Austin Theriault is returning to his roots, starting the 2016 Accent Imaging Super Late Model 125-lap race as part of the final day of the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park.
The 22-year-old Theriault chose this race in part because he will not be racing the Snowball Derby next weekend but also says “I am here mainly to get this car tuned in but also to be at the race track.”
“I just want to have fun with a little less pressure than the NASCAR stuff, my crew today is comprised of a few short track guys and one guy who helped me a little in the Camping World Truck Series. We really just want to go out and try to close the season on a high note, possibly with a win.”
Theriault, a native of Ft. Kent, Maine will roll off second in the 125-lap feature event and believes he has a good shot to win today, despite the disadvantage of not racing at Southern National since winning a Pro All-Stars Series race in March of 2013.
Theriault says “I think our chances are good, a lot of these guys race more than us and this car is fairly new so we don’t know what it might do towards the end of the race. We know we are fast and if things fall our way, hopefully, we will have a shot.”
Theriault and crew took full advantage of all the practice time Saturday, with their small notebook they “tried different things” with the car, running about five laps longer than many other cars did. Austin said, “We really have to use up all the time given to us to make sure our car is locked in.”
With the knowledge Theriault his from competing in the Camping World Truck Series and K&N Series, his diverse schedule could play to his advantage.
Theriault says “With the bigger cars, you learn how to drive and how to deal with an ill-handling race car, when you come to these you still have those issues but with the experience, I think I can better handle those car changes.”
Theriault starts on the front row, alongside Christian Eckes, the two of them should be fun to watch during the 125 lap Accent Imaging Super Late Model race.
