As North Wilkesboro Speedway returns to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule for a second consecutive year, numerous well-known short-track racers are chomping at the bit to earn a victory at the historic facility, which is engrained in the history of NASCAR.
Enter Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, a standout in Super Late Model competitions across the United States and a five-time winner in the CARS Late Model Tour. The 26-year-old driver will attempt to catch lightning in a bottle this May, as he runs double-duty at the historic 0.625-mile North Carolina short track.
In addition to running Wednesday’s CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car event at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Queen will also make his debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, joining race-winning organization TRICON Garage to drive the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in the Wright Brand 250.
Best Repair Company, a full-service mechanical and electrical repair and maintenance provider based in Norfolk, Virginia, will sponsor Queen in his series debut. Longtime racing supporter Leith Cars will also be featured in an associate role.
“I have been dreaming of this since I started racing go karts at six years old,” said Queen. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to team up with TRICON and Toyota to make my Truck Series debut at the track that put my name on the map last year.”
Seth Smith, has worked with the rotating cast of characters in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra — which has included Toni Breidinger, Colby Howard, William Sawalich, and Christopher Bell, among others — will head up the effort for Queen.
While Queen has no prior experience racing in NASCAR’s National Series, the short-track ace does have one prior start in the ARCA Menards Series, racing at Daytona International Speedway with Vizion Motorsports in 2019, where he scored a finish of 29th after a mid-race accident.
To get a better sense of the characteristics of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series entry, Queen will have his four full-time teammates to lean on for the event in Dean Thompson, Corey Heim, Tanner Gray, and Taylor Gray.
