Fort Kent Driver Back In BKR Dodge This Weekend
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – Fresh off his first career Super Late Model victory in his most recent start, Austin Theriault hopes to continue his late-season roll this weekend at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
Theriault returns to the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Checkered Flag Foundation Dodge Charger this weekend for the Governor’s Cup 200. Qualifying and the 200-lap main event are both slated for Saturday, November 17. Theriault’s last run with BKR was an impressive effort in the Winchester 400 at Winchester, Ind., last month – one week before he won the PASS 150 at Oxford Plains Speedway for his family-owned team.
“The more and more we get to work together, the better things end up,” Theriault said of BKR and crew chief Gary Crooks. “It’s just another race to me now. That’s how I take it. We’re at a point where we can go to the track and worry about working on the car and getting faster and not the other stuff like trying to get comfortable and building our communication level.
“It’s more about focusing and trying to win races and run up front.”
New Smyrna Speedway is one of only two tracks on his BKR schedule where Theriault has prior experience. He competed in an ACT Late Model Tour race at New Smyrna in February of 2011, and he hit the banked half-mile for practice on Thursday as one of some 30 drivers representing all corners of the United States.
Theriault said the BKR No. 29 Dodge was good in practice Thursday night.
“It didn’t take very long to figure out the groove,” Theriault said. “It’s fairly fast, and there’s some grip.
“I think the track is going to change a little as it gets more rubber on it, so it’s all about staying ahead of the track and making the right changes on the car.”
Last weekend, Theriault was on hand to work with BKR at Caraway Speedway as a crew member and watched both BKR cars in the event finish inside the Top-4 at the North-South Shootout 150. Seeing that effort firsthand boosted the confidence of the 18-year-old driver.
“Last weekend was fun. You can kind of hang out and help out and see what you tend to miss when you’re driving the car,” said Theriault, who finished fourth in the World Crown 300 at Gresham Motorsports Park in Jefferson, Ga., in July – his best career finish in nine starts with BKR dating back to last season. “You get a chance to see everything further back and get a good view of how all the pieces fit together. The cars are definitely competitive and capable of running up front every week.”