London McKenzie, a teenager from Asheboro, has a role with a racing team to compete in ARCA races this year. (Courtesy photo)
ASHEBORO — At 15 years old, London McKenzie has already experienced the thrill of stepping out of a race car in victory lane.
The Asheboro boy has been driving on various tracks since before he was a teenager. He’s a national champion.
He’s in his first season with CW Motorsports in the ARCA series, steering the No. 93 Chevrolet.
“Being in ARCA still feels like a dream to me,” McKenzie said. “Flying through the corners in a big-body stock car. I’m super grateful.”
In his ARCA debut, McKenzie placed eighth out of 21 drivers last month in the Pensacola 150 at Five Flaggs in Pensacola, Florda. During the past weekend, another potentially special occasion went awry when a practice-lap accident for the ARCA race at Rockingham Speedway caused him to miss the race.
Rockingham Speedway would have been the biggest track for his ARCA endeavors because until he turns 18 years old he’s not permitted to drive at layouts larger than 1 mile.
CW Motorsports team owner Caleb Costner said McKenzie is an ideal fit to join the circuit.
“Adding London to our roster in the ‘93’ shows the talent level we’re seeking to bring to the track,” Costner said. “I’ve watched London develop over the last couple years, and he’s the real deal, a true wheelman.”
McKenzie said the thrills have come in many fashions.
“As a racer, you have to be there and experience it,” he said.
McKenzie’s first racing experience came as an 8-year-old in the Bandoleros division. He drove at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the quarter-mile set-up, finishing fifth in his debut and participating throughout the season.
But the next year he didn’t compete. “I was scared and it was too stressful,” he said.
Then at age 10, the son of Jenna and Brandon McKenzie gave it another try. He had played soccer and baseball, describing himself as “a ball-sport kid.” His interest in soccer grew, but often as schedule conflicts arose he was faced with the question of whether he wanted to play soccer or go drive a race car.
“Every time I got the question, the answer was ‘go drive a race car,’ ” he said.
But the time he was 12, he was sitting behind the wheel in the Legends class. That consumed his attention.
“It felt like my whole life I just wanted to get up to Legends,” he said. “It seemed so fast. I was constantly seeing how I could be faster in Legends cars.”
Turns out, that was pretty fast. He won the 2024 INEX Semi-Pro Asphalt national championship, winning 21 times and gaining top-three spots 31 times across 51 races.
The best part, McKenzie said, was winning the championship race, though a third-place finish would have been enough for the points title.
“How much immense pressure there was on me,” he said. “Then to stand on that car’s roof in victory lane.”
Earlier this month, McKenzie raced at Salisbury’s Millbridge Speedway, where he won for the first time on dirt in capturing the 30-lapper for Micro Sprint Cars.
“We were banging off the wall,” he said of the race’s intensity. “It’s a good learning experience.”
That outcome came with certain satisfaction.
“It’s really hard to win there,” McKenzie said. “That is the most prestigious dirt track for the cars I run.”
Afterward, the family stopped to celebrate at Waffle House, took the trophy inside and drank chocolate milk. A few hours later, McKenzie hadn’t come down from the rush of excitement.
“I sent somebody a text at like 3:25 (a.m.),” he said. “I can’t sleep.”
Full throttle
The racing pursuits require a commitment. McKenzie had attended Uwharrie Ridge, but he’s now enrolled as a freshman at Asheboro Hybrid Academy.
He goes to in-person classes three times a week. He works with a personal trainer a couple of days a week and is regularly engaged on race simulators to prepare for the tracks at upcoming races.
McKenzie stands 5-foot-8 and weighs about 140 pounds. He’s the youngest driver in many of the competitions.
“For the most part, I’m racing grown men,” he said. “It feels good to show them up sometimes.”
For now, McKenzie falls into the category of “arrive and drive.” His teams work on the cars and prepare for the races.
“I tell them how the car feels,” he said.
There are new challenges all the time. He’s competing in multiple classifications with different cars.
For a recent race at Caraway Speedway in Limited Late Models, he drove Boo Boo Dalton’s car.
It’s these types of experiences that he said he hopes collectively continue to pay off.
“It has definitely been interesting switching between cars,” McKenzie said. “I’m switching cars from a weekly or even a daily basis. It will make a driver out of you. Your brain is wired differently between each race.”
The ARCA races are longer competitions. It’s part of the process.
“The goal is Cup Series, absolutely,” McKenzie said. “We’re on a good path. There’s nothing in the world I would like better than to make it a career.”
