Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s co-ownership of the CARS Tour has spotlighted a new star in the racing world, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, an ARCA driver whose journey nearly ended before it even began. Butterbean’s story took a dramatic turn thanks to a dirt track miracle that reignited his passion and changed the trajectory of his career. Now competing in ARCA and riding under Jr.’s watchful eye, he has quickly become one of the most compelling talents on the circuit.

His rise isn’t just about raw talent; it is a tale of persistence, family legacy, and grinding through setbacks. And now, as he has gotten into his debut season of ARCA, Butterbean has finally broken down the win that changed his mind.

Brenden Queen tips his hat to those who fueled his NASCAR journey

Brendan Queen made his ARCA Menards Series debut in 2019 at the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, driving for Vizion Motorsports. Though the opportunity came under less than ideal circumstances, it marked a crucial step into the national arena. Plans for a full ARCA season fell through amid behind-the-scenes challenges, but Queen used the experience to build his profile beyond late model and dirt track racing. His breakthrough on the ARCA circuit would come later, with a career-defining victory at Daytona in 2025, when he outdueled the field in a caution-filled race to claim his first series win, cementing his arrival among stock car racing’s promising young talents.

Queen’s roots run deep in racing, heavily influenced by his father’s late model racing career in Virginia. Financial limitations early on meant his parents initially discouraged him, steering him toward other sports, including a brief stint in T-ball that ended after he broke his nose. At age 6, Queen finally convinced them to let him race go-karts, starting his motorsports journey on dirt ovals. He developed his skills there before gaining road course experience recently. Following the racing ladder, Queen progressed from karts to Legends cars, including a winter season of arena racing, before moving into late models at Langley Speedway, a track close to home that fit within his family’s budget.

Speaking to Kevin Harvick on Happy Hour, Brenden opened up about what changed his mind. He said, “And honestly, I struggled. We run top five, but just never could win. And 2019, I got an opportunity to go run an ARCA car at Daytona. Wasn’t really the best situation, looking back on it, but it was an opportunity. It was free. And at the end of that, I was supposed to run the whole season, and then it kind of—some weird stuff was going. Anyways, it all fell through. And I was kind of like, my late model wasn’t together at the time. And I’m like, ‘Man, what am I going to do?’ And ended up driving for a guy named Greer back home, and ended up winning my first late model race at Langley that year. But I had decided, like, I’d hit rock bottom at what I thought in my career.” 

Though promising, Queen’s only model years were marked by struggles. After Langley Speedway temporarily closed, he spent a season at East Carolina Motor Speedway, a tight asphalt track known for its challenging turns. Upon Langley’s reopening, he returned but found victories hard to come by, despite consistent top-five finishes. By 2019, after a stalled ARCA season and uncertainty in late models, Queen finally won his first late-model race at Langley for a local team, a milestone that reflected his belief in his racing career when he feared it might be over.

At that time, the Staton family, who lived a street away, became an important part of his racing journey. John Staton, a local car racer, offered Queen the chance to drive his other car for a full season. Balancing a full-time job, Queen found himself racing on dirt tracks Friday night and at Langley Speedway on Saturdays, all while working seven days a week. Despite the demanding routine, Queen had a breakout here, winning a total of 17 races, five on dirt, earning the dirt track championship and Rookie of the Year honors, and attending Langley, where he secured his third late-model championship.

But when the CARS Tour race came around at Langley, Queen initially planned not to compete. But on the last day of entry, he signed up, bringing his backup car since he didn’t want to risk using his primary. Unfortunately, shortly after pulling out of the pits, a mechanical failure struck; a block on the side of his Ford fell off, forcing him back to the pits.

And then a turning point came through. He added, “We’ll just show up, put tires on it, and race. Well, we ended up taking a vote, took that car back, and I ended up winning the CARS Tour race on the last lap. And that’s the night that the Staton family, I was driving their dirt car, was like, they’d been watching me for years and helping me out a little bit. And they’re like, do you want to—do you want to work at the port forever or do you want to be a racecar driver? I’m like, no-brainer. Like—That’s an easy answer. Yeah, nothing against racing at a port. Like, that was awesome. Like, great. I was going to make a great living.” 

Balancing racing with a full-time job at the Port of Virginia, where his father had worked for generations, Queen faced a pivotal choice. After a dramatic last-lap win in a CARS Tour dirt race, overcoming mechanical setbacks, that win was the catalyst that made him commit fully to racing, leaving his steady job to sign with Lee Pulliam’s team and pursue his dream. And their bond is deeper than ever now.

Butterbean’s brotherly relationship with the Team owner

In December of last year, the 27-year-old was announced as a full-time driver of the No. 28 Chevrolet for Pinnacle Racing Group in the 2025 ARCA Menards Series, marking his major step up after securing the 2024 CARS Tour title. Moreover, Queen couldn’t have done it without Lee Pulliam’s support.

Addressing the same on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, he said, “From the outside looking in… was like two brothers.” He elaborated, “But I don’t know, like, Lee and I just clicked as people off the track. And we were more alike than we ever would have known, and we raced against each other. We would have never known it. And he’s my biggest cheerleader in the corner, my biggest critic. Like, when I finish one of these ARCA races, he’s already sent me a text about what I need.”

Queen clinched the 2024 zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Championship with a gritty fifth-place finish in the season finale, the ECMD 125 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 19 last year. Though he had a broken throttle spring early in the race, his team repaired it during the competition caution, and he battled through to stay ahead in points over Connor Hall.

The win was a result of their two-year collaboration, where his first start with them happened at the 2022 South Carolina 400. The duo clinched six CARS Tour wins and key event victories, and finally delivered Pulliam’s first CARS Tour championship. Now imagine if he had walked away from racing. It’s a scary thought, but aren’t we glad that he chose otherwise?