid racing action, as well as thousands of spectators. The premise to be one of the accepted 32 competitors is simple: a traditional Christmas Tree is required on each vehicle, minimum six-foot tall, and can be real or fake. The tree must be attached to each vehicle, it must be lit, and it must remain attached the entire length of the run, or the competitor risks disqualification.

The moment that changed everything for Garrett Mitchell came when he recorded a goofy video with Tom Bailey’s ‘Sick Seconds 1.0’ on Rocky Mountain Race Week in July 2015.