Brenden 'Butterbean' Queen to make NASCAR Xfinity debut at Bristol

Brenden Queen, known by his many fans as 'Butterbean,' will make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. He will pilot the No. 11 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing.

The team has been using a variety of drivers since parting ways with Josh Williams in the middle of the season. Carson Hocevar drove the car at Iowa, followed by Michael McDowell at Watkins Glen, Justin Haley at Daytona, and reigning Supercars champion Will Brown at Portland.

The No. 11's best finish this year is sixth, with just three top tens this year. Queen will become the car's sixth different driver in the last six races. 

“It’s been a dream of mine to get a chance to drive in the Xfinity Series,” said Queen. “I can’t thank everyone at Kaulig Racing enough for making that dream become a reality. I’m fortunate to have this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to Bristol and give the team all I’ve got and have a solid day.”

The 27-year-old made a name for himself in late models, where he won several prestigious events and collected the 2024 Late Model Stock Car Tour championship.

He currently leads the ARCA championship standings with six wins in 16 starts this year, but he also has four starts in the NASCAR Truck Series. He finished fourth in his Truck debut at North Wilkesboro last year, and he's since run three additional races in 2025 with both Spire Motorsports and TRICON Garage. 

Queen will be a teammate to Christian Eckes in the No. 16 and Daniel Dye in the No. 10, who are both full-time drivers for Kaulig. Queen's name has also come up as a potential driver for Kaulig's new Truck Series fleet, as the team plans to run five entries as part of a new partnership with Ram in 2026.

“We’re super excited to be a part of Brenden’s next steps in his racing career,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “He has made a splash in the ARCA Menards Series and is an all-around great short track racer, so we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do in the Xfinity Series under the lights at Bristol.”