Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen has been one of the most talked-about young prospects in the stock car racing scene over the last year. Unable to secure his full-time opportunity with Vizion Motorsports, Queen continued to brush up his skills in Late Model stock car racing. This is where Kyle Larson’s shot-caller and crew chief honed his racing skills as a driver and had his first interaction with Butterbean.

Although Cliff Daniels’ racing career was short, competing in the late model races in his home state, Virginia, he had some fond memories. Especially, driving the backup car for the Mack McKee team during the 2018 Thanksgiving Classic at Kenly. This was the first time the two met and instantly developed a bond, one that still grows strong to this day.

Since then, Daniels has gone on to win the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series championship and multiple races with Kyle Larson. However, there could be a potential opportunity for the HMS crew chief to compete in the 2024 Southern Nationals. And Queen would welcome him back to the team with open arms if he wished to get back to racing.

Cliff Daniels could be back behind the wheels

It’s hard to imagine the 36-year-old expert crew chief competing in the races himself. As strange as it may sound, this is how he started his racing career. After graduating as a mechanical engineer, little did he know that he would go on to lead one of the best Cup Series teams.

The likes of Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr are all in their 40s and are still competitive racers. So the idea of Daniels getting back to racing isn’t something surprising, but would he choose to compete again in a Late Model stock car? That is the question. As far as Brenden Queen is concerned, he has everything in place to get Daniels behind the wheel again.

“I’m going to be in Lee’s car that weekend, so if Cliff wants to race, I would pull that car out in a heartbeat and we’ll get it to the track for him. He would have to bring his guys to the race track, but short of that, I would do anything for Cliff Daniels, man. If he called me and said, ‘let’s go race,’ that’s what we’re going to do because I would do anything for him. He’s just a really good guy, and he means a lot to me.” Queen said this in an interview with Sportsnaut.

The feeling seems mutual, as Cliff Daniels does keep tabs on Queen’s progress as a race car driver. While he is also a fan of Butterbean, he makes sure he keeps the young driver in check. In doing so, he manages a dual role of being a mentor and a friend to the zMAX CARS Tour sensation.

Daniels provides much-needed constructive criticism to the young driver

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The crew chief of the No. 5 HMS car has his hands full with the preparations for the race on weekdays and racing on weekends. But despite that, he still takes time out to follow up on what’s going on in the Late Model stock car racing scene. He is involved in the process of keeping Butterbean in check, constantly reminding him how he can get better on and off the racetrack.

“What I love about Cliff, beyond being a great guy and great friend that I can talk to about anything, is that I can always trust him to call me out on my bull. He’s a constructive criticism guy and I need that, right? You don’t need to be told how right you are all the time in this sport. I am wrong a lot and Cliff will always tell me ‘be better’ and ‘do this better,” Queen added.

It will be interesting to see if Cliff Daniels fancies his chance to get back to competitive racing.