What’s Happening?

The 2026 NASCAR Silly Season rumors continue to heat up for Brenden Queen as a new rumor claims that multiple Craftsman Truck Series teams are interested in bringing on the Short Track ace for the coming season.

With the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season looming in the background, there are plenty of rumors about what moves teams will make. Perhaps the most interesting drivers in the rumor mill are Kaden Honeycutt, who is rumored to be headed to TRICON Garage, and his fellow CARS Tour alumnus, Brenden “Butterbean” Queen.

Queen, a 27-year-old rookie in the ARCA Menards Series, has taken the NASCAR world by storm this season, winning six of the Series’ first sixteen races while maintaining the points lead for the bulk of the year. While there are still four races left in the season, Queen is the talk of the town in NASCAR Silly Season, with fans rooting for him to get a promotion to the Truck Series for 2026, and so far, the rumor mill has favored him doing so.

One major rumor surrounding Queen is that he could race for Kaulig Racing’s new Ram Team, which will field five trucks in 2026.

During a recent episode of the Closing Laps Podcast, Brakehard said he thinks there is “enough smoke” around this pairing that it might become a reality. But he also noted that he has heard “there are multiple truck series teams that are after Butterbean for a full-time ride next year.”

While these are rumors, it should be no surprise that this is the case, but the question remains: which teams are these?

What Team’s Want Butterbean?

Brakehard went on to say that Ram is “absolutely” pursuing the former CARS Tour Late Model Stock champion, and that there are “maybe two” teams in the Chevrolet camp pursuing him.

So, who are some of these candidates?

Chevrolet Teams

The first two teams that might come to mind for fans of the Truck Series are Spire Motorsports and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

While MHR has yet to confirm any roster changes for 2026, the four (and sometimes five) truck operation has had a down season after a groundbreaking 2024 with Christian Eckes. There are no rumors Queen could end up in this camp, but if MHR wants to find its competitive edge again, he could be a solid fit.

Of course, Queen’s only Craftsman Truck Series start this season came with Spire Motorsports at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July. Though they have not announced their intentions for 2026, since this start, the once four-truck team has downsized to three, with some rumors online suggesting they could even go down to two trucks.

While there may no longer be room for Queen at Spire, a flurry of moves in early August, including Spire’s downsizing, could push Queen to Niece Motorsports. Niece has had an odd season, with plans for three full-time drivers falling to two, and ultimately one, after releasing Kaden Honeycutt prior to the race at Watkins Glen for signing with a new team and OEM for 2026.

After Watkins Glen, Spire released Andrés Pérez de Lara, with the former ARCA Champion taking over Niece’s No. 44. If Queen were to stay in the Chevy camp, Niece, who now has new ownership, could be a solid opportunity for him to get his start at the next level, all while Niece gets a fresh start after a chaotic season.

Kaulig Racing

While there are other options, such as Tricon or ThorSport Racing, which just announced Matt Crafton’s retirement, perhaps leaving an open spot in their Ford lineup, odds are the Kaulig Rumors aren’t going anywhere soon.

As part of Kaulig’s deal with Ram, which will see them continue to field Chevrolets in the O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) and Cup Series next season, the team will likely have sponsor support from Ram’s owner, Stellantis.

If the trucks are sponsored (and with five total seats to fill), Queen is a great starting point for a team trying to find its footing in a new series and a returning OEM trying to re-establish itself in NASCAR.

Recently, there have been some new clues piecing the two together.

Following the release of Josh Williams from the team’s No. 11 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Kaulig has relied on a rotating door of outside help to field the car, first with Spire Motorsports Cup Series driver, then Superscars star Will Brown, and this weekend, MHR’s Daniel Hemric.

But, for Bristol, Kaulig announced on September 5 that Butterbean will make his series debut in the car at Bristol. This announcement, of course, reignited speculation of a potential partnership for 2026. Nonetheless, neither the driver, OEM, nor the team has announced any drivers for next season.

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