BUTTERBEAN QUEEN – ARCA MENARDS PHOTO
ARCA Racing Staff Reports – Earning another ARCA Menards Series checkered flag on Friday evening required Butterbean Queen to put on a defensive clinic.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Points Leader Corey Heim was a late addition to Friday’s race, filling in for the ailing Jake Finch. The Marietta, Georgia native was a constant presence in Butterbean’s rearview mirror during the closing stages of the Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway. The only things Butterbean could do was to break the draft and dump as much dirty air on Heim’s front bumper as he could.
Butterbean Queen withstood Heim’s spirited charge to claim his third ARCA Menards Series victory across seven career starts. The final laps featured plenty of stress, but the always jovial Queen was elated to celebrate a win in his first trip to Michigan. “I have so much respect for Corey Heim,” Butterbean said. “I knew I was going to have to hold off Heim Time there, but it’s Bean Nation time tonight!”
Queen opened his maiden ARCA Menards Series campaign with Pinnacle Racing Group by prevailing at Daytona International Speedway. It would be nearly three months before Queen returned to Victory Lane, as he capped off a near-perfect day at Kansas Speedway by besting William Sawalich in a one-lap shootout.
Misfortune at Talladega Superspeedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway prevented Queen from entering Michigan with the ARCA Menards Series points lead. With Queen’s deficit to Lavar Scott only four points, all he needed was a flawless outing in the Henry Ford Health 200 to swing momentum back in his favor.
Butterbean utilized the raw speed of his No. 28 PRG Chevrolet to claim his first General Tire Pole Award and lead the most laps, yet a victory was far from assured with Heim applying relentless pressure.
Heim, who was substituting for an ill Jake Finch in the No. 25 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports, had not run an ARCA Menards Series event since winning at Kansas in 2022. Finding proper balance with the car took time for Heim, but he commended crew chief Shannon Rusch for the adjustments that helped get in a position to challenge Queen.
“Our cars were very equal, so I think it came down to track position,” Heim said. “Not having run one of these things in a long time, it’s tough to dial that in. That last run was by far our best. We sort of struggled with it for the first two stints. The No. 28 was really, really quick and Butterbean did a tremendous job as well. It’s really tough to beat that, so props to those guys.”
Being able to fend off Heim for the victory could potentially be crucial to Queen’s championship hopes if one trend stays intact. Three of the last four ARCA Menards Series winners at Michigan have gone on to win the series championship. The only one of that group not to do so was Connor Zilisch in 2024, who was driving a part-time schedule with PRG.
With three victories already to his name this season, Butterbean Queen is emerging as a favorite for the 2025 ARCA Menards Series title, as he now holds a six-point advantage on Lavar Scott, who finished in 5th place today at Michigan. Queen admitted to being surprised but grateful for his ongoing racing journey, one that started on his home track, Langley Speedway, and could potentially take him to bigger things.
“It’s insane,” Queen said. “I’m representing all my guys back at Langley Speedway. They work so hard. It started back in Legends cars with Phil Warren helping me, then going to Lee Pulliam’s team. I’m super proud of this Pinnacle Racing Group. This win goes to these guys and everyone else back at the shop. We have unbelievable cars every week and they make me look good.”
Lawless Alan finished 3rd behind Butterbean Queen and Corey Heim. Gio Ruggiero finished 4th and Lavar Scott rounded out the top five. The rest of the top 10 included Thad Moffitt, Tyler Reif, Jason Kitzmiller, Isabella Robusto and Eloy Falcon.
After three consecutive intermediate races, the ARCA Menards Series heads back to a short track next weekend when the series invades Michigan’s Berlin Raceway. The Berlin ARCA 200 begins at 7 p.m. ET, with FS1 providing live, flag-to-flag coverage.