Fort Kent’s Austin Theriault could return to racing next week after suffering a 10 percent compression fracture in his lower back resulting from an accident that caused a support device in his truck to break during a Camping World Truck Series race Oct. 3 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Theriault, who drives for Brad Keselowski Racing, will miss his second race in a row this weekend with Austin Cindric replacing him for the Kroger 200 at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
“I’m feeling a lot better. The past couple of days have been my best since the accident,” the 21-year-old Theriault said Thursday. “The pain has really been manageable. It has decreased in good increments, and that’s all I can ask for right now.”
Theriault said he continues to attend physical therapy sessions and will be examined by a doctor on Friday. He has to receive medical clearance from NASCAR to return to the seat of his Ford truck.
“I’m anxious to get racing again,” said Theriault, who has four top-10 finishes and two-top fives in eight races.
“Obviously, there will be stuff I’ll have to work through when I return. There will be things I will have to modify or change. There will be some discomfort. That’s part of working through injuries like other athletes do when they return. You aren’t going to just jump back in and be 100 percent,” Theriault added.
He pointed out that everybody heals differently, so there is no timetable etched in stone.
“The good thing about my situation is I have been getting good health care. I’ve been fortunate to have that,” said Theriault, who lives in North Carolina. “You get regular updates. When I go back, I don’t want to have any reservations about being able to perform at a high level.”
Theriault suffered the injury when his teammate, Tyler Reddick, lost control of his truck. It slid down the track and sideswiped Theriault’s truck, causing it to careen up the track and hit the wall, which didn’t have a SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier.
Earlier this week, team owner and Sprint Cup driver Keselowski said in an ESPN.com story that the HANS (Head and Neck Support) device Theriault was wearing broke upon impact.
HANS Performance Products said it would work with NASCAR to investigate the specifics of the accident and issued a statement saying the right side tether carrier cracked during the collision.
The statement said the “HANS device did its job protecting his head and neck as it has in thousand of racing accidents.”
Keselowski said in the story that the steering wheel broke part of Theriault’s helmet and the transmission and bellhousing came into the cockpit.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway officials said the area where Theriault hit the wall will have a SAFER barrier installed this winter.
“You take a chance whenever you do something risky,” said Theriault. “It’s way better when a piece of plastic or equipment that is meant to protect you breaks rather than your head. It is amazing how much safety has improved over the years.”
He hopes further improvements are made resulting from his accident, but he intends to “turn the page” and not dwell on it.
Brian Keselowski, Brad Keselowski’s brother, replaced Theriault and finished 17th in the Fred’s 250 at the Talladega Superspeedway last weekend.
Theriault is hoping to return for the Winstar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, Nov. 6. There will be two more races to conclude the season after that.