With 19 races in the rearview mirror, only Friday’s Menards 150 at Kansas Speedway (8 p.m. ET on FS1) remains to determine the 2026 ARCA Menards Series champion.
Of the more than 100 drivers who have competed in ARCA Menards Series races this season, only two have the opportunity to leave Kansas as the series champ.
Jake Bollman, driver of the No. 20 Nitro Motorsports Toyota, leads his Nitro teammate Thomas Annunziata by 16 points going into Friday’s 100 lap event.
Bollman has spent most of the season atop the ARCA Menards Series standings thanks to incredible consistency. He leads all drivers with 12 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes through the first 19 races of the season. Bollman moved to the top of the standings following the second race of the season in March at Phoenix Raceway, a position he has held since.
Despite not finding Victory Lane this season, Bollman has come close on multiple occasions. He began the year by finishing second at Daytona International Speedway and was runner-up again at Michigan International Speedway, Elko Speedway, the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds and Salem Speedway.
A win Friday night at Kansas would not only put the perfect bow on his season, but also guarantee Bollman the ARCA Menards Series championship.
Annunziata, meanwhile, has been only slightly less consistent than Bollman throughout the year. Driving the No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Toyota, Annunziata has done two things this year that Bollman hasn’t.
The first is win multiple Sioux Chief PowerPEX Pole Awards, which came at Berlin Raceway and Elko Speedway. Each pole was worth a bonus point toward the ARCA Menards Series championship.
The other thing Annunziata has accomplished this year that Bollman hasn’t is a trip to Victory Lane. The road-course ace earned a victory at Lime Rock Park on July 11, backing up his maiden ARCA Menards Series triumph at the same venue one season prior. In all, Annunziata has scored one victory, 10 top fives, 17 top 10s and two poles.
Bollman’s 16-point advantage entering Friday’s finale gives him a bit of breathing room in terms of clinch scenarios. The simplest way for Bollman to secure the championship is to finish 10th or better. If he does so, there’s nothing Annunziata can do to stop his teammate from winning the ARCA Menards Series championship.
However, if Bollman finishes 11th or worse, than scenarios begin to open up for Annunziata to secure the championship.
ARCA Menards Series championship points scenarios for Kansas
If Annunziata wins the race and scores every possible bonus point, leaving him with a maximum race total of 49 points, he would leave Kansas with 907 points. Because Annunziata owns the tiebreaker over Bollman (one victory versus zero victories), an 11th-place finish by Bollman would result in Annunziata winning the ARCA Menards Series championship.
With that in mind, if Annunziata does not win the race and neither driver earns any bonus points, then he must finish 16 positions ahead of Bollman to secure the championship. On the flip side, if Bollman finishes ahead of Annunziata in any position, then he will claim the ARCA Menards Series championship.
If Bollman were to finish last and neither driver earns bonus points, then Annunziata would need to finish 11th or better to secure the championship. Bonus points are available for winning the pole, leading a lap or leading the most laps.
In racing, anything can and often does happen. With 100 laps of racing left to conclude the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season, it’s truly anybody’s guess which Nitro Motorsports driver will leave Kansas Speedway as the champion. The only way to find out is to tune in live on FS1 this Friday night at 8 p.m. ET.
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