Fort Kent’s Austin Theriault notched his third consecutive top-five finish in NASCAR’s K and N Pro Series East tour on Saturday night as he wound up fifth in the United Site Services 70 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.
The 22-year-old Theriault, who races for Hattori Racing Enterprises, started fifth in his Belgard Toyota.
He has four top-fives in his last five races. It is his first year on the tour.
He ran a K and N Pro Series East race in 2012 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after winning the Mainely Motorsports’ television show Young Guns competition and he finished 19th.
Corey LaJoie won the race. He led the final 34 laps and pulled away from the pack on a green-white-checkered finish.
Todd Gilliland was second, points leader Justin Haley was third and Kyle Benjamin claimed fourth place.
Theriault’s top-five finish was his fifth overall in nine races, which ties him for second in the series with Benjamin, who is second in the points standings, and Spencer Davis, who is fourth.
Haley leads with eight top-fives.
Theriault pulled within two points of Davis in the standings and within 10 of third-place Noah Gragson.
Davis finished 16th Saturday and Gragson was 11th.
Theriault, whose only finish not in the top five in his last five races was a seventh place finish, will race again July 29 in the Casey’s General Store 150 at Iowa Speedway.
There are five races left in the season.