Austin Theriault is Maine’s own Wonderboy, making a name for himself as he climbs his way through the ranks of NASCAR. 22 year old Austin, a Fort Kent native, has started out his 2017 ARCA Racing Series season in spectacular fashion. He kicked off his year with a win at Daytona Motor Speedway, giving his new #52 Ken Schrader Racing team plenty of momentum to keep their success coming throughout the season. Theriault is no stranger to success behind the wheel — he began his winning voyage capturing a handful of wins throughout New England during his early racing days.
Austin began racing at the age of 13 at Spud Speedway, a small 1/3 mile oval in Caribou, Maine. This began his voyage into Late Model cars. Early into his racing career, he captured his first win at the Spud 150 and his success only grew from there. Austin then went on to become the youngest podium finisher at the Oxford 250, finishing behind NASCAR’s own Kyle Busch. In 2013, he also captured a win at the 2013 PASS 300 race at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine. After graduating from high school in 2012, Austin made his voyage down to Mooresville, North Carolina. This is where his journey in NASCAR’s biggest series’ began. Austin may have moved away from his home state, but he will never lose sight of where he came from.
When you are a racecar driver in the Northeast, the racing season is over in a quick minute, much unlike those down South or out West that race year-round. Growing up in Maine, Austin says that he was consistently working on his car during the winter months. At the beginning of his career, he says that honestly, he didn’t really know what he was doing. Late Model racecars were new to him, but he was certainly up for the challenge. He recounts reading books to help him learn more about the cars. He enlisted in the help of others outside of his family and friends as he moved up within the sport, frequently seeking out help and advice from those with knowledge of the sport. He says that his decision to make his racing hobby into a career didn’t come to be until he decided to move from Maine to Mooresville after graduation. Austin’s voyage to Mooresville jumpstarted his NASCAR career, but he still holds his short track memories with him to this day.
Theriault recalls his 2013 PASS 300 win at Beech Ridge as being one of his most memorable victories in New England. This was his first summer away from home, and he says that it was amazing to come back home after being gone and reign victorious. He recalls this victory as the biggest win of his career at that stage in his life. This victory was so important to him that he still has the car from the win back at home in Maine. He had friends and family from both home and North Carolina come together for the race, and he says that it was awesome to have everyone from his two different worlds come together to achieve the same goal. As for his favorite tracks back at home? Spud Speedway will be one that he holds close to his heart, but Oxford and Beech Ridge are both fun to run for him. Austin’s small town victories are memorable, but he also managed to tame arguably the most famous racetrack in auto racing history: Daytona Motor Speedway.
During the offseason, it was announced that Austin Theriault was joining Ken Schrader Racing in 2017, getting behind the wheel of a full-time ride in the #52 ARCA Series Ford Fusion. He says that he and Ken ran into each other at a PRI show toward the end of 2016, right before Austin headed back home to Maine for the holidays. He and Ken struck up a conversation. Ken had mentioned that he didn’t have a driver, and Austin mentioned that he was in search of a ride for 2017. From there, a deal was put together and the rest is history. Austin says the two running into each other is simply “meant to be” and he is more than grateful to be behind the wheel once again in a full-time ride. The #52 team is already proving to be a powerful one, especially after the season debut win at Daytona. Austin says his win at Daytona was obviously a big deal. Coming right out the gate with a new team and getting a win takes a lot of weight off of Austin’s shoulders as a driver. He says that this victory eased his mind a bit and took some pressure off of him, leaving him room to take some chances in 2017 and elevate his team to new heights. Although his 2017 season started out with a victory, Austin’s journey to the top hasn’t exactly been easy.
In 2015, Austin was involved in a serious on-track accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway while competing in the Camping World Truck Series. The accident left him with a lower back fracture, sidelining him from being behind the wheel for an extended period of time. Austin says that this accident took both a major emotional and physical toll on him. He was actively learning and becoming more successful, but it all came to a halt after the crash. “Life came to a complete stop in the matter of seconds”, he says. This accident made him see life in a new light, from a different perspective. This accident only made him stronger, and he’s thankful for any opportunities that allow him to build his career back up and give him a run at the championship. Austin took any opportunity that came to him in 2016, racing in any division he could. These opportunities included some time behind the wheel with different teams, like the #02 Young’s Motorsports truck he drove for the Martinsville race in October. Being behind the wheel isn’t the only thing on Austin’s mind — he has a wide array of hobbies outside of racing.
Austin has a passion for being in the cockpit. He is a licensed pilot, and he actually did all of his flight training while he was still attending high school. He says that his uncle inspired him to get into the hobby, seeing that he was a pilot himself. He says that flying is a good skill to keep in your back pocket, but it is challenging to take on. Austin compared his flight training to “taking another class in school”, going into detail about how learning how to fly requires studying and intense concentration. Although he doesn’t own his own plane, he rents planes occasionally and loves being in the air. In addition to being a pilot, Austin enjoys cycling from late Spring into early Fall. He says that cycling during these months helps him condition for the warm weather and also helps him mentally — allowing him to clear his head and zone out for a little while. Austin is consistently learning more about the sport and drawing influences from both past drivers and his own family and friends.
As a competitor, Austin draws influence from drivers like Mark Martin. He says that Mark was a driver that he paid a lot of attention to when he was younger, seeing Martin as a driver that others looked to when trying to achieve success within the sport. He says that Mark Martin is undoubtedly the best driver to never win a championship and calls him a “legend of the sport.” In his personal life, Austin looks up to his grandfather. He says that his grandfather bought him his first car — a 1986 Pontiac Grand Am. He says that his grandfather has played a big part in his racing career and still comes out to support him to this day, including traveling with him to Nashville for this weekend’s upcoming race. Austin draws influence from those in his life, but he also wants to make a difference in others’ lives in the future.
Austin is very interested in politics and enjoys debating from time to time. He says that people have a lot of power and the ability to make people’s lives better. He would like to be one of these people someday, saying that public service is important to him. He won’t be pursuing this any time in the near future, though. He says that in order to lead others, you must have a lot of life experience and be able to open your eyes to what other people go through in their daily lives. Although public service is not in the cards right now as racing is his main focus, Austin still sees this as a definite possibility for himself in 10-20 years. Austin wants to help others in the future and inspire young people to reach their dreams, but he admittedly doesn’t have a personal formula for success.
As for his advice to young people trying to make it in the sport? Austin says that success comes in different ways for everyone and that each individual person has a different path to follow/story to tell. He says that racing is a tough goal for anyone to have, which is something he didn’t necessarily know when he first got involved in the racing world. Nothing ever comes easy, but staying persistent is important. There are going to be a lot of obstacles, so you must be prepared for the bumps in the road. He says that you can’t be afraid to network with others and share your story. He compares putting a network of people together to “putting a puzzle together”, stating that different people make up different pieces of the puzzle and impact your success in different ways. Last of all, Austin says that it’s important for other people to see your determination and sacrifices, saying that you’re going to have to chase your dreams. He concludes his response by saying that you must remain authentic and “chase your own story.” Austin hasn’t lost the small town boy inside of him, even when he’s reached success at some of the highest levels of competition in the sport. He has an entire state behind him, rooting for his success as he continues to climb to the top. We wish Austin the best of luck and upmost success during the 2017 ARCA racing season!
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