Brenden Queen’s NASCAR journey traces a remarkable path from local Virginia racetracks to the national spotlight and now into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he and his longtime rival-turned-teammate Mini Tyrrell compete for Kaulig Racing and RAM. Their intertwined stories, marked by hometown competitions and relentless ambition, have now brought them together on one of NASCAR’s biggest stages as fellow drivers and, for the first time, official teammates.
Early Days Racing: Local Roots and Fierce Rivalries
Brenden Queen and Mini Tyrrell were destined to cross paths long before their debuts in the Truck Series. Coming up through Virginia’s lively grassroots racing circuits, Queen, from Chesapeake, and Tyrrell, hailing from Manassas some 200 miles away, learned of each other’s skill and determination early in their careers. Queen, now 28, is seven years older than Tyrrell, yet their reputations quickly spread through the local racing community as they competed on parallel tracks, if not always side by side.
“Honestly, when he was young [is when I first heard of Tyrrell],”
Queen tells Frontstretch.
“We’re all from Virginia, and I remember him arena racing and racing late models way before I was because of the age requirement and then he was racing at a track that allowed it because it wasn’t NASCAR.”
– Brenden Queen, Racer
Tyrrell’s precocity in the sport was clear when, at just 10 years old, he became the youngest winner in a Late Model Stock Car at Shenandoah Speedway before capturing two track championships. Queen’s own ascent started at Langley Speedway, rising through the ranks and eventually stepping into a late model at 15 in 2013. Wins at Southern National Motorsports Park in 2016 signaled Queen’s growing stature. His dominance at Langley—three straight championships between 2020 and 2022, as well as three Hampton Heat victories—helped him build a passionate fanbase known as Bean Nation.
“My father had gone to Langley Speedway one weekend and went to watch, and I can’t remember what I was doing,”
Tyrrell told Frontstretch.
“I didn’t go. It was one of the local shows, and Butterbean was winning a bunch of races there. He was a fan favorite, and that was his home track.”
– Mini Tyrrell, Racer
“Dad calls me, because we’d seen Butterbean on social media and whatnot. And he’s like, ‘Hey, Butterbean knows who you are. He’s seen you out there running.’ I think I was racing in Shenandoah Speedway at the time in late models, and I was really young and had got a little bit of social media press from being young and doing the late models at 10 years old. So yeah, [my dad] called me, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s kind of cool. I got a big guy out there in the late model world who knows who I am.’”
– Mini Tyrrell, Racer
Parallel Paths: Rivalries, Respect, and Shared Experiences
While Tyrrell carved his path in the zMAX CARS Tour LMSC division from 2019, earning his first series victory at 16, Queen was making his mark at the local level and balancing his racing with a job as a longshoreman at The Port of Virginia. Their competitive worlds converged further in 2022 as Queen entered a pair of CARS races, including a win at Langley, and both took part in the Virginia Triple Crown that year.
Soon after, Queen became a full-time competitor in the CARS series, aligning with Lee Pulliam Performance, while Tyrrell raced for his family’s team. Queen tallied four wins in 2023 and finished as runner-up in the series, while Tyrrell endured a winless year. In 2024, the situation flipped—Queen clinched the championship, and Tyrrell finished third in points, breaking his winless streak the following year with three victories and a fifth-place points finish.
“We raced super hard, door to door all season long and had our battles,”
Tyrrell says.
“But me and Butterbean have always remained friends. Just two guys that want to do the best they can and are very talented. He’s such a talented racecar driver, and he’s a great personality too. There’s a reason he’s got the fans and the following that he does because he’s a great personality.”
– Mini Tyrrell, Racer
On-track intensity sometimes boiled over, such as in the heated 2024 Wake County Speedway race, but their connection endured beyond competition.
“Friends gotta punch each other a few times before they become besties, right?”
Tyrrell says. – Mini Tyrrell, Racer
Turning Points: Queen’s ARCA Glory and a Teammate’s Breakthrough
Their career trajectories shifted in 2025. Queen moved up to the ARCA Menards Series, where he found remarkable success, claiming eight wins and the championship. This breakout year did not go unnoticed—Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice offered Queen select starts in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series before assigning him the No. 12 truck full time in the current season.
“Honestly, when I won Dover [Motor Speedway], Chris Rice reached out,”
Queen recalls.
“And I had actually met with Chris Rice before, but honestly, after I won Dover, I was at the Waffle House on the way back to the Hampton Heat, and Chris reached out wanting to chat.”
