‘Sometimes fairytales happen’: Thomas Annunziata scores improbable ARCA Menards Series title in a tiebreaker over Jake Bollman

www.arcaracing.com September 26, 2026

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — When Thomas Annunziata won at the road course of Lime Rock Park in July, he had no idea how significant that one accomplishment would be.

It led to him breaking a tie with fellow Nitro Motorsports driver Jake Bollman for the ARCA Menards Series championship.

That victory still appeared inconsequential toward the title for Annunziata going into the Menards 150 at Kansas Speedway. Facing a 16-point deficit to Bollman in a 27-car field, Annunziata needed a perfect storm of circumstances to usurp his teammate right as the clock struck midnight on his championship ambitions.

Through events within and outside of Annunziata’s control, the Lime Rock triumph paid off for him in the most rewarding way imaginable.

“My whole goal going into it was having fun and understanding that there was nothing I could really do,” Annunziata said. “I let go of it a week ago, right after Bristol. I was just trying to get myself with an opportunity to win. Everything else just transpired after that.”

Simply earning a second victory on the 2026 season at Kansas would not have been enough for Annunziata. Bollman only needed to finish 10th or better in the Menards 150 regardless of what Annunziata did to wrap up a winless-but-consistent season with an ARCA Menards Series championship.

Faced with near-insurmountable odds, Annunziata approached Kansas like any other race while quietly hoping the points would sort themselves out. It would not be long before Annunziata faced another hurdle in his championship pursuit.

It came in the form of his teammate and the points leader.

As the two battled for third, Bollman dove to the apron while trying to navigate past a lapped car on the frontstretch. This led to Bollman entering Turn 1 much lower and quicker than he anticipated, causing him to slide up the track and hit Annunziata.

Bollman managed to save his car; Annunziata did not. There was no ostensible damage to Annunziata’s No. 70, but a season’s worth of frustration trying to chase down his teammate for the points lead was on the verge of boiling over.

One lap after the ensuing restart, Annunziata caught Bollman and spun him on the frontstrech, which he attributed to a side draft gone wrong. Just like their first encounter, the collision only cost Bollman track position and no significant damage.

And just like Annunziata’s Lime Rock victory, it appeared the spin would not have any impact on the final championship outcome. Bollman quickly recovered from the setback and picked off his competition one car at a time, Annunziata being among them.

As Annunziata watched Bollman pull away in front of him, plenty of thoughts were going through his head. He was thankful there was no further contact with his teammate, but he was also wondering how the ARCA Menards Series championship was about to slip away even though he had a victory and Bollman did not.

Annunziata would not have to ponder this scenario for long but would soon have another to think over.

Will Kimmel lost control of his car in turn three while riding the top line and spun directly in front of Bollman, who made heavy contact into Kimmel’s driver-side door. A wrecked Bollman was then hit by Austin Vaughn in the ensuing chaos, all while Annunziata backed off and drove through the wreck.

In an instant, Annunziata found himself in control of his own destiny for the ARCA Menards Series title, but that only brought him so much comfort. Annunziata needed to stay within the top seven to at least prevail by a tiebreaker, but the car struggled to find speed following his earlier scuffles with Bollman.

Annunziata’s nerves only intensified when a wounded Bollman returned to the track.

“The last 20 [laps], I was finally understanding where I needed to be,” Annunziata said. “Everyone was calm, staying quiet. I was kind of losing it a little bit not known where I [was]. I started doing the math in my own head. I didn’t know if [Bollman] was last or not. I was ninth or tenth and I had damage after me and him had contact.

“Sometimes fairytales happen.”

A late caution provided Annunziata’s crew chief Shannon Rusch a chance to adjust the car for the final sprint to the finish. While the car was still not as fast as it was earlier, it was quick enough for Annunziata to make a pivotal pass on Andy Jankowiak for fifth with six laps remaining.

Bollman could not advance any higher than 21st. Facing no further opposition on track or in the points, Annunziata held on to the fifth spot to secure a championship that seemed improbable only a few hours earlier.

Even a year ago, Annunziata would have been perplexed by the idea of him being an ARCA Menards Series champion. A road-course racer by trade with a handful of Trans Am Championship victories, Annunziata only started racing ovals in 2023; a stark contrast compared to those who had logged countless laps on them since childhood.

