FORT KENT — Fort Kent driver Austin Theriault is back hitting the pavement looking for a ride and sponsors after leading the most laps in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series opener at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19 only to get caught up in a multi-truck wreck with six laps remaining.
He wound up 27th in the NextEra Energy Resources 250 after starting fourth in the Brad Keselowski Racing team’s No. 2 Gogo Ford F-150.
He led five different times for 31 of the 100 laps.
“Considering how strong we were, the result was very difficult to take. We were really aggressive. We went into the race wanting to win it. We did the best we could. We controlled as much as we could, but it wasn’t the ideal outcome for the effort we put into it and for how good we were during the race,” the 22-year-old Theriault said.
“Austin did a great job, and I’m really proud of the effort by everyone at BKR for all the hard work and effort they put into our Gogo Ford at Daytona,” Brad Keselowski Racing crew chief Buddy Sisco said in a news release.
“We put four tires on the truck earlier in the race and, in four laps, he was leading. I felt like if I could put four more tires on him and fill him up with fuel, we’d be good until the end,” he added. “Unfortunately, by putting the four tires on, we just lost way too much track position. We put ourselves in harm’s way, and we see the end result.”
Theriault had a 13-race deal in for the Brad Keselowski Racing race team a year ago but missed four races when he suffered a 10 percent compression fracture in his back after teammate Tyler Reddick accidentally wrecked him on Oct. 3, 2015, at the Rhino Linings 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
He posted four top-10 and two top-five races in his nine races and finished 24th in the points standings, which was the highest finish among drivers who ran fewer than 10 races.
Theriault was grateful for the opportunity to race at Daytona but said a one-race deal “isn’t always effective,” and he is looking for a multirace deal because that is what is required for the “brand identity to grow.”
“I’m looking for a long-term partner who is going to grow with me. Successful partnerships start from the ground floor and are long-term,” he said. “Moving forward, I’m going to work hard every day to find new opportunities. I’m going to stay positive and hungry. You can’t let difficult times impact you because they’ll swallow you up.
“I feel like I’m in a good position,” said Theriault. “I’ve talked to a lot of companies. I know good things take time.”