Thomas Annunziata goes back to back for ARCA Menards Series at Lime Rock
Thomas Annunziata wins the ARCA Menards Series race at Lime Rock Park after dominating the race.
Annunziata wins a second year in a row at the 1.53 mile road course in Northwest Connecticut, and cuts into point leader Jake Bollman’s lead. Annunziata trails Bollman by only eight points now.
Carson Brown won the pole for the race, ending Annunziata’s streak of consecutive pole positions. 29 cars entered the race. Two entries, Ed Pompa and Jeff Maconi, did not start the race. Pompa due to a broken transmission, and Maconi due to engine trouble.
Race Summary
On the start, Brown lost the lead to his Pinnacle Racing Group teammate Tristan McKee. He then lost second to Annunziata shortly after. Battles throughout the field began to get aggressive in the early laps.
Annunziata then took the lead from Brown on lap seven. The first caution came out on lap 13 due to an issue for Corey Aiken. Aiken lost a pinion from the rear end gear of his car. Bobby Earnhardt got the free pass.
Under caution, Isabella Robusto stalled due to a fuel pump issue and had to get pushed back to pit road. Ty Frederickson also stalled but was able to get back going.
The race resumed on lap 19 where chaos occurred. Brown lost it into turn one and spun, while Annunziata and McKee made contact which sent him off course. Bollman took the lead from Annunziata. Peter Portante almost went around too in the exit of the esses but was able to save it.
While trying to get back to the front, McKee spun Dawson Sutton around while battling for the top 10. Sutton was able to get back going.
Annunziata took the lead back from Bollman on lap 23. In the following laps, Ryan Gemmell climbed through the field reaching second while Max Reaves made it to third. McKee also continued to move back up leading up to the halfway break.
The second caution came out for the break on lap 35. Takuma Koga received the free pass.
On the lap 38 restart, Bollman took third back from Reaves. But then, Andrew Ranger moved up through the field quickly and passed Bollman, Reaves, and Gemmell to reach second. Brown moved back into the top 10 during this run.
The caution came out again on lap 46 for a large piece of debris between turns three and four. Earnhardt received the free pass again, getting one of his laps back.
The race resumed on lap 50, and Annunziata took off. Both Portante and McKee went off track but were both able to continue. Alex Quarterley then had his hood go up after contact on the restart which blinded the windshield. He got back to pit road safely.
Brown also got back into the top five despite damage to the hood of his car. Gemmell then fell out of the top five on lap 57 after a great run. Michael Maples then spun in the esses on lap 59 but was able to get back going.
Brown then caught up to third with five laps to go. On the last lap, Reaves got fourth from Bollman following a tense battle. Meanwhile, Annunziata won by nearly 10 seconds over Ranger. 19 cars finished on the lead lap.
Post Race Comments
After the race, Annunziata talked about how grateful it felt to race at a track close to his home in New Jersey, while also getting the chance to go back to back there. Annunziata also discussed how he dealt with getting the lead back multiple times throughout the race.
Notable Results
Ranger finished in second after an incredible day in the No. 53 for NDS Motorsports. In fact, he won here back in 2010 in the ARCA Menards Series East.
Gemmell finished in sixth after running as high as second. He said he lost the balance of his car in the second half after contact with the No. 03 of Alex Clubb and had a hard time trying to manage it. He also is fresh off racing in the Historic Sportscar Series NASCAR Classic at Le Mans in France.
Jeff Anton finished 10th in the No. 44 for 1/4 ley Racing after running in the top 10 all day. He felt that the car got better on the long run, before falling apart towards the end where he felt it got too loose on him. Anton mentioned he had a lot of family and friends who came out to support him. He will return for the ARCA West race at Portland, and might also appear in an oval race by years end.
Race Results
- 70 Thomas Annunziata
- 53 Andrew Ranger
- 28 Carson Brown
- 18 Max Reaves
- 20 Jake Bollman
- 29 Ryan Gemmell
- 77 Tristan McKee
- 79 Isaac Kitzmiller
- 42 Dawson Sutton
- 44 Jeff Anton
- 25 Peter Portante
- 15 Will Robinson
- 17 Stewart Friesen
- 71 Andy Jankowiak
- 91 Ty Frederickson
- 01 Graham Jacobson
- 97 Jason Kitzmiller
- 11 Chase Buscaglia
- 12 Takuma Koga
- 89 Bobby Earnhardt -2 Laps
- 3 Alex Quarterley -4 Laps
- 03 Alex Clubb -7 Laps
- 99 Michael Maples -8 Laps
- 06 Nate Moeller -9 Laps
- 55 Isabella Robusto -18 Laps
- 19 Corey Aiken OUT
- 48 Brad Smith OUT
- 10 Ed Pompa DNS
- 86 Jeff Maconi DNS
The ARCA Menards Series will return next at Indy Raceway Park on Friday, July 24 for the LUINA 150 presented by IDEAL Door.
It will stand as the second combination race between the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East in 2026.
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