NASCAR Midseason Prospect List: Will 'Butterbean' Be Next Older Driver To Make It?

Brenden "Butterbean" Queen won’t be on this list much longer.

At age 27, he’ll drop off this list of prospect rankings after this season, as one of the conditions is that a driver is under 28 years old.

Queen is getting his first shot at a national series this year, as he leads the ARCA standings with five victories. His next step would be full-time truck or full-time Xfinity. He's hopeful — but not fully certain — that he'll reach this goal.

Brenden Queen talks with members of his crew during practice for the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 200 at Talladega 

Four or five years ago, someone of Queen’s age would be considered too old.

"You can kind of see the tide turning where the teams are looking at it like sometimes having an 18-year-old, they’ve got a longer career, maybe," Queen said.

"But at the same time, if you’ve got a 27-year-old, 28-year-old that can be good marketing for your partners and can also go get the job done, there's nothing wrong with that."

Queen should thank Josh Berry for maybe a more hopeful outlook. Berry had similar roots, racing late model stocks in the Southeast. He got his first relatively full season on a NASCAR national level at age 30.

Josh Berry waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 

Berry said that Queen being 27 "is not that old."

"It’s a reality that all of our journeys are a little bit different getting to this point," Berry said. "Some of us, it takes a little longer. He’s done a really good job.

"I feel like my success coming from a late model primarily straight to the Xfinity car opened up people's eyes of what's possible, that the late model stocks is a good proving ground to go right into a heavier car."

Queen has