Queen looking for redemption on Oct. 7

Published 5:06 pm Thursday, October 5, 2023

Brenden Queen

Brenden Queen (03) leads Landon Pembelton (0) and Carson Kvapil (8) out of the fourth turn as
they battle for the lead during the July Virginia Late Model Triple Crown opener at South Boston
Speedway.

Brenden Queen is looking for redemption in the Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Racing Lovers CARS Tour event on Saturday night, Oct. 7 at South Boston Speedway.

The Chesapeake, Virginia resident had a strong performance but came up one position shy of winning the 200-lap race at South Boston Speedway in July that served as the opening race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.

“I’m excited to get back to South Boston Speedway,” Queen said. “I want to get some redemption for the ‘200.’ We had a really good car and came up one spot short in the end. South Boston Speedway is one of the tracks I want to knock off the bucket list of tracks I want to win at, and I feel like we’re going to have a good shot at it with Lee Pulliam Performance.”

Queen was happy with the team’s performance in the July race at South Boston Speedway that included winning the pole for the event, and it gives him confidence entering the 125- lap Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour race that will headline the AutosByNelson. com 250 presented by Virginia Is For Lovers on Saturday night, Oct. 7 at South Boston Speedway.

“I had told myself all that week it (South Boston Speedway) was probably not my best track, not because I wasn’t good there, just because I hadn’t run good there,” Queen noted. “To win the pole that night was a statement with Lee Pulliam. I knew I had a shot to win driving for Lee because he always ran good there, but to finally go there and get the job done gave me a lot of confidence, especially for coming back there.”

Queen is having a stellar season driving for the Alton, Virginia-based Lee Pulliam Performance team. He has four poles, two wins, nine Top-5 finishes, and 12 Top-10 finishes in 13 starts with no DNFs.

“I feel like we’re going to have a really good shot to get another win on the season,” Queen remarked. “We’re trying to finish the season strong, and it (the Oct. 7 race at South Boston Speedway) would definitely be a good night to get a win for Lee right there in his back yard. It would be really good for all of the LPP fans in that area that will be there for the race.”

Queen says the team has the momentum to shine over the stretch run of the season’s final three races.

“We just came off of a win September 9 at New River All American Speedway in the last CARS Tour race,” he pointed out. “I feel like momentum is huge in this sport and I feel like we’ve got a lot of it. We’re determined to finish the year off strong. If we win the last three races, we will have five CARS Tour wins, and we have four poles going into it. There is a lot of potential left, and we want to prove a lot by winning five races this year.”

Standing second in the series point standings and trailing leader Carson Kvapil by 34 points, Queen sees the upcoming race at South Boston Speedway as something of a “must win” situation.

“We’ve got to get the pole, we’ve got to lead the most laps, and we need to win,” Queen explained. “We’re not really concerned about points. We just want to win the race. I always say if we win the race and if it (winning the championship) is meant to be it will happen. You can’t rely on something happening. You’ve got to do the things you can control, and if we can control our destiny with wins that is what we’ll have to do.”

The 125-lap race for the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour will be the highlight race of the Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Racing Lovers at South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, Oct. 7.

In addition to the highly competitive lineup of CARS Tour regulars former NASCAR driver and racing personality Kenny Wallace will be making his CARS Tour debut at South Boston Speedway driving a number 36 entry out of the R&S Racecars stable based at Cluster Springs, Virginia.

In addition, fans will see a 100-lap race for the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Pro Late Model Tour and a 25-lap race for the touring Virginia Mini-Cup Racing Association.

Advance adult general admission tickets for the Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Racing Lovers CARS Tour event are priced at $17 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com or by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877- 440-1540 during regular business hours.

Tickets at the gate on race day on Oct. 7 will be $20 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $17 each at the gate on race day.

The Oct. 7 race day schedule has practice for the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model series being held from 11 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. Practice and qualifying for the Virginia Mini-Cup series is set from 3:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

All speedway spectator gates will open at 3:45 p.m. CARS Tour qualifying starts at 4:15 p.m. A driver autograph session on the frontstretch is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. Driver introductions and pre-race ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m. The first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.