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.
Meanwhile Hall’s only triumph in the event came all the way back in 2019. He’s been close, but hasn’t found victory lane in the race again over the past five years.
With Queen having three Hampton Heat titles to Hall’s one, round one goes his way.
Round 2: zMAX CARS Tour
Winner: Connor Hall
If there’s a race that rivals Hampton Heat for prestige on the Langley calendar, it’s the CARS Tour’s annual trip to town for its annual 125-lap event.
Unlike round one, Hall has the edge in this one.
The last time neither driver won the CARS Tour race at Langley was in 2021.
In 2022, it was Queen scoring his first series victory in only his second start, making a last-lap move on Carson Kvapil for the win.
However, it’s been all Hall in victory lane the past two years. Hall took the lead late from Kaden Honeycutt in 2023, holding on as a late race charge from Queen fell short in second.
This year the two tangled while racing for the lead late in the race, which resulted in a nerf bar hanging off the No. 03 before a spin all-but ended Queen’s night. Hall hung on in a three-wide battle with Kvapil and Brent Crews for his second consecutive series win at Langley.
With two wins to Queen’s one, Hall earns a point for his CARS Tour success.
Round 3: NASCAR Weekly Series
Winner: Connor Hall
This one is close.
Both drivers have had tremendous success at Langley during NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Weekly Series events, but Hall just barely takes the edge on this one.
There’s an argument to be made for both drivers. Queen won three consecutive track championships from 2020-2022 and has fifteen wins at the track in Weekly competition since 2018.
In contrast, Hall only has one track championship coming back in 2023. But what sets him over the edge is the fact that he’s won double the number of features – 30 to Queen’s 15 – since 2018.
This number was boosted by an incredible 14-win season in 2023 that not only won Hall the aforementioned Langley track championship, but the NAAPWS National Championship as well, something Queen doesn’t have on his resume.
Add in seven wins already in 2024 and Hall is dominating in the wins column. Queen has more track championships, but he claimed those with pure consistency, even securing the 2020 title without winning a race.
That dominance from Hall is exactly why he gets the boos. The fans get tired of seeing one guy win so much and be so dominant at a racetrack. But it’s also what gives Hall the edge.
Add in his CARS Tour triumphs and Hall wins the home track rivalry 2-1, despite Queen’s Hampton Heat heroics and impressive resume at the facility.
Of course, these results come with an asterisk for now. In an ever-changing sport and with such small margins separating the pair, this could flip multiple times in the future.
Hall and Queen seem poised to duel at Langley for quite some time. Even if they both make their way to the NASCAR ranks eventually, we’re sure to see more home track battles sometime in the future.
Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com's CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023. Aside from racing, some of Chase's other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.