The Theriault family has been involved in motorsports for many years, starting with Austin's father, Steve, competing in truck pulling competitions. It was in truck pulling where Austin got his first start in competitive driving. When it comes to stock car racing Austin has been a very dedicated NASCAR fan since the age of 10, enjoying weekend TV racing with his best friend, his grandfather.

The Early Years (2007-2009)

In the summer of 2007, Spud Speedway in Caribou, Maine reopened after being closed for approximately 10 years. It was not long after that Austin's grandfather, Richard Theriault, bought him his first race car. It was then that Austin realized his passion for stock car racing. The 4-cylinder Pontiac Grand Am, lacking a muffler and on two wheels around each corner, had definitely seen it’s better days. To 13-year-old Austin, it was turning his dreams to reality. Austin had found the sport he truly loved and there was no turning back. He raced the first part of the 2007 season with the Pontiac then moved into a Dodge Neon.

While his passion for racing grew, so did his “need for speed.” During the winter of 2007-2008, Austin and his dad along with a few helpful hands built a 1983 Ford Mustang from the ground up. He began the 2008 season with his tried and true Dodge Neon but chose to debut his Mustang later in the season. He closed the 2008 season by capturing 2nd place in the 4-Cylinder Young Guns points championship.

During these years, Steve also raced at Spud Speedway in a different class. In 2009, Spud Speedway combined all 4-cylinder cars in a class called Fast 4’s, which would result in Steve and Austin racing side-by-side each week. The father-son competition was the highlight of Austin’s racing that year as he and his father exchanged opinions and techniques week after week. It truly was a family affair as Austin’s older sister, Brittany, would also decide to race after Austin passed his 1996 Dodge down to her during the latter part of 2008 to race in the “Powder Puff” division.

For the 2009 season Austin continued racing his Ford Mustang and managed to finish his as the Fast 4’s 4-cylinder Points Champion. After watching some V8 racing at Spud for the past couple years, Austin expressed his interest of possibly moving up a class. It was not long before he and his Steve found a V8 late model in southern Maine in August of 2009. It was then they met Doug Coombs, secured the car, and took it back to Fort Kent to begin to learn the setup.

Austin wanted to try and debut the car only one week later at the Inaugural Spud 150, so quick research and a couple after school trips to the track was all that time would allow. The Inaugural Spud 150 was held on August 29th and Austin hoped to gain some experience and learn the feel of driving a V8 powered race car. Austin did double duty that day, racing his 4- Cylinder during the first part of the day, capturing the win, then literally jumping into his V8 for the start of his very first late model race.

Racing against some very talented veterans whom he highly respected, his goal was to have a clean race and manage to load the car back into the trailer in one piece. With patience and strategy, Austin managed to capture the inaugural Spud 150 win in the company of his many loyal fans. Austin praised his dad and pit crew for their work and support, knowing he could not have done it without them.

Just a few short weeks later, Spud Speedway would put on another race, the Spud 100, where Austin would finish 5th. He wanted to race one more time in the 2009 season and would try to qualify in the final American-Canadian Tour (ACT) race in October at Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine.

With over 50 competitors trying to make the race, Austin managed to qualify, starting 27th and finishing 18th in his first official ACT race. He appreciated being able to race with so many big names and continued to gain respect for this type of racing. During the off-season AT Racing began to put together a plan to run the entire 2010 ACT season and compete for rookie of the year honors.

The first step was having a second car built to help keep Austin at the track every weekend in case of damage to the primary car or a different track setup. AT Racing enlisted the help of Crazy Horse Racing and Race Basics Chassis of South Paris, Maine. In the process the Theriault's met with, Mickey Green, the son of Crazy Horse Racing's owners, Mitch and Judy Green. With Mickey's past experience in late model and super late model racing Austin and his dad had found the team's crew chief. In the following months a team of family, friends, and new acquaintances formed around Austin and began to prepare for the 2010 season.

2010 Season

Though the team would miss the first ACT race of the season due to car preparation, they arrived at Oxford Plains Speedway in May of 2010 ready to compete as a rookie ACT team. Austin would pick up where he ended the 2009 season starting 6th. He would go on to lead 19 laps in only his second ACT start and finish 16th at the end of the day. The team would continue to grow and improve as the summer progressed with Austin qualifying for races and running with the top-ten in every race despite the driver and team being at tracks for the first time. In July, Theriault would arrive at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway with his modest goal of a top-ten finish. Little did the team know that the night would turn into Austin's first ACT podium finish, crossing the finish line in 2nd place.

Theriault's performance, thanks in part to his patience and smooth driving, led to him being invited to take part in the second annual ACT Invitational at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, NH during the September NASCAR Sprint Cup weekend. The highlight of Austin and AT Racing's season. That September would prove to be a good month for Austin when he captured his first career ACT pole for the Fall Foliage 300 at Airborne Park Speedway in Plattsburgh, NY. For the remainder of the season Austin would continue his consistent performance and finish the season in the 7th position in the points standings and 2^nd in a tight Rookie of the Year battle.

2011 Season

AT Racing would start the 2011 season in a limited role as Austin raced for RPM Motorsports. After running a few non-ACT points races with the AT Racing car the team made the decision to come back to the ACT Late Model Tour full-time to finish the season. The team hit its stride in July while competing at the TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway, once of the nation's most historic and prestigious short track races. Austin qualified into the race and claimed the 11th starting spot. Just prior to lap 200 Austin would use pit strategy to enter the top-five and would continue to chase race leader, Kyle Busch. When the checkered flag dropped Austin would pull into Victory Circle in the 3rd position as the youngest podium finisher in the race's 38 year history.

From that point forward Austin and the AT Racing's team season would continue on a blistering pace. To back up his 3rd place finish in “the 250,” Austin would finish 2nd in the inaugural ACT Late Model All-Star Challenge at New Hampshire Motor Speedway behind 8-time ACT Champion and former teammate, Brian Hoar. In the final six ACT points races of the season, Austin would not finish outside of the top-five and capture another podium finish of 2nd at Oxford Plains Speedway. Strong performance in the second half of the ACT season propelled Austin and AT Racing team into the 3rd position for the final points standings for the American-Canadian Tour, in only the team's sophomore season.

2012 Season

Austin and AT Racing look forward to the new opportunities and challenges that the 2012 season will bring to them. The team hopes to continue their strong on-track performance while still gathering knowledge and honing their skills to capture Austin's first career ACT win.