NASCAR is no stranger to famous nicknames such as ‘The Intimidator (Dale Earnhardt), ‘The King’ (Richard Petty), or ‘Rowdy’ (Kyle Busch), but a new challenger for one of the sport’s best names has emerged in recent years: ‘Butterbean.’

Brenden Queen, also known as ‘Butterbean,’ currently leads the way in what is his first full-time ARCA Menards Series, with five wins and nine total top 10s through 12 races in the No. 28 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet. The 27-year-old has also broken into the Craftsman Truck Series, which will head to Watkins Glen on Friday, making four appearances across the last two seasons, most recently finishing 16th in the TSport 200 in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.

The former Late Model champion now has a devoted following of fans, known as “Bean Nation,” courtesy of his unique nickname. And in a recent interview with 2014 Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick, Queen explained that his nickname came about long before his racing days.

“The Butterbean thing came from when I was a baby,” he explained on the ‘Harvick’s Happy Hour‘ podcast. “My granddad called my mom and was like, ‘Turn the TV on, like, your son’s old TV.’ She turned it on, and it was Butterbean the boxer (Eric Esch). 

“And I looked like him as a baby, just had the same, yeah, baby features, right? So, my whole life, my mom called me ‘Butter’ or ‘Butterbean’ and just half the time I didn’t even respond to my name, it just always was ‘Butter’ or something like that. And honestly, it was just kind of between family, and then my friends found out, the teachers found out, the school called me by it.”

Queen’s nickname emerged on the racing scene during his time racing in Legend Cars, although he couldn’t remember if it was his idea to add it to his car’s name rail.

Then, around 2016 or 2017, Queen said he had the opportunity to drop the name when creating merchandise, but seeing an opportunity to create his own unique brand, he stuck with it.

“I want to be different. People hear names all the time, but you don’t forget ‘Butterbean,’” he said. “You might forget Brendan, but you’re not going to forget ‘Butterbean.’”

Now well known in the NASCAR world as ‘Butterbean,’ Queen believes the combination of his brand and the fact that he used to work at The Port of Virginia as a longshoreman has helped him remain relatable to fans.

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“At the end of the day, when I climb that fence, I’m one of those on the other side, I’m ready to come over there and hang out with y’all,” he said. “I feel like the only difference is I got an opportunity, and I make the most of it, but I’ll never be above those people spending their hard-earned money to come watch us race. If they’re not there, what am I racing for?”

Queen will return to action on Friday in the ARCA Medards Series at Watkins Glen when he looks to win his first back-to-back races of the season.