This has been an extremely rewarding season to date for Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen but this weekend is what everything has been building towards in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
Since joining Lee Pulliam Performance in November, Queen has won the South Carolina 400 and the CARS Tour race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. More than likely, they are all but a lock to finish second in the championship standings all while introducing the world to one of the most affable and unique personalities in the discipline.
Sure, a Ridgeway Grandfather Clock would go a long way to deeming this season a total success but it’s already been a tremendous pairing based on every metric.
“This has been the biggest opportunity of my life,” Queen said of the season. “Before, I don’t think a lot of people knew who I was but now they know the name. They’ve seen me win and they’ve seen how I handle the bad days, my positivity, win or lose.”
The Queen story has been well-documented, one of a successful local racer out of Langley Speedway, who had previously won the Hampton Heat and CARS Tour wins but just didn’t have the funding to make a splash on a regional or national level.
Then came a chance meeting with Dirt Late Model team owner, and local businessman, John Staton who took Queen under his wing and helped him both on the pavement and dirt side. That is to say nothing of Queen’s girlfriend, Nicole, who has worked with Hendrick Motorsports in the social and marketing departments and lent those skills to the ‘Butterbean’ brand.
Queen hopes to make some NASCAR starts next season in addition to a schedule that could otherwise look similar to the one he is close to finishing this year. The CARS Tour championship isn’t happening because Carson Kvapil has been both elite while also minimizing his worst starts.
At the same time, Queen thinks he’s been right there with Kvapil on speed and circumstances is what has largely steered the results.
“I feel like we’ve been close,” Queen said. “We let too many races get away from us, races that we’ve been right there on to where we could be sitting on a eight or nine win season, or maybe even 10. We’ve gone to a lot of tracks that I had never seen before and we have had a chance at each of them, and that’s something to be proud of — leading the series in poles and multiple wins.”
So really, a grandfather clock is every bit the championship that he won’t be able to claim this year, and he has the perfect mentor to get him there in two-time race winner Lee Pulliam.
“He is the best to ever do this as far as I’m concerned,” Queen said. “I’ve learned so much from him. I think of South Boston where I really wanted to make a change after practice and he talked me out of it. The car did exactly what he said it would, we sat on the pole and led a lot of laps that night.
“That’s what Lee Pulliam does.”
This is his ninth time racing at Martinsville with a best finish of seventh in his debut in 2013 and a 10th in 2016 but Pulliam represents his best opportunity yet. But even if it doesn’t happen, it’s another opportunity to spread positivity, and make a positive impact on the racing community at large.
That’s the Butterbean way.
