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By Brandon White www.arcaracing.com February 15, 2025
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The odyssey of Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen mirrors those of many legendary competitors from the short track ranks.
Since his career began at Langley Speedway in Virginia, Queen carefully curated the ‘Butterbean’ nickname, which stems from his resemblance to wrestler Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch at birth. A jovial person with unwavering resolve behind the wheel and a passion for Waffle House, ‘Butterbean’ has become a recognizable nickname during Queen’s rise through the ranks.
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Fans at Daytona International Speedway were introduced to ‘Butterbean’ on a warm, Saturday afternoon during the Ride the ‘Dente 200. Queen maintained patience through a chaotic, caution-filled outing before passing Lavar Scott with less than 10 laps remaining to prevail in his first appearance with Pinnacle Racing Group.
Emotions were aplenty for Queen as he pulled his No. 28 bestrepair.net Chevrolet into Daytona’s iconic Victory Lane. Every step towards Saturday’s triumph for Queen was a battle to survive and prove he belonged on the national stage.
“It’s a lot of never give up,” Queen said. “I’ve never had money. We did what we could, grinded and grinded. Trust the process is the motto I’ve had the past two years. My story is one of those eyeball ones of a lottery ticket. I’m fighting for my career. I have nothing guaranteed for next year, so hopefully this is a good start.”
Saturday was not Queen’s first attempt in an ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona, but the two experiences were incomparable.
Queen qualified at Daytona back in 2019 piloting the No. 35 Chevrolet for Vizion Motorsports. The day was one to forget for Queen, whose race ended after 50 laps when he was collected in a multi-car crash while trying to avoid a spinning Connor Hall.
It took Queen until Saturday for him to make another ARCA Menards Series start. During his six years away from the platform, Queen amassed a stellar resume in short tracks that included three Langley track championships and a title in the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour.
Queen’s first venture into the ARCA Menards Series not unfolding the way he envisioned proved to be a blessing in disguise. Spending so much time at short tracks helped Queen discover the identity that has since garnered him a passionate fanbase colloquially known as ‘Bean Nation’.
“It was actually a turning point in my Late Model career,” Queen said. “I accepted that I had got to the top of what I thought was going to happen. I hit rock bottom, picked myself up and said I wanted to be a competitive Late Model Stock guy. There’s nothing wrong with that.
“We started turning our program around back home at Langley and it catapulted into those three championships.”
Every accolade Queen scored only bolstered his reputation amongst owners and drivers in the NASCAR industry, opening the door for another chance to reach the national level. Tricon Garage provided Queen that opportunity at North Wilkesboro Speedway last year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which he parlayed into a fourth-place run.
Less than a year later, Queen found himself back where his first run at NASCAR started; Daytona. This time around he had the benefit of a full ARCA Menards Series season outlined along with the assistance of his teammate in four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.
The second trip to Daytona for Queen was a test of patience and survival. Numerous cautions trimmed the lead pack of cars to less than a dozen for the final 12-lap run, which left Queen in a precarious spot as he ascertained how to overtake Scott and leader William Sawalich.
After following Scott around Sawalich, Queen and Castroneves stayed on the top side and powered their way to the front. Now tasked with playing defense, Queen put his full trust in Castroneves and spotter Derek Kneeland to help him get to the checkered flag as the leader.
“I was mad at myself over that [last] restart,” Queen said. “I mistimed it, was able to let [Scott] in, which was not the original plan. I knew Helio was going to be a great pusher. Our cars worked really good together at the test. The best case scenario was having him behind me and he gave me such a great run.
“My spotter Derek Kneeland was in my ear teaching me how to work the lines and manipulate the air. Having a spotter is half the battle at this superspeedway stuff and Derek is one of the best.”
Castroneves, who was involved in three crashes that included one after the checkered flag, enjoyed leaning off Queen as he acclimated himself to a stock car at Daytona. The composure Queen displayed in the draft during the final sprint also drew admiration from the open-wheel veteran.
“A good job for the Queen!” Castroneves said. “He was doing an amazing job, so obviously he knows what’s going on. I’m super happy for him, so of course he deserves it. [Brenden] is an incredible guy, and I’m so happy I got hooked up with a great team and great teammate.”
Castroneves and the entire Pinnacle Racing Group organization were among those Queen extended his gratitude towards for taking a chance on him. That list included Lee Pulliam, a four-time NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion who fielded Late Model Stocks for him from 2022-24.
A successful partnership in short tracks blossomed into a close friendship between the two competitors. Queen considers Pulliam to be one of the best competitors of his generation and wishes his friend had the opportunity to advance his career into the NASCAR Cup Series.
Despite this, Queen is grateful Pulliam provided an environment where he could flourish as a driver and build up the already established ‘Butterbean’ brand. He knows other active short track competitors are more than capable of one day winning at Daytona if they work hard and put faith in themselves.
“It starts with ‘never give up’,” Queen said. “Have a hard-working attitude, trust the process like I always say. You never know who is watching your or whose hand you are shaking. Keep your composure, stay calm and just be yourself. That’s what they want to see.”
Queen found his way back to the ARCA Menards Series by unabashedly being himself. Now he departs Daytona as a championship favorite, determined to survive and thrive.
Sawalich came home in second behind Queen, with Jason Kitzmiller, Scott and Castroneves completing the top five. The rest of the top 10 consisted of Kole Raz, A.J. Moyer, Andy Jankowiak, Ryan Roulette and Bryce Haugeberg.
ARCA Menards Series competitors get a few weeks to regroup from a wild season-opener at Daytona before heading to Phoenix Raceway on March 7 for the General Tire 150. FS1 carries live coverage of the event starting at 8 p.m. ET.
