London McKenzie – Asheboro, North Carolina
860 Motorsports
51 Starts
21 Wins (Dominion Raceway [6], Florence Motor Speedway [5], Charlotte Motor Speedway [4], Wake County Speedway [2], Caraway Speedway [1], Citrus County Speedway [1], Orange County Speedway [1], Southern National Motorsports Park [1])
31 Podiums
Legend Car Asphalt Nationals Finish (Dominion Raceway): 1st
2024 INEX Winter Nationals, 2nd
2024 Cook Out Summer Shootout, 2nd
1. What was your biggest challenge in 2024?
Believe it or not, I would say winning a Summer Shootout race was probably the most difficult thing I encountered in 2024. Throughout the first five rounds I did EVERYTHING but win a race, if it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have had luck at all. I was qualifying on pole and had some great speed, but no matter what it just felt like something always had to go wrong. There was even a round that I had the win secured coming out of turn four on the last lap when a caution got thrown. After a one lap shootout I got shuffled back to third. Another round I was making a move for the lead when a car behind me managed to lock with my back bumper causing us both to slow off pace a bring out a cation. After round six I finally felt like things were turning my way, I went on to win four of the last five races securing a second place spot in the points championship!
2. What was your favorite memory from the 2024 season?
That’s a tough question. I think for most people the obvious answer would be “winning the national championship,” but for me there’s one moment from early in the season that still stands out above others. On the fifth and final day of Winter Nationals I was still optimistic about possible picking up a win in Florida, all that hope got crushed when I went out for qualifying and realized another car on the track with me was leaking some sort of oil all over. When I came in from qualifying and was nearly last on the speed charts, I think about everyone felt hopeless. I started last in the B-main and went on to win that, then came time for the feature. Once again I was starting dead last in a field of 24 cars, before the race I still remember my dad saying to me, “If you get half way through this main event, and you’re already half way through the field, I believe you can win”. I jokingly laughed it off thinking that he was crazy, and I believed that I had no chance of winning. Lo and behold throughout the race things just seemingly went my way, it almost felt like god wanted to teach me a lesson on why you should never give up that day. After 25 laps and passing 23 cars I managed to come out victorious. That moment when I saw my parents in victory lane was just truly special.
3. Who or what do you attribute to your growth as a racing driver over the past two seasons that has led you to a national championship?
Well, I don’t think I could say it was just one thing, you could argue that it was 860 Motorsports having my back and putting me in a fast race car at all times, you could say that it was the Lords guidance and his plan, you could say it was my parents always pushing me to be great, some may even say my success came from me constantly being behind the wheel of something, rather that be a Legend Car, a micro sprint, an iRacing simulator, or even a go kart. To me none of that is completely correct. I think it came from a mixture of a lot of things, between my love and passion for the sport and all those other factors. I think it was just a matter of time before I became a good driver!
4. How does reality compare to the dream of winning a national championship?
After a full year of working so hard and putting in so much dedication, it was a true feeling of happiness and satisfaction when I finally accomplished my goal, the day that I won was truly everything I imagined. After having an amazing race then getting to celebrate with my friends and family, it was truly everything I imagined. I would say the only misconception people have, is that if you win a national championship all these big teams and sponsors will be contacting you. None of that is true. I guess I was expecting these people to be knocking my door down after I won, but that never happened. If anyone reading this would like their company on the side of my car though, you know where to find me!