Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen looks for three-peat as champion at Langley Speedway
No number in stock car racing is more famous than No. 3, the one emblazoned on the side of the late Dale Earnhardt’s black Chevy as he drove to seven NASCAR Cup titles, a record he shares with Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.
Brenden Queen, known more familiarly to all as “Butterbean,” will look to earn another Late Model Division championship Saturday at Langley Speedway in the Visit Hampton VA 100. This one would have the numeral “3″ written all over it.
It would mark a third consecutive Langley Late Model title for Queen, driver of the 03, who also won that division at Dixieland Speedway in North Carolina this season. That makes it three tracks — he won the Late Model title at East Carolina in 2016 — where he has been the Late Model champ.
Most important, Queen can become only the third driver in the 72-year history of Langley Speedway to win three consecutive Late Model titles. He enters Saturday’s race with a 10-point lead over Greg Edwards that is not insurmountable, but gives him a large margin for error.
“Winning one meant so much, and I never knew I’d be in position to win another one, let alone three in a row,” said Queen, a Chesapeake native. “It’s so huge just to be on that list of [Langley] champions.
“To have the opportunity to win and do something that only two people have done, win three in a row, that would be another record to add my name to. It would be a really big deal.
“We all know how good and highly respected Elton Sawyer and C.E. Falk were. To be in the same talk with them is something special.”
Special like his 2022 season. Although Queen won the track’s biggest race, the Hampton Heat, in 2020, some dismissed his Late Model championship that season because he did not win a points race.
He added victories, five of them, to his 2021 title defense. This season, he’s won nine Late Model races at Langley, and another in the prestigious CARS Tour race there, in addition to five on the way to his title at Dixieland, a dirt track in Elizabeth City.
“Working with Phil Warren has obviously helped me,” Queen said of his crew chief, who holds the Langley Late Model division record with seven titles. “The first championship was consistency, and the second one I learned how to really put together races and win.
“This year, I’ve built off of the last two years on how to seal the deal weekly and was able to come out of the gate with a bunch of wins early. I felt I was driving so much more mature.”
The days when people question Queen’s ability are long over, prompting another question: Why hasn’t someone from one of NASCAR’s top series come calling? The answer is sadly familiar in stock car racing, where, unlike football or basketball, sponsorship money often trumps talent as an entry requirement to the top levels.
At 24, Queen understands the window on that dream is closing. That he is at peace with that underscores his aforementioned maturity.
“You always keep chasing [the dream], but at the same time you gotta go with the cards you’re dealt,” Queen said. “I just want to have fun, be competitive and mark my name in the history books, even if it’s as a great local and regional driver.
“I feel like I’m creating my own legacy at Langley, and it’s cool to know I’ll always be in the record book.”
Championship race night
In addition to the Late Model Division, champions will be crowned Saturday at Langley in six other divisions. At one point per racing position, several exciting battles remain.
Trace Wyatt leads his dad, Dannie Wyatt, by one point in the chase for the Champ Kart title. ... Christian Keller is two points in front of Bill Eaker and Tyler Borden in UCAR. ... Chris Roberts leads Tim Wilson by two points in Grand Stock. ... Travis Wall has a six-point edge on Donovan Edwards in Pro Six. ... Ryley Music’s margin over Cody Bryant in Virginia Racers/Limited Late Model is six points. ... Stephen Finn is well ahead in Enduro. ... The Virginia Sprint Car Series will also be on hand as racing begins at 7 p.m.
