Jonathan McKennedy set to chase NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in 2026
Column By: Kyle Souza / SOUZA MEDIA – CHELMSFORD, MA – Modified and Supermodified winner and champion Jonathan McKennedy announced his 2026 racing plans today. McKennedy will return full-time to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour with his No. 79 Modified, competing in all 16 events in a quest for his second championship.
The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season begins at New Smyrna Speedway on Saturday, February 7, and includes many events in New England. The championship event will be held at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in October.
On top of the Whelen Modified Tour effort, McKennedy, the defending champion of the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series, will run select events on that series. He will also select other Tour-Type Modified races to race in during the season.
McKennedy will also return to the winged Supermodified once again, running a schedule to include events with the New England Supermodified Series and ISMA-MSS Series. A full schedule of events for the part-time divisions will be announced at a later date.
“We are definitely looking forward to getting back full-time on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour,” McKennedy said. “We’ve had some success on the Tour before, and with many of the events coming back to New England, we feel it fits our team well to compete for wins and another championship in 2026. I always enjoy competing in the competitive Open Modified events, and especially the Supermodified divisions, where we have been lucky enough to have a lot of success.
It’s going to be another busy year, but we’re looking forward to getting it started in Florida in February, and we appreciate all of our partners who are making it possible.”
McKennedy won his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title in a partnership with Tim & Sheryll Lepine in 2022, in just his second full-time season of Tour competition.
He has not been full-time on the Whelen Modified Tour since. McKennedy had three top-10 finishes on a part-time Tour effort in 2025, while also winning the Monaco Modified Tri-Track Series championship and multiple Supermodified events.
For the latest news and updates on Jon McKennedy, visit JonathanMcKennedy.com and follow Facebook.com/jonmckennedy.
