Austin Theriault: ACT Late Model Tour
Beech Ridge Motor Speedway Race Preview
Austin Theriault of Fort Kent, Maine, heads into another first for him when the ACT Late Model Tour goes to the ACT 150 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, July 24. Theriault has never competed on the track in a Late Model, though he did enter a PASS North Series Super Late Model event at the facility in May. Theriault is on the rebound — after the disappointment of not qualifying for the 37th annual TD Bank Oxford 250 last weekend, he received word on Thursday that he has been chosen as one of 40 drivers across the northeast and Canada to test at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Aug. 17-18 in advance of the 2nd annual ACT Invitational at the track in September.
WHO: Austin Theriault, Fort Kent, Maine
TEAM: No. 57 Varney Insurance/Hogan Tire/Daigle&Houghton Ford Fusion
BEST CAREER BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY FINISH: N/A
LAST RACE AT BEECH RIDGE MOTOR SPEEDWAY: N/A
WHAT: ACT Late Model Tour ACT 150
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
WHEN: 6 p.m., Saturday, July 24
ACT Late Model Tour
LAST RACE: Saturday, July 10, Airborne Speedway, Plattsburgh, N.Y. (14th-place)
NEXT RACE: Friday, July 30, Twin State Speedway, Claremont, N.H. (.333-mile oval)
POINTS POSITION: 18th
**********************
AUSTIN, FIRST OF ALL, HOW DISAPPOINTING WAS IT TO NOT QUALIFY FOR YOUR FIRST OXFORD 250 LAST WEEKEND?
It was definitely disappointing. Saturday, we were a little overconfident in our car and our chances. The car was pretty much perfect, and I don’t really know what happened from Saturday to Sunday. We even got a pretty near perfect draw.
It’s just hard to take — luck was on our side, and it just didn’t work out.
HAS IT BEEN HARD TO REBOUND FROM LAST WEEK?
Not at all. We’re pretty confident about going to Beech Ridge, actually. We learned a couple of things last weekend, and one of those things was that we need change a few things we’re doing as a crew. (Crew chief Mickey Green) did some measurements on the car and the tires, and there were a couple of things that needed some work — things we didn’t catch.
We’ll work it out. We’re going to do things differently — starting now. I’m looking forward to getting to Beech Ridge and proving we can run in the top-10. I know we’re capable, but everything has to fall in our favor. We’re a new team, and we’re going to learn a couple of things every weekend everywhere we go. Things will go wrong, but we need to keep getting better.
WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU HEARD YOU HAD BEEN INVITED TO TEST AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY?
It’s going to be an awesome opportunity. It’s the biggest track in New England, and I really just can’t wait to go.
It’s pretty humbling, to be honest. Not too many guys get the opportunity to race on that track. We’re just going to go there and do the best we can to get the car going, keep pace with everybody else, and hopefully, we’ll do well enough to get invited back for the race.