PIT BOX: Jake Bollman and Thomas Annunziata to settle ARCA Menards Series title fight at Kansas

After a long, competitive season, the battle for the ARCA Menards Series championship has come down to one race.

Jake Bollman and Thomas Annunziata will settle the 2026 ARCA Menards Series championship during Friday’s running of the Menards 150 at Kansas Speedway (8 p.m. ET on FS1). This race marks the first time the ARCA Menards Series champion will be crowned at Kansas Speedway since 2021, when Ty Gibbs claimed the title.

The Menards 150 will be the 33rd ARCA Menards Series race held at Kansas Speedway dating back to 2001, when Jason Jarrett captured the first ARCA checkered flag at the 1.5-mile facility. Other notable winners through the years include Frank Kimmel, Parker Kligerman, Ty Dillon, Alex Bowman, Mason Mitchell, Chase Briscoe, Sheldon Creed, Christian Eckes, Bret Holmes, Corey Heim, Gibbs, Nick Sanchez, Jesse Love, Brenden Queen and the most recent winner, Gio Ruggiero.

Tickets to Friday’s Menards 150 are available here. Below is everything you need to know about the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season finale.

Menards 150 at Kansas Speedway

Jake Bollman and Thomas Annunziata have spent the entire season working towards this moment.

One of them will be crowned the 2026 ARCA Menards Series champion Friday night at Kansas Speedway. The only question is which driver will be doing the celebrating.

Bollman, who has piloted the No. 20 Toyota this season for Nitro Motorsports, holds a 16-point advantage entering the finale. A finish of 10th or better will lock up the championship for Bollman no matter what Annunziata does at Kansas.

Annunziata, who drives the No. 70 out of the same Nitro Motorsports stable, will need to have a bit of luck on his side if he hopes to emerge from the Menards 150 as the ARCA Menards Series champion. One positive for Annunziata is that thanks to his victory earlier this year at Lime Rock Park, he holds the tiebreaker on Bollman should the pair end the season equal on points.

While the focus will be on the Nitro Motorsports teammates Friday evening, that is hardly the only storyline to follow during the Menards 150.

The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team leads the owner standings by 11 points ahead of the Pinnacle Racing Group’s No. 28 entering the Menards 150. Gio Ruggiero will serve as the pilot of the JGR No. 18 this Friday night, while Carson Brown will return to the seat of the No. 28 as the two teams look to settle the ARCA Menards Series owner’s championship battle.

A notable new face to the ARCA Menards Series platform this Friday is Mike Christopher Jr. The nephew of 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ted Christopher will make his  platform debut driving the No. 42 Toyota owned by Bruce Cook. Lanie Buice, who hasn’t finished outside the top five in her four previous starts this year, will make her return to the series in Pinnacle Racing Group’s No. 77.

Other notable entries for Friday’s race include Andy Jankowiak, Gavan Boschele, Landon S. Huffman, Landon Brown, Will Kimmel and Isabella Robusto.

The full entry list for Friday’s race will be available later this week.

RACING REFERENCE:

• Previous ARCA Menards Series races at Kansas
• ARCA Menards Series drivers at Kansas

RACE FACTS:

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: Field limited to 30 starters, plus provisionals (EIRI). This event will be run under the 2026 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap per the Timed Session qualifying procedure. All cars must make a qualifying attempt; all drivers must practice before they can qualify.

RACE PIT STOP: Modified Live Pit Stop procedure. There will be a scheduled caution at or near Lap 50. No adding or moving tires to or from the pit box once race has started.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: Per ARCA Rulebook, the maximum tire use at track (total, “from home” plus purchased at track) for the event is 16