ARCA Power Rankings: Jake Bollman’s Consistency Earns Him No. 1

Nine races are complete in the ARCA Menards Series season following the Herr’s Snacks 200 at Berlin Raceway on Saturday, June 20. There were three lead changes among two drivers in the 200-lap race, and Max Reaves ultimately triumphed.

Reaves’ victory grew Joe Gibbs Racing’s lead in the owners’ point standings.

In the drivers’ standings, Jake Bollman stayed the points leader ahead of his Nitro Motorsports teammates Thomas Annunziata and Isabella Robusto. Although Ryan Vargas sadly did not compete at Berlin, he only fell one spot in the standings to fourth. Jason Kitzmiller rounds out the top five in fifth place.

Because three of the top 10 in points entering Berlin did not participate in the race, there were some shakeups in the Frontstretch power rankings.

1. Jake Bollman

For the eighth time this season, Bollman finished inside the top 10. He didn’t quite have the front-running speed to seriously battle Reaves and Annunziata, but he had the third-best car, and that’s where he finished.

Bollman’s third-place run at Berlin was his fourth straight top five, fifth straight top 10 and he maintained his points lead at 24, only losing three points to Annunziata in the championship battle.

“We’re going to have a pretty decent battle for the championship between two young drivers who weren’t on the radar ending last year,” ARCA Communications Manager Charlie Krall told Frontstretch prior to the Berlin race. “Jake is a quiet guy. He’s not one who’s going to hunt the spotlight but he’s done a really nice job on the racetrack this year.”

If Bollman continues his remarkable consistency, he’s going to be hard to beat for the driver’s title. Bollman’s lone finish outside the top 10 was 18th at Talladega Superspeedway, and he ran inside the top 10 before late contact shuffled him backward.

Bollman’s performance this year, as ARCA nears the halfway point of its season, earns him No. 1 in these rankings.

2. Thomas Annunziata

Annunziata had his best day on an oval racetrack at Berlin. He captured the pole, the second of his career and first on an oval. Annunziata then led the opening 15 laps before Reaves took the lead. Reaves led the next 117 laps, up to the second competition caution. On that restart, Annunziata retook the lead, holding off Reaves for 45 laps before Reaves ultimately made the race-winning pass on lap 156.

Nevertheless, Annunziata held his own. It was a stout day for Annunziata. He’s improving on ovals; learning, after all, is the point for many drivers who compete in ARCA.

“Thomas is a little flashier,” Krall continued. “He tends to hunt out the spotlight a little more. He’s got the nickname Hollywood; he’s obviously coming from a good road racing background. He’s learning the ovals kind of as we go. He’s never been to most of these racetracks so he’s learning oval racing too. They [Bollman and Annunziata] both have good teams. Nitro Motorsports is a tremendous organization.”

By earning the pole and leading laps, Annunziata accrued two bonus points, and he’ll need more to close his points gap to Bollman. Winning not only is an extra point for the position; it’s also three more bonus points. At the rate Annunziata is improving on ovals, winning on one certainly is a possibility.

3. Max Reaves

How does the race winner, who led the most laps, not make No. 1 in these power rankings?

For starters, Reaves took home his first main-series trophy this year. Furthermore, running well in the JGR No. 18 isn’t a surprise; it’s the expectation. Reaves will have ample opportunities to revisit victory lane in ARCA this year. He’ll compete in all but two of the remaining national division races as well as the standalone ARCA Menards Series East race at Flat Rock Speedway.

Reaves leading laps, lapping a multitude of drivers, and winning races. Get used to it, though he has won twice in the ARCA platform this year.

“We haven’t even really seen Max at his full potential yet this year,” Krall added. “We front-loaded all the big track races in the first eight races of the year. We’ve only got two big speedway races in the final 12 of the year so we’re going to see Max more in the second half.”

4. Isabella Robusto

From start to finish, Robusto gained five spots from 10th to fifth. It’s her second top five and fifth top 10 of the season.

Robusto is tied for the third-most top 10s this season. Unsurprisingly then, she is third in points, albeit 62 points behind.

Her deficit is more than a race worth of points, so Robusto is likely out of the championship hunt. It’s likely disappointing for her, but continual improvement and contention for a victory ought to be her goals for the next 11 races.

At Berlin though, her performance was noteworthy as she and Taylor Reimer finished inside the top 10, the second time two women have finished inside the top 10 in an ARCA main-series event. The first time occurred at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, with Robusto in second and Reimer third.

Ironically, Robusto is fourth in these rankings, again one spot ahead of…

5. Taylor Reimer

What a weekend for Reimer. First, she started fifth and wound up fourth at Berlin. In four starts this year, she has one top five and two top 10s. Her Berlin result was one position shy of tying her career-best, set in that Springfield Mile event.

Mind you, Reimer is still very inexperienced in ARCA. Berlin was only her 10th career national division start. Thus far, she has three top fives and eight top 10s, not too shabby.

We’ll see Reimer in the upcoming race at Elko Speedway too. While her schedule in the main series is already set, she has proven she belongs in ARCA. It’d be nice if she could add some more races to her slate.

In the meantime, though, the day after Berlin, on Sunday the 21st, Reimer’s boyfriend Corey Heim won his first NASCAR Cup Series race in the inaugural event at Naval Base Coronado.

‘Twas a memorable weekend for the couple.

Paint Scheme of the Race

Moreover, Reimer’s No. 77 Fre Nicotine Chevrolet stood out at Berlin. Pinnacle Racing Group hasn’t had the speed to match its championship-winning 2025 dominance, but Reimer and debutant Tyler Lupton had easy-to-spot racecars at Berlin. Reimer’s red paint scheme, with a little white on the sides and white accents, earns her the Berlin Paint Scheme of the Race Award.

While Frontstretch unfortunately did not have any at-track reporters at Berlin, you can find all our ARCA videos from the 2026 season on the Frontstretch Grassroots YouTube page.

Elko is the next stop on the ARCA schedule. The 0.25-mile short track in Minnesota hosts the series for 250 laps on Saturday, June 27. The green flag will fly at 9 p.m. ET with TV coverage provided by FOX Sports 2.

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    Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.

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