Carson Brown won the Menards 150 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, passing Gio Ruggiero on the last lap in the No. 28 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet and winning by 0.512 seconds. Behind him, Thomas Annunziata finished fifth, which was just enough to win the 2026 ARCA Menards Series championship on a tiebreaker (ARCA).
How it was won
Practice and qualifying were rained out, so Brown started second alongside Ruggiero. Ruggiero’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led 84 of the 100 laps. A late caution for Landon S. Huffman’s contact with the frontstretch wall let Brown close up. Coming to the white flag, Brown moved to Ruggiero’s outside and carried the momentum through Turn 1 to take the lead. This was his first start on a 1.5-mile oval, and he said his spotter told him to run the top for the last two laps (ARCA).
The title fight was just as dramatic. Annunziata started the night 16 points behind Nitro Motorsports teammate Jake Bollman, and the two tangled twice. Then, just before halfway, Bollman was caught up in a crash he did not cause when Will Kimmel spun in fluid. Bollman returned to the track and gained two spots to finish 21st, which meant Annunziata needed fifth to tie. He pitted for tires and an adjustment under the final caution and gained the two positions he needed in the last nine laps (SpeedwayMedia).
Results snapshot
| Pos | Driver | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carson Brown | No. 28 Chevrolet | — |
| 2 | Giovanni Ruggiero | No. 18 Toyota | 0.512s |
| 3 | Gavan Boschele | No. 25 Toyota | 2.292s |
| 4 | Lanie Buice | No. 77 Chevrolet | 3.952s |
| 5 | Thomas Annunziata | No. 70 Toyota | 7.127s |
| 6 | Andy Jankowiak | No. 71 Chevrolet | 9.252s |
| 7 | Jason Kitzmiller | No. 97 Chevrolet | 13.051s |
| 8 | Isabella Robusto | No. 55 Toyota | 13.814s |
| 9 | Mike Christopher Jr. | No. 42 Toyota | 21.016s |
| 10 | Esteban Rodriguez | No. 38 Toyota | 24.425s |
Race facts: 100 laps; 6 cautions for 37 laps; average speed 93.750 mph; 6 lead changes among 3 drivers (Ruggiero 84 laps led, Brown 14, Huffman 2). Full order: ARCA official results.
History & significance
Annunziata and Bollman both finished on 947 points. Annunziata took the title on the tiebreaker, helped by his win at Lime Rock Park, and became the 43rd different ARCA Menards Series champion. It was only the second points tie in series history and the first title decided by a tiebreaker; in 1974, Ron Hutcherson and Dave Dayton were named co-champions. Nitro Motorsports also became the first team to sweep the top three in the final standings, with Isabella Robusto third. Ruggiero’s runner-up finish clinched the owners’ championship for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 (SpeedwayMedia).
For Brown, it was his fourth ARCA Menards Series win of 2026 and his third in four starts. ARCA notes he has been named driver of Richard Childress Racing’s No. 2 Chevrolet in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for next season.
What’s next
The ARCA Menards Series season is complete. The 2027 season opens Saturday, February 20 at Daytona International Speedway, the day before the Daytona 500 (SpeedwayMedia / ARCA release). Series info: ARCARacing.com.