Former NASCAR driver Austin Theriault running for U.S. Congress

A former NASCAR driver is turning his attention from the racetrack to politics. Austin Theriault has announced that he’s running for U.S. Congress, according to the Associated Press.

Theriault announced he’s entering the Republican primary, hoping to eventually challenge Maine Democratic U.S. Rep Jared Golden. The election is for the 2024 seat.

Per the Associated Press, Theriault plans to address inflation, illegal border crossings and dying small towns.

“Regular hardworking folks are getting held down by out-of-touch, out-of-state elites who are clueless about how hard it is to make a living in Maine,” Theriault said.

Theriault, 29, is a current member of the Maine House of Representatives. He assumed office in December 2022.

Prior to his political career, Theriault was a participant in the ARCA Series, as well as the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series. In 2017, he was the ARCA Racing Series champion.

Theriault participated in 24 NASCAR events, 13 in the Craftsman Truck Series, six in the Xfinity Series and five in the Cup Series. He has not raced in a major series event since 2019.

NASCAR returning to Brickyard 400 at IMS

In the non-political realm of NASCAR, some big news broke earlier this week about the sport’s plans in 2024. It involves Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After utilizing a road course at the track for the past few years, NASCAR announced that it will return to the oval next season, re-introducing the Brickyard 400.

NASCAR ran the 400-mile race from 1994-2020 before making a switch to the Indy Road Course. The goal was to provide more unique track options in an attempt to generate greater interest in the sport.

But after a few years of running the road course, NASCAR decided to go back to the oval. And considering how popular that style of racing is in Indiana, it’ll probably be welcomed with open arms by fans throughout the state.

Kevin Harvick dominated the track in the last two oval events at IMS. He took home the checkered flag in 2018 and 2019 before NASCAR made the switch in 2020. He was a three-time winner at the Brickyard.

Jeff Gordon owns the record with five wins at the track, spanning across three decades (1994, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2014). Jimmie Johnson claimed four checkered flags at the Brickyard (2006, 2008, 2009 and 2012).

NASCAR’s visit to IMS is scheduled for July 20-21 in 2024.