Theriault Wins First Career ACT Race
18-year-old driver dominates rain-shortened event at Beech Ridge
Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, posted his first career ACT Late Model Tour victory on Saturday night, winning the ACT 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine.
“That was a wild race,” Theriault said. “We had one of the best cars, and I’m so happy right now.”
Theriault, 18, qualified on the outside of the front row and led on two different occasions for a total of 60 laps. He took the lead for the final time on a Lap 110 restart and pulled away until the race was stopped on Lap 112 by rain.
“That caution helped us out at the end,” said Theriault. “I was able to keep it out on the outside and get past Jeff (Taylor).”
The win came at the same track where Theriault posted his career-best finish as a rookie, when he finished second at Beech Ridge in 2010.
Unofficially, the Brad Keselowski Racing development driver moved up one spot to third in the ACT standings with the win. It was his fifth Top-5 finish in six starts this season, he remained the only driver on the Tour to finish in the Top-10 in all six races in 2012.
“The car was just great all day long, in practice, qualifying and the race,” said crew chief Mickey Green. “Austin did a great job on that final restart. The outside groove was where we were best, and he took advantage of the opportunity out there.”
Theriault swept the day at Beech Ridge – setting fast time in final practice, winning his 12-lap qualifying race after starting sixth and winning the main event.
“I’ve got a lot of people to thank. This was a long time coming,” Theriault said. “Crazy Horse Racing, my parents, Pelletier Ford, the fans for coming out and cheering me even when we missed it.”