This past Saturday (July 20) night- and early Sunday morning – we saw another epic late race duel between Brenden ‘Butterbean’ Queen and Connor Hall during the 16th annual Hampton Heat.
The two traded haymaker after haymaker in the closing laps, almost handing the race to Peyton Sellers on a silver platter. But in the end, it was Butterbean who emerged victorious.
Both are locals to the Langley area – Hall being from Hampton, Va., while Queen’s roots are based in Chesapeake, Va. The pair have each been dominant at their home track.
The two play a part in a unique dynamic at Langley. Queen is typically met with roaring cheers, while Hall is often showered in boo’s, leading the latter to an interesting comparison following the CARS Tour race at Langley earlier this season.
“I don’t want to use an analogy to like Cup people yet because we’re not there yet,” Hall said. “But this might be like I’m a Kyle Busch, he’s a Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Chase Elliott kind of fan favorite, and I get the boos.”
Both drivers have had their moments over the years, but who truly has the upper hand in this hometown rivalry?
We decided to break it down into three parts – CARS Tour success, Hampton Heat success and weekly success – in an attempt to find the answer.
Round 1: Hampton Heat
Winner: Brenden Queen
It’s hard to talk about historic success at Langley without mentioning the track’s marquee event, the Hampton Heat 200. With 16 editions of the race completed as of this past weekend, Hampton Heat has quickly become a staple of the Late Model Stock car calendar and a race that every driver wants on their resume.
The race now serves as the middle round in the Virginia Triple Crown. Requiring drivers to complete 200 laps with just one set of tires around one of the most worn out racetracks in the Southeast, the race truly tests the conservation skills of every driver.
In this race, we have to give the edge to Butterbean. After what we’ve seen the past two seasons, its hard not to. Queen has bested Hall late in the past two years, leaving Hall to settle for second two years in a row.
After winning his first back in 2020, Queen took the lead from Bobby McCarty with 50 laps to go. Hall followed suit but was never able to track down the No. 03.
In 2024, it was Queen giving the bumper to Hall with six laps to go for the win….
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