The ARCA Menards Series has now contested 13 of its 20-race schedule, and the championship battle is as close as it’s been all season long.
Thomas Annunziata closed the gap to his Nitro Motorsports teammate Jake Bollman to just three points, the smallest margin between the two all season. With just eight races left, the battle for the 2026 championship is as competitive as ever.
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park treated both Bollman and Annunziata fairly well, with both drivers recording a top-10 finish on Friday, July 24. However, Kaden Honeycutt was victorious for the second time this season. Honeycutt held off a late charge from Carson Brown, with the two cutting through lapped traffic fighting for the lead late. Brown ultimately faded to third quickly after, allowing Annunziata to get by for second and Honeycutt to cruise to victory without any further battles.
IRP was also a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series East. In that division, Max Reaves took the points lead from Tristan McKee, albeit with a three-point difference, with reigning champion Isaac Kitzmiller third, trailing by nine markers.
The points tightening in those divisions makes the Frontstretch ARCA power rankings tougher to choose. Nevertheless, here are those rankings after 150-laps at the 0.686-mile Indiana short track.
1. Thomas Annunziata
While he does not lead the points yet, momentum is on the side of Annunziata. He’s rattled off three consecutive top-five finishes, including the win at Lime Rock.
At IRP, Annunziata capitalized on the late misfortune of Brown, pouncing on the No. 28 for the runner-up position within the final 10 laps. The result continued the progression of impressive short track runs for Annunziata, who continues to improve his craft at that particular racing discipline. Entering the season known for his prowess in road course racing and prior ARCA experience on superspeedways, Annunziata has now finished inside the top three at each of the short track races outside of Elko Speedway.
Annunziata now heads to Iowa Speedway, but not for the first time in his career. He’s never recorded an ARCA start there, but he made a start in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series there last year, finishing 32nd driving for Cope Family Racing. With his experience there, a strong run at Iowa could catapult Annunziata into the points lead for the first time this season.
2. Jake Bollman
Despite Annunziata coming on strong the last few weeks, Bollman has still been very strong in his own right over that stretch. He’s recorded a finish of eighth or better in each of the races, including a fifth-place finish at Lime Rock, at a style of racing that is rather new to the 19-year-old.
It is a closer gap, but Bollman still holds the points lead. He ran inside the top 10 the entire race at IRP, but finished seventh to Annunziata’s second, bleeding five points from his gap in the standings.
The final eight races of the season are almost entirely comprised of dirt races or short tracks. Bollman, like Annunziata, has been very impressive at short track races this season, recording top 10s in every start and top fives in all but two. The dirt tracks, however, bring a wild card to both drivers. Neither has a background in dirt racing, and it leaves the races wide open for either to capitalize on the points lead.
While Annunziata has the momentum, continual consistency could vault Bollman back into the power rankings lead.
3. Carson Brown
If his No. 28 Chevrolet had not shut off late in the race at IRP, Brown could have been victorious at IRP instead of Honeycutt. Brown was in contention as the laps wound down, even taking the lead for a few laps before the mechanical issue arose.
While it wasn’t meant to be for Brown, the race was still right on par for what he’s done all season long. He led a race-high 78 laps and still finished on the podium when the checkered flag flew, marking his fourth straight third-place finish on the season. In fact, when looking at just his ARCA national starts this season, he’s finished on the podium in each of his starts so far.
After missing parts of the first half of the season, the reins of the No. 28 have now been entirely handed over to Brown. He’ll finish the season out in the car for Pinnacle Racing Group, and now heads to Iowa for the first time in his career. He’s led laps in two of the three short track races he’s contested this season, and will likely be a threat at Iowa as well.
4. Gavan Boschele
If Gavan Boschele ran the entire season, we might be talking about a third Nitro Motorsports driver competing for the driver’s title. The 18-year-old has now run six races, finishing inside the top four or better in five of them.
IRP marked new territory for Boschele in multiple ways. It was the first short track race he’d run in the series this season, and the first since 2024. It was also the night of his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut, driving for TRICON Garage. He kept his consistency up for both, finishing fourth in the ARCA race and eighth in the Truck race. Looking strictly at ARCA, his results have been more consistent than his two Nitro teammates battling for the championship, with his only finish outside of the top 10 coming at Chicagoland.
Boschele has quietly become one of the best drivers in the series currently, despite not running full time. He will be in the No. 25 for seven of the final eight races, only missing Madison International Speedway. Despite the schedule including a large number of tracks he’s never seen before, Boschele’s first career win could be right around the corner if he’s able to continue to run the way he has all season long.
5. Max Reaves
On paper, Max Reaves’ last two races have been a bit down compared to how he’s typically running. He’s finished fourth and ninth, respectively, and hasn’t competed for wins as he has before.
The ninth-place finish at IRP was largely due to contact with McKee and then a spin with Isabella Robusto while battling inside the top five halfway through the race. Reaves was never able to rebound, giving him his worst finish since an 11th place at Toledo Speedway earlier this year.
Paint Scheme of the Race
Willie Mullins’ team only shows up on a limited time basis, but when they do, their racecars almost always look fantastic. In his second career start, Bryce Applegate’s No. 3 Ford really popped on track at IRP.
The entry featured the American Red White and Blue colors, with a bald eagle on the door behind the number. The race didn’t go as Applegate intended, finishing 31st after getting caught up in a wreck in the middle of the race. However, his No. 3 Mullins Racing Ford looked great on track, earning him the Paint Scheme of the Race Award.
You can find all of Frontstretch’s video coverage from IRP on the Frontstretch Grassroots YouTube channel.
The national division of ARCA has an off week before returning at Iowa on Aug. 7. It’s a one-day show for the series with practice at 3:30 p.m. ET and qualifying at 4:30. That evening’s race will go green at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on FOX Sports 1. It’ll also be a combination race featuring the East series, which will be in Michigan for its next race.
Yes, ARCA East returns this week at Flat Rock Speedway. That race can be watched Saturday, Aug. 1 on FloRacing at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Josh joined Frontstretch in 2023 and currently covers the ARCA Menards Series. Born and raised in Missouri, Josh has been watching motorsports since 2005. He currently is studying for a Mass Communication degree at Lindenwood University