Annunziata Lands Lime Rock Truck Ride In Spire No. 07

Thomas Annunziata (Nigel Kinrade/NKP photo)

LAKEVILLE, Conn. – Rising NASCAR Xfinity Series driver and road course specialist Thomas Annunziata will get a late 20th birthday present when he makes his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut with Spire Motorsports this weekend.

Annunziata will drive the No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado RST for the Spire team Saturday at the seven-turn, 1.53-mile Lime Rock Park road course.

A native of Colts Neck, N.J., Annunziata has a strong background in road racing that began when he was just 11 years old. Now at 20, he has competed in various vehicles, including go-karts, sports cars, Trans-Am, ARCA, and most recently, the Xfinity Series with Cope Family Racing.

Now he’ll get perhaps the strongest opportunity thus far in his NASCAR career with a top-tier team at the Truck Series level.

“It’s a dream to race for a top team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for my debut race,” Annunziata said about the excitement surrounding the breakthrough announcement. “Spire Motorsports is one of the elite teams, and I hope to get them another win.”

Top Liner, a premier provider of spray-on truck bed liners based in Adairsville, Ga., will sponsor Annunziata in the Lime Rock event.

“Thomas drove for us in Trans-Am and was on pace immediately,” said Claudio Burtin, owner at Top Liner and team principal at Burtin Racing. “He showed some unique car control. We look forward to mixing it up with the truck regulars and more to come!”

Annunziata earned his SCCA license in 2021 and debuted in the SCCA Spec Miata Class and the Mazda Motorsports Spec MX5 Challenge Series, winning two championships in his rookie year.

That success led to a $75,000 scholarship from the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout and a continuation of his progression.

In 2023, Annunziata made history as the only rookie to achieve both a pole position and a victory in Trans-Am TA2 competition. He continued to excel in 2024, winning the series’ Young Guns Champion award while also competing in the ARCA Menards Series.

During this time, he secured a runner-up finish at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway and delivered a strong ARCA performance at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as well.

Annunziata also made his Xfinity Series debut last year with the now-defunct JD Motorsports group at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, running five road course races during that year.

This season, Annunziata has a part-time schedule in the Xfinity Series with Cope Family Racing, focusing on road course and short track events, along with a handful of intermediate races.

Additionally, Annunziata continues to compete full-time in the Trans-Am TA2 Series with Nitro Motorsports, where he has achieved victories at Sebring (Fla.) Int’l Raceway and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga.

Annunziata will be the 11th different driver to wheel the No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado, which picked up a win early in the season with Kyle Larson at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway and has a total of five top fives through 14 races.

Annunziata will be one of only a few drivers with prior experience at Lime Rock from the Trans-Am Series participating in Saturday’s showdown.

The seven-turn, high-speed road course features six right-hand corners and one left-hand corner, challenging drivers’ physical and mental strength.

This race marks the Truck Series’ first road course event since March 2024 at Circuit of the Americas.

The LiUNA 150 at Lime Rock Park will be televised Saturday, June 28 at 1 p.m. ET, live on FOX. Radio coverage airs on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.