Facing the heat: Brenden Queen readying himself for one hot night at Langley Speedway’s Hampton Heat

There are few better at Langley Speedway than Brenden Queen. The driver affectionally called “Butterbean” by his fans and friends is a three-time track champion at the Hampton, Virginia NASCAR Home Track in the headlining Late Model Stock Car division. His success at Langley has helped propel him to regional success, which includes a victory last year in the South Carolina 400 at Florence Motor Speedway and a CARS Tour triumph this season at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Now Queen, who is chasing the CARS Late Model Stock Tour championship with Lee Pulliam Performance this season, returns to his home track for what is billed as America’s hottest race, the Hampton Heat 200. RELATED: Watch the Hampton Heat 200 live on FloRacing “Racing is physically and mentally challenging,” Queen said. “But now on top of that you’re having the challenge of the heat. The cars haven’t gotten any cooler with the no ride height rule and motors making more power. They’re sealed off; they’re hot.” The race, held each July during the hottest portion of the summer, is typically contested in scorching temperatures surpassing 100 degrees. Even though the race takes the green flag at 8:45 p.m. ET after the sun goes down, the temperature in Hampton is still expected to at least be in the mid-80s. Add the heat generated by the race cars, and you’ve got the makings of a sauna that could easily roast a driver who is unprepared. That’s why Queen started physically preparing a week before the race. “You’ve got to prepare yourself,” Queen said. “I started drinking and hydrating with Pedialyte and trying to eat healthy (Sunday). I feel like to win this race it starts a week before, really.” The heat is just one of the challenges Queen and his competition will face Saturday night. Another significant challenge will be the race track itself, which is known to chew up tires and penalize drivers who go too hard too soon. [caption id="attachment_400582" align="aligncenter" width="1300"] Brenden Queen (03), Carson Kvapil (8) and Landon Pembelton (0) during the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway earlier this month. (Photo: Adam Fenwick/NASCAR)[/caption] Teams will be expected to complete all 200 laps of Saturday’s Hampton Heat on the same four Hoosier tires on which they qualify. For comparison, Langley Speedway typically hosts twin 50-lap features for Late Model Stock Car teams for a total of 100 laps on the same set of tires. That means Queen and the rest of the field will have to go twice as long on tires during Saturday’s race, which Queen believes will create a lot of comers and goers throughout the field as drivers attempt to save their tires for the final run to the checkered flag. “Tires are going to be big,” Queen said. “We’ve got to run 200 laps on the same set. That’s a big deal at Langley, because we run Twin 50s on a regular night, and by the second race the tires are giving up. Now we’ve got to go another 100 laps on the same set. “You’re going to have to be smart. Obviously with Twin 50s you’re normally going hard all race. That first 100 laps, you’re probably going to see a lot of couple seconds off the pace riding. You’re going to have comers and goers, you’re going to have guys who go, ‘They’re going too slow, I’m going to go up here and lead the race,' and you’ll have guys who are content to ride at the back of the field on the lead lap. “I think you’re not going to know who is bad and who is good until we get past halfway.” RELATED: Everything you need to know about the Hampton Heat 200 In addition to being one of Late Model Stock Car racing’s crown-jewel events, Saturday’s Hampton Heat also doubles as the second round of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown. Queen, following a runner-up finish in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway that kicked off the Triple Crown, sits second in the mini-series standings. A good run at Langley would put Queen in prime position to claim his first Virginia Late Model Triple Crown championship when the series comes to a close at Martinsville Speedway with the running of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 on Sept. 23. “It would be really, really big,” Queen said about winning the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown. “South Boston has been my Achilles heel. We could never come out of there with a good shot. This year being with Lee [Pulliam], we obviously came out of there almost winning the race. “We didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot to start; now we’re in it. We have a shot. We’re going back to my track, which I feel is my best one of the three. Hopefully I can get out of there with a win or a solid finish. Then we’re going to Martinsville, where Lee Pulliam has got probably one of the best average finishes there. I’m excited to go there because I feel like I’ll have a shot to win the race. “If we win the races, the Triple Crown will come with it.”