Repeat performance: Thomas Annunziata dominates Lime Rock Park again for his second ARCA victory

COLUMN BY: Adam Fenwick / ARCA RACING – LAKEVILLE, CT – Thomas Annunziata had every reason to be confident ahead of Friday’s ARCA Menards Series race at Lime Rock Park.

Not only is Annunziata a skilled road racer, but he also entered the Lime Rock Park ARCA 100 as the defending event winner.

He put that skill and confidence to good use by dominating Friday’s 68-lap race to earn his first victory of the season and the second of his ARCA Menards Series career.

“I grew up doing this kind of stuff, right? A lot of these guys didn’t,” Annunziata said. “I have an advantage when it comes to the road courses.”

Annunziata started second and took the lead for the first time fewer than 10 laps into the race when he used a slower car as a pick to get to the inside of Tristan McKee.

He continued to lead until a restart on Lap 20, when contact allowed Annunziata’s Nitro Motorsports teammate Jake Bollman to slip under him to take the top spot.

Annunziata settled into second and spent the next few laps pursing Bollman before moving past him in Turn 6 on Lap 23 to regain the lead.

One out front, Annunziata never lost the lead again. He crossed the finish line nearly 10 seconds clear of his closest pursuer to lock in his first victory of the season after some recent strong runs as he looks to gain ground in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings.

“Nitro Motorsports, man, we started getting hot there the last couple races. We weren’t able to execute a victory there, but I feel like we’ve deserved one for a while,” Annunziata said. “It means so much to get the first win for Nitro Motorsports in 2026. It’s been a while, so yeah, I’m happy.”

Three-time NASCAR Canada Series champion Andrew Ranger, making his second ARCA start of the season, finished second. Carson Brown overcame a mid-race incident to finish third, followed by Max Reaves and points leader Bollman.

Ryan Gemmell, McKee, Isaac Kitzmiller, Dawson Sutton and Jeff Anton finished sixth through 10th, respectively.

The ARCA Menards Series takes next weekend off before returning to competition alongside the ARCA Menards Series East for a combo event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday, July 24.

The LiUNA 150 presented by IDEAL Door takes the green flag at 5 p.m. ET live on FS1.

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