– Brenden Queen, Racer
“And so part of the deal when I signed for this RAM deal was they threw me in the [No.] 11 car last year, which was awesome, dream come true and had speed. I mean, they threw me to the wolves. … I think it just helped prepare me for this year, working with my crew chief Eddie [Pardue]. So there was a lot of good things, but that’s kind of how the relationship started with Chris and RAM and everybody at Kaulig and Matt [Kaulig].”
– Brenden Queen, Racer
Queen’s rise marked a new chapter for Virginia racers in the national ranks, benefitting from connections to racing heritage—Rice began his career at South Boston Speedway, while Queen’s crew chief Eddie Pardue raced at Langley years ago.
Meanwhile, Tyrrell’s fortunes changed thanks to “RAM: Race for the Seat,” a reality competition show designed to find grassroots talent for a full-time Kaulig Truck ride. Called personally by Chris Rice, Tyrrell eagerly accepted the challenge.
“So I was at South Boston racing in September,”
Tyrrell says.
“It was one of the last CARS Tour races, and Chris had given me a phone call and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this show for RAM and we want you to be a part of it. Is it something that you’re interested in doing? You have an opportunity to drive a Craftsman truck next year for a full season.’ And I said, ‘Mr. Rice, that’s all you had to say. Whatever I got to do, I’m in.’”
– Mini Tyrrell, Racer
Emerging victorious, Tyrrell capped his grassroots journey by winning the show—interestingly, at South Boston, a place of meaning for both Queen’s and Rice’s histories—and joined Queen on the Kaulig Truck team.
“I’m so grateful and so thankful to them that I came out on top and won the seat,”
Tyrrell says.
“And for what they’ve done for me so far, little Mini would have never thought that he would be at this level and be getting such a phenomenal treatment that I’m getting.”
– Mini Tyrrell, Racer
“… I didn’t see myself at this age being here yet. I thought it was going to take a little longer.”
– Mini Tyrrell, Racer
Their mutual experience converged on the set of the show as Queen, now a leader within the organization, helped set up the competition vehicles. Reflecting on their shared rise, Queen said:
“Obviously, I’ve known Mini a long time, and then we CARS Tour raced for a couple of years there,”
Queen says.
“So I think the coolest part about it is just two short track guys making it. When you’re a short track guy, you pull for all the short track guys to get a shot, because you know how important it is and how hard it is.”
– Brenden Queen, Racer
“So obviously, there was a lot of talent on the show, and there’s a lot of people that gave him a run for his money, but it is cool to have somebody on the team that you know already and you’ve been around. So I think that makes it easier for me, at least.”
– Brenden Queen, Racer
Partnership in the Truck Series: Rivals Become Mentors
After years of travel, rivalry, and respect, Queen and Tyrrell have merged their paths at a critical moment in their careers as they embark on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit together. Their relationship has evolved from heated on-track competition to supportive camaraderie, with Queen’s experience naturally positioning him as a mentor to Tyrrell.
“It’s just really cool to have him as a teammate and us growing up racing against each other and being friends and now actually working for the same race team,”
Tyrrell explains.
“So it’s really cool because now me and him talk all the time, and he helps me out and gives me advice because he’s got more experience than I do in this. So I try to lean on him a little bit when I can.”
– Mini Tyrrell, Racer
Their results so far reflect their drive and adjustment to this new level of competition. Queen currently ranks sixth in the Truck points standings, having already scored a top-10 finish, while Tyrrell sits fifteenth after a pair of 19th-place runs as of the season’s early stages.
Looking Forward: New Tracks, Lasting Bonds
As Queen and Tyrrell prepare for an upcoming race on the challenging Streets of St. Petersburg, the duo faces a new kind of test—one far different from the ovals and local tracks where their rivalry first sparked. The shared journey of these Virginia grassroots racers stands as a testament to perseverance and local support, with Queen’s NASCAR journey serving as an example for others seeking to rise from regional circuits to the national spotlight.
With mentors like Chris Rice, Matt Kaulig, and Eddie Pardue supporting them, both drivers carry Virginia’s racing legacy with them as they compete together at the highest level. Their story is a powerful reminder of how rivals can become teammates, friends, and, perhaps, each other’s pathways to greater success. As the season continues, fans will be watching closely to see how Brenden Queen and Mini Tyrrell’s intertwined stories play out in the next chapter of their racing careers.
