“The door is more open than I thought”: Brenden Queen gives a candid take on why his NASCAR debut was perfectly timed 

Brenden Queen reflected on his Xfinity Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway and explained how the opportunity 'opened up'. The 2024 CARS Tour champion credited Flo Racing and FS1 for shedding light on his 'brand'.

Driving the No.11 Chevy for Kaulig Racing, Queen began 28th for the playoff opener on Friday, September 12. The 27-year-old ultimately finished 20th on the running order, while Aric Almirola won the 300-lap event.

Queen, famously known as Butterbean, previously made a Truck Series start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and fared better with a 16th-place finish. His career-best result in the series comes from a fourth-place finish last year at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Reflecting on his recent success, the Chesapeake, Virginia native had this to say (via Autoweek.com),

"I think the door is still more open than I thought it would have been five years ago. Flo Racing (which televises the CARS Tour) did a lot to help me showcase my brand and me as a person. Doing the ARCA Series and being on FS1, I think, just showed the world who I was as a person, not just a race car driver."

“The timing has to work for everybody in this sport, and honestly, for me, it just seemed like it just opened up right at the right time,” he added.

Brenden Queen currently leads the ARCA Menards Series with six wins and 14 top-5s across 17 races. Notably, he recently won at Dover Motor Speedway and became the second driver ever to lead every lap in an ARCA race at the track.

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Brenden Queen opens up about potential Truck Series ride with Kaulig

Kaulig Racing recently announced their Truck Series entry for the 2026 season, with RAM as their OEM. The five-car outfit is yet to confirm their driver line-up, but it's widely believed that Daniel Dye and Brenden Queen will have a place in it.

When asked about the rumour, Queen replied(via Autoweek.com),

"It’s definitely in my consideration."

Regardless of his NASCAR future, the 27-year-old was fairly optimistic about his chances.

“The only series I hadn’t made a debut in is the Cup Series, so that’s pretty cool to know that I’ve made it that far if nothing else ever happen," he said.

Chris Rice, President of Kaulig Racing, recently spoke about Brenden Queen's debut with the team as Josh Williams' replacement at Bristol. He was 'super excited' about Queen and called him a 'great short track racer'.

The Matt Kaulig-owned team currently fields AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon under two full-time Cup Series entries with Chevrolet as their Official Engine Manufacturer. The team's association with RAM makes Matt the first team owner to work with multiple OEMs across the three National Series.