Zeke McKenzie First Indiana Driver to Win DIRTcar Modified Championship

Zeke McKenzie, a 41‑year‑old driver from Claypool, Indiana, clinched the 2026 DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals series points championship. His season featured two wins, 16 top‑five finishes and 18 top‑10 results in 18 starts, with no finish outside the top ten. This made him the first driver from Indiana to capture the title and the sixth different winner in the Modified Hell Tour’s 16‑season history.

McKenzie’s success builds on his earlier victory at Kokomo Speedway in July 2020 during the Hoosier Dirt Shootout, a replacement event for the pandemic‑impacted Prairie Dirt Classic. He founded Vanquish Race Cars in 2019, and the chassis he built in his own shop powered his 2026 campaign. “It feels great. To add your name to that list… since it started, there’s only been six winners, so to put your name on that list is something special, for sure,” McKenzie said after receiving the trophy.