Austin Theriault: ACT Late Model Tour
Autodrome Chaudiere/Spud Speedway Race Previews
Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, will pull double duty in Late Model competition this weekend, starting things in the ACT Late Model Tour “Showdown At Chaudiere” at Autodrome Chaudiere in Vallee-Jonction, Quebec, on Saturday, September 8, before returning stateside to head back to Spud Speedway in Caribou, Maine, for the Spud 150 on Sunday, September 9. Theriault is one of 11 ACT Late Model Tour teams pitted against 11 ACT Castrol Series teams in the annual 200-lap event at the popular stop on the banked Quebec third-mile. The following day, Theriault and the No. 57 Pelletier Ford Ford Fusion will return to Spud Speedway where Theriault got his start racing in entry-level divisions.
THE FACTS
WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine
TEAM: AT Racing No. 57 Pelletier Ford Ford Fusion
CREW CHIEF: Mickey Green, South Paris, Maine
BEST CAREER AUTODROME CHAUDIERE FINISH: 5th (August 2010)
MOST RECENT AUTODROME CHAUDIERE FINISH: 8th (September 2011)
WHAT: ACT Showdown At Chaudiere 200
WHERE: Autodrome Chaudiere, Vallee-Jonction, Quebec (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: Saturday, September 8 – Practice, 3 p.m.; Qualifying, 6 p.m.; Race, 8 p.m.
ACT Late Model Tour
LAST RACE: September 2, Labor Day Classic 200, Thunder Road International Speedbowl, Barre, Vt. (5th)
NEXT RACE: September 22, Bond Auto ACT Invitational, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, N.H. (1.058-mile oval)
CURRENT POINTS POSITION: 3rd
BEST CAREER SPUD SPEEDWAY FINISH: 1st (2009)
WHAT: Spud 150
WHERE: Spud Speedway, Caribou, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: Sunday, September 9 – Practice, 11 a.m.; Qualifying, 1 p.m.; Race, 3 p.m.
DID YOU KNOW?
Austin Theriault sits third in the ACT Late Model Tour standings with one points race remaining, just 38 points out of the lead.
Austin Theriault won the 2012 Maine Young Guns title and is expected to be entered in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East G-Oil 100 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 22.
Austin Theriault became a household name in Maine motorsports after winning the inaugural Spud 150 as a 15-year-old back in 2009.
Last year, the U.S.-based ACT Late Model Tour team beat the Quebec-based ACT Castrol Series team in the overall Showdown at Chaudiere competition, aided in part by a 8th-place finish from Austin Theriault.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
AUSTIN THERIAULT, Driver of the AT Racing No. 57 Pelletier Ford Ford Fusion, On heading to a non-points All-Star race at this point in the season: “It’s one of those weekends where there’s a little bit less pressure without points on the line. It’s another weekend where you can try and tune on the car. For us, we’re trying to figure out places like Thunder Road, Chaudiere – the high-banked tracks. We’ve come a long way, and our finish last week (at Thunder Road) shows that.
“But this is a chance for our team to improve on these type of race tracks, with a lot less on the line and a lot less to lose. It gives you an opportunity to take some chances.”
On the environment at Autodrome Chaudiere: “Ever since I’ve been going, the attendance has been very good and it’s a different atmosphere. They’re definitely not afraid to show their support for racing, and after the race, they all come down to the pits. It’s really hard to get out – because it’s a mob of people. It shows their love for racing up there, and I think it shows as a result in the type of racing we have there.”
On returning to compete at Spud Speedway on Sunday: “It’s the place where I started, and I try to go up there and race at least once a year – even though it doesn’t always work out with the schedule that we all have. We’re going to try and put all our effort into this weekend and make it up there. It’s just a fun time and a great opportunity to meet and greet and see people that you haven’t seen in a while.
“It’s definitely a driver’s track. Not many people have raced up there, and it’s like your home track. Look at how Eddie (MacDonald) is always good at a place like Lee (USA Speedway), and it’s no different for me at Spud. It’s what I started racing entry-level classes at. Even though we don’t hit it up very often, it comes to me. I’ve had so many laps there.”
UP NEXT
The ACT Late Model Tour holds its second consecutive non-points showcase event with the ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Saturday, September 22… Austin Theriault finished 11 in the Invitational last year, just a month after second in the first and only ACT points race ever held at the 1-mile speedway.