Sunday’s 46th Annual Snowball Derby was filled with disappointment and enjoyment across the drivers who started the prestigious Super Late Model race. Austin Theriault was among the few drivers who went home satisfied with their placement in the finishing order.
Theriault, 19, is a developmental driver at Brad Keselowski Racing whose captured a multitude of victories over his career stretching from many different local divisions. He recently won two PASS events at Southern National Motorsports Park and Dillon Motor Speedway.
He capped off an impressive 2013 season by finishing third in his second Snowball Derby last weekend. He explained to me what the finish meant to him and how it could affect his future.
“Running good in the snowball derby is great for any aspiring race car driver. It’s a place where you have the best all from all across the country trying to win.” Theriault explained. “Placing third will not stand out as much as a win would, but for the people that are interested in short track, I’m sure they know who finished second and third.”
Theriault was one of the few that had a NASCAR team supporting them in the Snowball Derby. I spoke with him on how important it is to have an experienced team to back him up and when we could see him leap into the BKR’s NCWTS program.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to race for BKR and have learned many things with them the past several years.” Theriault expressed. “I am looking to move forward next year in a higher series, depending on how many sponsors want to be involved.”
After the already impressive third place finish I asked him what he or the team could have done differently to steal victory at Five Flags Speedway,
“Looking back in retrospect is always difficult if not impossible (to improve).” Theriault told me. “There are so many variables that can impact a race. To say that we would have won it if we had the opportunity to change one or two things is unrealistic.”
Theriault now will direct his focus towards next season as he prepares his surge towards a NASCAR ride. The Fort Worth, Maine driver opened eyes in the racing community on Sunday and can only elaborate on that moving forward.
