It only took one race for Butterbean to go from overlooked to undeniable. Brenden “Butterbean” Queen lit up the racing world with his stunning Daytona win earlier this year, a breakout moment that marked his arrival on the national stage. That superspeedway stunner cracked open the door, but on August 1, 2025, at Iowa Speedway, he kicked it wide open. In a bold, brutal battle with Brent Crews, Queen secured his first ARCA short track win. Although he has enjoyed a stellar 2025 ARCA Menards Series campaign, none of his four victories prior to Friday night had come on a track under a mile in length. And behind every lap, one voice has remained constant, his team owner and closest confidant, Lee Pulliam, a man Queen has shared he now considers a “blood brother”.
The Virginia native went from karting at Langley Speedway at just six years old to dominating local short tracks across Virginia and North Carolina, building a reputation of his own. He worked as a longshoreman by day while racking up late model wins by night, winning Langley Speedway track championships in 2020 and 2021. By 2022, he’d made headlines by winning nine asphalt races, five dirt events, and two regional titles, all in one season. But it wasn’t until Queen partnered with Lee Pulliam Performance in 2023 that his career truly turned a corner.
The bond that goes beyond the track
On Kevin Harvick’s “Happy Hour” podcast, Queen, nicknamed ‘Butterbean’, confirmed that his connection with Lee Pulliam extends far beyond racing. Harvick observed how the two seemed more like brothers than driver and team owner, and Queen didn’t disagree. He described a relationship built on daily conversations, genuine connection, and unwavering support. “Lee and I just clicked as people off the track, and we were more alike than we ever would have known.” In a sport where ride arrangements often start and end with the checkered flag, Queen stressed that this was different. “It’s a relationship that, hey, if we don’t ever race again. He’ll be my brother for life,” he claimed.
That strong foundation traces back to 2022, when Queen teamed up with Lee Pulliam Performance (LPP). Their first start together resulted in a win at Florence’s South Carolina 400. Over the next two years, the duo accumulated six CARS Tour victories, including back-to-back Hampton Heat wins at Langley and the 2024 CARS Tour championship. Queen openly credits Pulliam, “my biggest cheerleader and hardest critic” for pushing him to this level.
Queen’s successful partnership with Lee Pulliam Performance paved the way for his opportunity to compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series with Pinnacle Racing Group, where he has already captured five wins in just 13 starts, including his Daytona debut and that emotional short-track breakthrough at Iowa Speedway. “When I finish one of these ARCA races, he’s already sent me a text about what I need to do. Watched the whole thing. Watched every lap. It’s a relationship that, hey, we don’t ever race again. He’ll be my brother for life.”
While Lee was already a formidable force in Late Model Stock racing, a four-time NASCAR Weekly Series national champion, with wins at marquee events like the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville, yet he never made the leap into full-time NASCAR or ARCA competition himself. Queen acknowledges that about him: “…our relationship is just so different and I’m thankful for it, because, in my opinion, I raced against him, and he should have been farther along than I am.” Instead of chasing his own national glory, Pulliam built a launching pad for talents like Queen and Corey Heim, Queen believes.
Truck Series or Xfinity next? Queen’s last shot at the prospect list
Brenden Queen is on the verge of aging off NASCAR’s coveted Midseason Prospect List, which requires drivers be under 28 years old, a rule that could sideline him after this season. At age 27, he is competing with young drivers like Connor Zilisch (19) & Brent Crew (17). The short track standout is making his first run in a national series this year, topping the ARCA standings with five wins and eyeing a full-time Truck or Xfinity seat next.
As, apart from ARCA, ‘Butterbean‘ is also part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, including a smart debut with TRICON Garage at North Wilkesboro, where he impressed with a top-5 finish despite setbacks. Most recently, he returned behind the wheel of the No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports at Indianapolis Raceway Park his fourth Truck start to date .
So what’s next? For Queen to claim a full-time ride whether in the Truck Series or the Xfinity Series he needs consistent results, sponsorship momentum, and perhaps most critically, a shift in the age narrative. As veteran Josh Berry demonstrated, breaking in later isn’t a career death sentence. If Queen can leverage his Iowa win and ARCA dominance into a national seat before the season ends, he may prove that potential, is all that counts.
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