DAYTONA 500 Notebook: ‘Butterbean’ headed to Waffle House after winning ARCA 200
Brenden "Butterbean" Queen celebrates in Victory Lane - once he was told where to go.
By Don Coble
DAYTONA BEACH – It took Brenden “Butterbean” Queen 90 minutes to finish his interview requests and media responsibilities Saturday afternoon after winning the Ride the ‘Dente 200, the season-opener for the ARCA Menard Series, before he left the infield media center.
Ten
minutes later, the energetic 27-year-old rookie ran through a side door, hoisted
the race trophy over his shoulder and left through the same side door. Although
he’s won several small track championships, he wasn’t accustomed to the routine
– like taking the trophy – after winning on stock car’s biggest stage – the Daytona
International Speedway.
His naivety was on display long before he forgot the trophy. During his cool-down lap, he radioed his team that he didn’t know what to do or where to go.
They
told him to go to the start/finish line “and burn it down” with a burnout.
Queen’s
winning strategy was simple in design yet difficult to accomplish – survival.
Even
by ARCA standards, there was considerable carnage for the support series for
drivers more used to competing on local Midwest short tracks. In the first hour,
the pace was slowed by 51 minutes of yellow and red flag periods.
Queen’s
No. 28 Chevrolet was one of the few cars that finished without damage. Only
nine of 40 cars weren’t involved in seven cautions.
It was so bad that three cars, including one driven by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, crashed more than half of a mile after taking the checkered flag.
Queen
avoided the trouble by keeping it behind him for the final 10 laps.
“We
brought a bullet to the ARCA Series, baby,” Queen said. “We’re going to the
Waffle House tonight!”
Castroneves
was second when they took the white flag for the final lap. William Sawalich
moved to the outside lane, followed by Jason Kitzmiller and Lavar
Scott. As they maneuvered past Castroneves, Queen moved in front of Sawalich to
block their advance, which left Castroneves without a drafting partner. Without
help, he faded to a sixth-place finish.
Queen
admitted his victory was improbable because he wasn’t experienced with racing
at speeds greater than 185 mph or where aerodynamics plays a significant role.
“I'm
just a late model guy that worked hard to get this shot, and I didn't think it
should be where the first win came, but we're going to take it,” he said. “I
got to thank the whole state (Virginia) and my family.”
COREY LAJOIE RIDES WITH AIR FORCE’S THUNDERBIRDS – Although NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie, who will start 12th in Sunday’s Daytona 500 (1:30 p.m., FOX), said he rarely feels anxiety by the thrill of speed, he said a ride aboard one of the U.S. Air Ford Thunderbirds “felt like there was a bungee cord got attached to my soul and was yanked.”
The
Thunderbirds are a traditional part of the pre-race ceremonies for the Great
American Race. They practiced Friday around the speedway and along the coastline,
and Maj. Bryce “Triple” Turner gave LaJoie a ride aboard an F-16.
“You
missed what I qualified for this week, and that's the 9Gs club,” LaJoie said. “For
those who have not pulled 9Gs, I don't wish it upon anybody. It's a
blast.”
LaJoie
said after Turner took off, he went into an immediate 10,000-foot climb, and we
did a four-point roll. I almost lost my breakfast out into the cockpit. I don’t
get seasick. I don’t get car sick. I don’t get motion sick. It’s what I do for
a living. But when you’re going 400 mph and sitting in a piece of
machinery that can do anything you want, it makes your body feel like
a bag of fluid and bones.”
Turner
said despite contrary beliefs, Thunderbirds pilots don’t try to make their
civilian passengers sick.
“That’s
the Blue Angels,” he said. “They go up there. They just want to rage. We go up
there. We want to make sure that Corey is having the best time.”
LaJoie
said while he was on the verge of getting sick, he fared better than a two-time
Cup Series champion. Turner was allowed to take the stick to help him calm
his stomach and nerves.
“I
don't really know why he'd want to give me the stick,” LaJoie said. “He must
not watch me on Sundays. Why would you want me to fly the plane? But once he
let me do that, my stomach settled down, and we were able to pull the 9.3G, and
I didn't pass out.
“Now
I'm not going to name names – Joey Logano – passed out. I just wanted to ensure I wasn't in that club.”
NASCAR and the HONOR and REMEMBER
ORGANIZATION honored
two Gold Star families during the Daytona 500 weekend.
Army Specialist Daniel J. Agami, 25, played
sports and was an avid bodybuilder. He attended Marjory Stoneman-Douglas High
in Parkland, Florida, and Broward College before enlisting at 23.
After being deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, his
1/26 Army Infantry Unit was hit by a roadside bomb on June 21, 2007.
Agami was awarded the Purple Heart and
other medals. During Saturday’s United Rentals 300, his family was honored for
the Xfinity Series.
During Sunday’s Daytona 500, Army Cpl.
Jimmy Lee Shelton, 21, of Lehigh Acres, was honored.
He was killed on Dec. 3, 2005, when his
forward operating base was attacked by enemy forces using mortars in Bayji, Iraq.
He served with the 101st Airborne Division in Fort
Campbell, Kentucky.
SHORT SHIFTS – President Donald J. Trump will attend Sunday’s race, so track officials said fans should plan to arrive earlier than usual to get through security. His limousine, called “The Beast,” arrived Saturday afternoon … The green flag will wave at 1:30 p.m. – an hour earlier than initially planned – because inclement weather is forecasted for late Sunday … Pitbull will perform the pre-race concert, but he also made news Friday when he informed primary car owner Justin Marks at Trackhouse Racing he was ending his minority stake in the team immediately. He didn’t provide a reason … After seeing IndyCar Series driver Helio Castroneves get a free exemption into the Daytona 500 lineup, six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon said Saturday he’s considering a 2026 Daytona 500 run. Dixon already has four overall wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona … After having the team’s victory stripped by NASCAR after Parker Klingerman’s Ford was too low in the rear, Henderson Motorsports announced Saturday it would appeal NASCAR’s decision.
