The most iconic driver in the CARS Tour has a stellar NASCAR finish on his resume now. Brendan “Butterbean” Queen added to his long list of late-model racing accomplishments on Sunday. Fielding the TRICON Garage No. 1 on his Truck Series debut at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Queen salvaged an impressive 4th-place finish. This achievement is stirring up veterans like Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In last year’s CARS Tour race at the revived short track, Queen made jaws drop with his resounding victory. He beat a star-studded field comprising Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kevin Harvick, and others. Now, the same veterans have high hopes for the young stud, and the latter is thrilled.
Dale Earnhardt Jr and Harvick are giving butterflies to Butterbean
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Brendan “Butterbean” Queen carved a path to glory since entering the motorsport scene. He started with four dominant victories in 2020 at his home track, Langley Speedway. Then Lee Pulliam roped him in, and they found instant success by winning the 2022 South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway.
.@03Butterbean calls the current crop in the @CARSTour the toughest group he’s ever raced against.
He also has been thrilled to be racing and interacting with some of his heroes (and owners) like @DaleJr and @KevinHarvick.
🗯️ “I don’t try to fake it, I just try to be myself.” pic.twitter.com/L8rR044nMg
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) May 20, 2024
Since then, it has only been a journey of victories or excellent performances for Queen. Dale Earnhardt Jr is excited about the grassroots driver’s racing investment paid off on his NASCAR debut. In a recent interview with a Sirius XM NASCAR host, Queen spilled the details, stating, “Yeah, it’s been fun. You know, Dale and I got to know each other in the first Wilkesboro race. We text back and 4th and… He’s excited to see me get this opportunity, tweeted about it last night.”
Kevin Harvick co-owns the CARS Tour series with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hence, the FOX broadcaster also contacted Queen. “Kevin has also been somebody that texted me when I got my announcement… He’s been always great to me, every time I talk to him on the phone or text.”
Finally, Brendan “Butterbean” Queen felt ecstatic that motorsport’s top legends were in touch with him, a dream afforded to a select few. “It’s really cool to see people that I never thought I’d ever talk to in my whole life, you know, supporting us, excited to see me get this shot. It’s been fun. I never thought I’m gonna be one of the main guys in the CARS Tour.”
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Besides the veterans’ well wishes, Queen also bathed in an uproar of fan cheers, which trumped even the race winner at North Wilkesboro.
Queen’s fanbase is unrivaled
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When Butterbean starred in Langley’s weekly shows, he drummed up a fanbase even before fetching victories. Queen’s perseverance and magnetic personality were all it took for him to become a crowd favorite. When he cruised to a 4th-place finish at the NWS Truck race, the fans seemed more enthusiastic about him rather than the winner, Corey Heim.
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The people chanted “Bean Nation”, similar to the roar given to Dale Earnhardt Jr at the Revival Nation in 2022. “I couldn’t believe it,” Queen said. “I thought it was for Corey, my teammate, super happy TRICON Garage got the W. When I found out it was for me, I couldn’t really believe it. It was just a bittersweet moment, just shows how much support there is around the late model guys.”
The fan pull and Queen’s stellar performance may soon land him a place in NASCAR’s premier series.