Brenden Queen, better known as Butterbean, has proven his mettle at the grassroots racing level, so it’s not surprising for NASCAR teams to be interested. In this case, that’s Kaulig Racing.
The team announced on Friday that Butterbean will make his Xfinity Series debut in their No. 11 Chevrolet at Bristol, the car left without a permanent driver when the team parted ways with Josh Williams earlier this season. Butterbean will be the sixth driver in six races in that car.
He made his name in late models, winning three consecutive track championships at Langley Speedway in Virginia and earning the championship in the Dale Jr-owned CARS tour last year. He currently competes full-time in ARCA, getting on the NASCAR ladder, where he’s currently the points leader with a series-high six wins so far in the season.
“It’s been a dream of mine to get a chance to drive in the Xfinity Series,” Queen said. “I can’t thank everyone at Kaulig Racing enough for making that dream become a reality. I’m fortunate to have this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to Bristol and give the team all I’ve got and have a solid day.”
What’s more unusual is the timing. Kaulig Racing announced two weeks prior that it will be fielding five trucks for Ram in the Truck Series next season and will scale back its Xfinity program. That means the team will need several new drivers.
One name that’s been suggested for those trucks is Butterbean Queen. An Xfinity debut would give the team the chance to gauge his abilities against national series competition before making a final decision or allow a presumptive new driver to get to know the team.
Even if there’s no intention to put him in a truck, Kaulig and its decision-makers will be watching him in their car.
“We’re super excited to be a part of Brenden’s next steps in his racing career,” said Kaulig president Chris Rice. “He has made a splash in the ARCA Menards Series and is an all-around great short track racer, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do in the Xfinity Series under the lights at Bristol.”
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