With the ARCA Menards Series schedule featuring short tracks, intermediates, superspeedways and even two dirt ovals, Annunziata knew he had his work cut out for him if he wanted to be consistent on the platform, let alone a champion.

“I missed the years of oval experience in my development growing up,” Annunziata said. “Going into the season, I knew [ovals] was something I needed to learn. I know I’m very good on the road courses and I know what I need there. I don’t know what I need on an oval, so you need to know what you want from the race car and you’ve got to tell the team what you need from it.

“I knew I had the talent. I just didn’t know what I was doing.”

Thomas Annunziata
Known for his road course expertise, Thomas Annunziata worked diligently to find consistency on oval tracks during his ARCA Menards Series title run. (Photo: Kostas Lymperopoulos/ARCA Racing)

Having 1990 Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope as a mentor helped expedite Annunziata’s development on ovals. Annunziata acquired valuable oval experience with Cope’s team in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series across a handful of starts in 2025, which provided him some confidence ahead of his maiden full-time ARCA Menards Series campaign.

The two drafting tracks of Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway were Annunziata’s only finishes outside the top 10 in 2026, as he was collected in late-race incidents at both. Consistency and perseverance followed Annunziata everywhere else, which allowed him to stay mathematically eligible for the title when the finale came around.

Yet the events that led to Annunziata usurping Bollman for the ARCA Menards Series championship drew the ire of the latter. Frustrated that two separate collisions with Annunziata indirectly led to his title-ending crash with Kimmel, Bollman expressed no desire to speak to Annunziata again after Kansas.

Annunziata was mildly surprised by Bollman’s reaction, as he felt aggression was a theme that dominated their title fight all year, primarily on Bollman’s behalf.

“[Bollman’s] a little salty about the situation that happened,” Annunziata said. “It’s unfortunate, he’s my teammate, but he’s not innocent. He’s run into me a lot this year. It was not my intention to spin him out there. I was not going to leave him an inch. It’s a bit ridiculous. That’s the only time I’ve gotten into him this entire year.

“If he doesn’t want to talk to me, that’s fine, but I think that’s a bit silly, because I’m not the reason he lost the championship [on Friday].”

From Annunziata’s view, there was no point in lingering on how Kansas turned out, especially when there was so much from his championship campaign worth celebrating.

The milestone was a reflection on the sacrifices Annunziata made towards finding his cadence on ovals, which required spending a lot of time away from home. During his odyssey, Annunziata found a second family in Nitro’s co-owner Joe Tovo, his wife Kristin and their two sons Ethan and Jackson, who also race with the team.

Nitro’s support system helped shape Annunziata into the person he is today. With Annunziata’s 2027 plans still in flux, winning the ARCA Menards Series title is both bittersweet but cathartic to him, as he got to give back to the organization that gave him so much since the day he first joined them.

“I started racing with Nitro Motorsports eight, nine years ago in go-karting and went through the ranks with them,” Annunziata said. “We won many races together [and] just grew together. This year I knew potentially could be one of the last times I’d be full-time with them, [but we came] back [and fought] adversity.

“Everything that could have possibly gone right today did. It hasn’t the whole season. I hate it for my teammate, but it is what it is and that’s how it goes.”

A plethora of factors could have cost Annunziata the 2026 ARCA Menards Series championship; the wrecks at Daytona and Talladega, a late-race crash at Salem Speedway two races prior, a start violation at Bristol Motor Speedway a week prior, or simply struggling to adapt to ovals.

Through every obstacle, Annunziata held firm and pushed himself to become a better driver. Because of his effort, Annunziata is now part of an elite list of ARCA Menards Series champions that includes Iggy Katona, Frank Kimmel, Tim Steele, Justin Allgaier, Ty Gibbs and many more.

Yet with all the progress Annunziata made on ovals to reach that milestone, it was his road course roots that ultimately came through for him. Bollman had the consistency, but Annunziata held the tiebreaker with the Lime Rock win.

That one moment, as routine as it seemed for Annunziata at the time, led to Annunziata completing his fairytale journey from a road course ace to a stock car champion.