Kansas City – October 11, 2026 -- Thomas Annunziata, 21, clinched his first ARCA Menards Series championship with a fifth-place finish at Kansas Speedway, driving the No. 70 Toyota Camry. It is also the first ARCA title for his team, Nitro Motorsports.
A rookie full-time season ends with a title
The New Jersey native made his full-time ARCA debut in 2026. Across the season's 20 races, he scored one win, at Lime Rock Park in June, along with 11 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. His average finishing position was seventh.
The title is Toyota's second in four years and third in the last six. It follows Jesse Love in 2023 and Ty Gibbs in 2021.
Teammates made the title fight tight
Paul Doleshal, general manager of sponsorships and motorsports at Toyota Motor North America, said the championship was "very competitive" among the Nitro Motorsports teammates. He said Annunziata coming out on top showed both talent and determination.
Annunziata also debuted in the NASCAR Truck Series
At Lime Rock Park, Annunziata made his NASCAR Truck Series debut in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage. He started from fourth position.
Toyota teams won 11 of 20 races
The championship capped a historic ARCA season for Toyota, whose teams won 11 of the 20 races. That included four straight wins from Michigan International Speedway to Elko Speedway in mid-summer. Annunziata's Lime Rock Park victory was the third of those four.
Annunziata is the ninth Toyota-partner driver to win an ARCA Menards Series championship.