Meet 15-Year-Old ARCA East Rookie London McKenzie

In 2024, London McKenzie won the INEX Semi-Pro Asphalt national championship. He claimed the title at the 0.4-mile short track Dominion Raceway, his favorite racetrack thus far. In 2025, McKenzie joined CW Motorsports to run full time in the ARCA Menards Series East. His first two racetracks? Prestigious 0.5-mile short track Five Flags Speedway and 1.017-mile D-shaped oval Rockingham Speedway.

Prior to the East race at Rockingham, McKenzie spoke to ARCA editor Mark Kristl about his transition from Legend cars into ARCA racecars, his racing influences and his life beyond the racetrack.

Mark Kristl, Frontstretch: You ran eighth at 5 Flags to start your ARCA East tenure. How did that go for you?

London McKenzie: It was awesome. Coming from Legend cars, it was a little bit of a step for me. I was happy to get out there and get a good feel for the car, keep it in one piece, especially for sure. We were satisfied with how it went. Going into Rockingham, I’m looking to perform a little better. I’m looking to accomplish big things this year.

Kristl: How did driving an ARCA car compare to driving Legends and other racecars in your career?

McKenzie: I went into it underestimating the power. We came to the green flag to start the race, I started eighth, I was in third gear, and when I shifted up, I spun my tires. It was a difference in power coming out of Legend cars, which I had to adapt to, for sure. I’m glad I learned that at 5 Flags before going to other tracks, including Rockingham.

The car was really wide. It felt like I was really far away from the wall compared to the Legend cars. In Legend cars, there’s only about a foot and a half between you and the outside wall. But when you’re in a full-bodied ARCA car, it feels wide.

Shoutout, too, to my spotter Ryan Honeycutt. He kept me aware of my surroundings, for sure. You just had to be patient with lapped traffic, knowing that it’s a long race. I’d never run a 150-lap race. By the end, everybody was getting tired. The main thing is patience with how to get around people. Luckily, I stayed on pace and did not go one lap down until about 25 laps to go. I hated to see that happen, but it was cool to stay on the lead lap, and that gives us high hopes for the rest of the season, knowing we have a lot to build on.

Kristl: What are your expectations for the season?

McKenzie: Everyone says shoot high, so I’m going for the ARCA East championship. It’d be a good look to get Rookie of the Year. There are several people in contention for that, but if things go our way, we can get that title.

Kristl: Of the remaining racetracks, is there one you have circled on your calendar?

McKenzie: I’ve been looking forward to Rockingham. It is the fastest track on the ARCA East schedule. Rajah Caruth told me that the fastest Trucks in testing there were mostly wide open, which tells me that our ARCA cars will be flat out on a qualifying lap. It’s also the closest race to home for me, so I have grandparents, family, and friends coming to watch me. That will be a cool experience to have the overall support of everyone.

Kristl: You live an hour away from Charlotte and a little further from the CW Motorsports shop. How has your relationship been with the team and owner Caleb Costner?

McKenzie: It’s a perk to be that close to where they are. We’ve been over there a few times for the setup to get fitted for cars and to do little things after the first race that we didn’t realize until post-race that we wanted to tweak. I have built a good relationship with Caleb and the whole team. I played iRacing online with a couple of team members the other night. It benefited me to have that, and I’m super excited to build on that throughout the year.

Kristl: Now, you’re only 15 years old. Who got you interested in racing?

McKenzie: Believe it or not, when I was a little kid, I started watching the movie Cars with Lightning McQueen. My name on social media is Lightning London. That was kind of the point when I fell in love with racing. It is super cool and I’m also a second-generation driver. My dad Brandon raced. He entered two ARCA races so I wanted to be like him, too. It came together as a combination of me starting when I was eight years old in Bandoleros.

Brandon McKenzie made two starts in the 2015 ARCA season at Salem Speedway and Toledo Speedway, scoring a 16th and 21st-place finish, respectively.

Kristl: Who is your favorite racecar driver?

McKenzie: Richard Petty. It’s super cool that we come from the same hometown in Randolph County. For Christmas last year, there is a mural of me winning the Legend car championship and Richard Petty autographed it and wrote a little message for me on it which is super cool. I saw him at a dinner a couple of weeks ago, I took a picture with him, he’s an awesome guy, and to have a relationship with him is that much cooler.

Currently, my two favorites are Daniel Hemric and Christopher Bell. When I was in Legend cars, he drove for the same team I did back when he was coming up through the ranks. He came back the past few years to watch us race at Charlotte.

Seeing what Bell has done recently in his Cup career and we both race dirt cars. I race at Millbridge Speedway. He was out there as he owns a dirt team. During practice that night, he came over to me and said, “Dang man, you’re really ripping. I’m excited to watch you run Wednesday.” And that just stuck with me knowing that someone who is accomplished, that I look up to, wanted to come out of his way to tell me that I was running fast.

Interestingly, McKenzie’s racecar at 5 Flags previously was owned by Will Kimmel, last used at the ARCA dirt tracks. Now, McKenzie aspires to become a professional racecar driver and ascend the ranks.

McKenzie: Absolutely, I would not be doing it if I did not think it was a possibility. I grew up playing soccer. When I was about 12 years old, there came a point when my soccer games and races would start overlapping. My parents started asking me, “What do you want to do?” The answer was always racing. I would get injured on the soccer field, then I would be racing injured that same day. Since I decided to go with racing, I started taking it much more seriously, going on the simulator every night and there’s just nothing in the world that makes me feel the same way.

Kristl: As a high school freshman, how do you balance your schoolwork with your racing?

McKenzie: This year, I moved to a school that is a hybrid academy. At the hybrid academy, on an average week, we only go to school three days a week. I am there Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, which works out well because I race dirt at Millbridge on most Wednesdays. It also works out well on Fridays because if we’re travelling or racing, that helps.

As a private school, it’s also lenient. In public school, they keep track of your records and how many days you’ve missed. Last year, running for the national championship, with how many days we were racing, I missed a lot of days and they sent letters home, threatening to fail me.

So, moving to the hybrid school is a blessing with how close it is to my house, and if I must miss a few days, it’s not a big deal. They just send the curriculum home with you and you can do it on the road or really wherever you need to, be it at the racetrack or on vacation. Without that, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish or do what I’m doing now.

Kristl: So, when you’re not at the racetrack or in the classroom, what do you like to do for fun?

McKenzie: I’m a little bit of a daredevil. I’m into anything that has a motor in it, be it a dirt bike, cars, boats, and jet skis. Also, I enjoy board sports such as snowboarding, wakeboarding, skating, and eventually I’d like to get into surfing, just haven’t done that on vacation somewhere yet. I just recently tried kiteboarding. Anything with high adrenaline piques me interest.

Kristl: You’re so young at 15 years old [yours truly is 33]. So, for fans who don’t know you, what’s something you want them to know about you?

McKenzie: I’m a small-town boy with a dream of racing and trying to branch it out. I will put blood, sweat, and tears into this sport. I might not be the best in the sport or series right now but anybody with a big enough dream can accomplish what I’m doing right now.