VT&NH Racing News 
(James Barrett Photo)
Jorden Jenkins:
The 22nd Season of the Modified Racing Series is set to be action-packed!
The Modified Racing Series is set for another exciting 2026 season of tour-type modified competition. With old returning tracks on the schedule, it’s set to bring excitement to modified racing fans around New England. Brett Meservey is coming off his first career tour-type modified championship, looking to become the first back-to-back MRS Champion since Jon McKennedy back in 2009 & 2010.
The Modified Racing Series is set to kick off their season with a return to the Northeast Classic at the “Magic Mile” of New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time in 3 years. That race is going to be an attendance points show, showcasing drafting-style racing that fans can expect to see high-level open-wheel action. NHMS has produced four different feature winners in five events for the Modified Racing Series.
Their first points race is on Friday, June 12th at “New Hampshire’s Center of Speed,” the Lee USA Speedway in Lee, New Hampshire, a track that has been on the schedule every year except 2020. Lee is a track that has seen three different race winners in the last five events at the 3/8-mile oval, which always puts on quite a show for the fans. The last time they ran there was just last season, which saw a side-by-side battle between 4-time MRS Champion & NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Jon McKennedy and the 2025 MRS Champion Brett Meservey. This year’s race will be the 45th all-time MRS event at the track, with 26 different feature winners. Jon McKennedy leads the way at Lee.
Just 7 days later, the MRS makes their first of two stops to Thrasher Road as they return to the Claremont Motorsports Park on June 19th, which always brings close-quarter racing action and has seen their fair share of winners go to victory lane. This will be the 16th event at Claremont, which has produced 11 different winners. Matt Kimball has the most.
After a couple of weeks off, the MRS returns on July 4th when they make their only stop of the season to Winchester, New Hampshire’s Monadnock Speedway, a track that is known for some great modified racing over the years. This will be the 53rd MRS event at the high banks, the most of any track for the tour. There are 18 different feature winners, the most being by Kirk Alexander.
Saturday, July 18th sees a track returning to the schedule for the first time in FOUR YEARS! As the tour returns to the White Mountain Motorsports Park for just the seventh time in tour history, and the third time in the last 21 years. This will be an event you will not want to miss, as White Mountain always brings the energy to the fans. White Mountain is also a track that a few of the MRS drivers have not seen very much. Kirk Alexander leads the wins for MRS drivers at WMMP.
After the tour’s longest break of the season, they haul up to Oxford, Maine, on August 28th to race on Friday night of Oxford 250 Weekend to kick off a full slate of racing. This will be the tour’s first race in three years and one of two races at Oxford on the 2026 campaign. A lot of unknowns, as tour-type modifieds do not typically race at Oxford Plains. Oxford can be seen as a Wild-Card race as it can surely bring a first-time winner, as every driver goes in with equal experience. Anthony Nocella has the most feature wins at Oxford in MRS competition.
A quick turnaround sees the second race of the season at the Claremont Motorsports Park, a track that has been dominated by a couple of local guys over the last couple of seasons, Matt Kimball and Brian Robie.
Saturday, September 12th, can be seen as a marquee race as the tour heads to the “Place to Race” Star Speedway in Epping, New Hampshire, to race on Star Classic Weekend for the second year in a row. Star is another track that always brings great modified action that always comes down to the final lap of the race. A track dominated by Jon McKennedy, this will also be the MRS’s 300th all-time race.
It comes down to the wire when they make the trek back to Oxford Plains Speedway for their second and final race at the oval on September 27th as part of the PASS 400 Weekend. Oxford has seen TEN different MRS Feature winners in twelve events at the track entering 2026.
The MRS crowns a series champion at the Sunoco World Series at Thompson Speedway, which is another track coming back to the campaign, as they will race at a place where tour-type modified racing is always the center of attention. This will be the first trip to Thompson for the Modified Racing Series since 2023. Thompson is nothing short of spectacular for the modified fanbase, especially on what is a big-time weekend in the northeast short track racing scene. This is going to be the 24th MRS event at Thompson that has yielded all kinds of big-name winners, like Keith Rocco, Todd Owen, Ted Christopher, and many more. More tracks could be added to the Modified Racing Series season. But for now, the 2026 season is shaping up to be an amazing season of open-wheel action for the MRS’s 22nd season of existence. Make sure to come on out and check out “blue collar” Tour-Type Modified Racing.
