Brent Crews was the beneficiary of a last lap caution that allowed him to close the gap on Brenden “Butterbean” Queen and he took full advantage of it by pushing Queen up the track as they came to the checkered flag and beating him to the line.
BRENT CREWS WINS AT PHOENIX!
Heartbreak for Butterbean.@ARCA_Racing | @phoenixraceway https://t.co/nfAblFlZqI pic.twitter.com/fO1MDsyCn4
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 8, 2025
Following the race, Queen shared his frustration, “It’s just frustrating. Only way to beat us was knock us out the way, you know. Honestly, I’m just going to look at it as I got to do a better job on that restart. In my defense, I never should have let him get close enough. I gave him the bottom into [three] to try and not get hit because he had such a run off 2 because I cleared him. Almost wish I wouldn’t have cleared him, maybe, and stayed door to door with and maybe ran him up the hill or something.”
“Just frustrating,” he added. “We’ll analyze this. I’m not going to look at it what he did. I’m going to look at it what I can do better because-. Just don’t let him get close enough. Honestly, it sucks because it’s a one-lap shootout so they’re going to be close to you.”
Butterbean Queen: “It’s just frustrating … Only way they’d beat us was knock us out of the way.” pic.twitter.com/lZnA9Sr2xN
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 8, 2025
Speaking with Bob Pockrass after the race, he reiterated, “I just kind felt that’s the only shot they were going to have was to knock me out of the way. I probably should have done it differently. I should have probably not cleared him and then I would have been on the inside into three. But I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. He had such a good run down the back because I cleared him. So I got to gave him the bottom to hope he would just race me clean. But the problem was once he hit me I just hit the loose stuff and went straight into the fence. Just stuff I gotta clean up on my end.”
Brenden “Butterbean” Queen knew contact was coming from Brent Crews in the ARCA race at Phoenix. What Queen said about losing the race after having the bid lead thanks to a caution on the white-flag lap, choosing the inside on the final restarts and the Crews move for the win: pic.twitter.com/5JDj69d7R9
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 8, 2025
Crews defended his move in a post-race interview, “I was willing to do pretty much whatever it took to win that race. I, obviously, wasn’t going to wreck either of us by any means. I felt like I ran him as hard as he ran me, for sure. He ran me dang near into the wall in the middle of one and two. And he left the lane open in three and four and I put my nose there, got loose off, and we were up into the line. So felt like that was good, hard short track racing and just grateful to be able to get the win.”
Brent Crews on if he felt he did anything overly out of line on the final lap of the ARCA race at Phoenix (he did not and he explains why): @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/j9mtp3C4CB
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 8, 2025
What do you make of Crews’ defense of his move against Queen?