Jerry Nadeau

Jerry Anthony Nadeau (born September 9, 1969) is an American former stock car racer. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He started racing go-karts before moving up to car racing, driving in the 12 Hours of Sebring, the European Formula Ford Festival, and the Barber Dodge Pro Series. Nadeau arrived in NASCAR, the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States, with a limited budget. He started racing part-time in NASCAR and finished sixth in the 1996 Formula Opel Euro Series.

He started full-time racing in 1998 and came third in that year's NASCAR Rookie of the Year award standings. After Nadeau took his first top-ten finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 1999, he won his first NASCAR sanctioned race in the Winston West Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He earned his first Winston Cup victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway the following year. Nadeau achieved his top NASCAR season in 2001 when he finished seventeenth in points, but his racing career ended in 2003 after he suffered serious injuries in a practice crash. He attempted a comeback before moving on to mentor drivers.

Early life and career Nadeau was born on September 9, 1969, and grew up in Danbury, Connecticut. His parents were Gerald Joseph, a roofer, and veteran in the United States Army during the Vietnam War (1944–2007) and Pauline Cyr Nadeau. Nadeau's ancestors originate from St. John's Valley, Maine. He has one sister, Debbie. Nadeau was educated at Henry Abbott Technical High School and studied automotive technology. His family had connections to auto racing; Gerald raced modifieds at the Danbury Race Arena. Nadeau was given a go-kart by his father when he was four and one-half years old. He also worked with his father in the construction industry to support his career. Speaking about his father's role in his career, Nadeau said, "I learned a lot from my dad, Gerry, while I was growing up. He wasn't afraid to yell and get on my toes to do my job because he hated to lose and I hated to lose. He made me the hungriest guy on the race track." In 1988, aged eighteen, Nadeau won his first World Karting Association (WKA) Gold Cup championship. Motorsports Talent Scout, Dicken Wear, had seen Jerry race for a number of years in Karting and asked if he would like to drive his SCCA SS/C Toyota Celica at an EMRA open track event at Lime Rock Park. Jerry caught the eye of Skip Barber and a few other driving instructors that day. Afterward, he was introduced to Bruce MacInnes and fellow graduates Walter Bladstrom, Tom Cotter, Bill Fisher, Bob Kullas, Frank Martinelli, and Art Regan who gave Nadeau financial support. He defended his karting title for the next two years. In 1991, he took the WKA Grand National Championship. In the same year, Nadeau moved into car racing, driving in the Skip Barber Eastern Series. He took eight victories and became the Rookie of the Year. At the end of 1991, Nadeau won the $100,000 Barber Pro Series shoot-out, allowing him to race in the Barber Dodge Pro Series. In 1993, he raced in the Barber Pro Series, where he finished with one win and took fifth in the points standings. Nadeau also drove in the European Formula Ford Festival winning the qualifying race and coming second in the semi-finals behind Formula Ford champion Peter Duke. Nadeau secured fourth in the final heat. At that time, the Busch Grand National Series was considered NASCAR's feeder circuit, a proving ground for drivers who wished to step up to the organization's premiere circuit, the Winston Cup. It is comparable to Formula One's relationship with Formula 2/Formula 3000/GP2 Series. He originally signed to run fourteen season races. Nadeau moved to North Carolina that year on the advice of public relations worker Tom Cotter, He often went to Hendrick Motorsports to receive tips. Nadeau failed to qualify for his first career NASCAR race, which took place at Richmond International Raceway. Later that year, he finished 21st at Hickory, 29th at New Hampshire, 19th at the Myrtle Beach Speedway, 20th at the Milwaukee Mile, 31st at Lucas Oil Raceway, and did not qualify for the races at North Carolina Speedway or Homestead-Miami Speedway. He ran only two races in the Busch Series, finishing 39th in both races and did not qualify at Darlington. In Formula Opel, he drove a partial season, running in thirteen out of seventeen races for six teams and finished sixth overall, the highest for an American driver.

After returning from racing in Europe in 1997, Nadeau moved to the Winston Cup Series and signed a five-race contract with Precision Products Racing to replace Morgan Shepherd in the No. 1 Pontiac Grand Prix. During the first races, Nadeau was Shepherd's spotter, and worked on maintaining Shepherd's car before the races. Nadeau also built his own cars for Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and Busch Series events. Nadeau made all five races, including a ninth place qualification at New Hampshire International Speedway, but failed to finish higher than thirtieth and was let go at the end of his contract when the team's sponsor expressed no interest in retaining him. In five races, he had zero top-ten finishes and two DNF's, and finished 54th in season points. He also took part in one race in the Busch Series at Talladega Superspeedway but failed to qualify. He made his first appearance in an ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series car and finished fourth and second in the races he entered. Nadeau's performances during the season caught the interest of 1988 Champion Bill Elliott and quarterback Dan Marino, and they offered him the chance to become their second driver. he was released from his contract in July. He entered his first and only race in the Craftsman Truck Series at Phoenix International Speedway finishing 27th.

The following year, Nadeau stayed with Melling and clinched his first top-ten finish at Talladega. In the first half of the year, he announced that he would leave Melling after the season ended. Two weeks after securing fifth at Watkins Glen, he substituted for the injured Ernie Irvan to drive the No. 36 Pontiac at MB2 Motorsports for the remainder of the season. In 34 races, he had two Top 10 finishes and finished 34th in season points. In that year, Nadeau won his first NASCAR-sanctioned event in the Winston West Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

2000s

For the 2000 season, Nadeau was hired by Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 25 Chevrolet, replacing Wally Dallenbach Jr. That year, Nadeau won his first NASCAR Winston Cup race in the season's final race at Atlanta Motor Speedway after passing Ward Burton seven laps from the end. Nadeau led 155 laps and won by 1.3 seconds. He became the first driver from Connecticut to win in the series. He finished the 2000 season with five top-ten finishes, nine DNF's, and an average finish of 23.1 in 34 events; Nadeau finished twentieth in the Winston Cup points standings for that season.

The following year, Nadeau stayed with Hendrick Motorsports. He nearly clinched victory in the penultimate race of the season at Atlanta, finishing fourth after running out of fuel midway through the final lap. In 36 races, Nadeau achieved ten top-ten finishes, eight DNFs, and an average finish of 21.1. He finished the season seventeenth in points. During 2001, Nadeau took part in the DIRT Motorsports Series with R&C Motorsports, and co-founded the Tom and Jerry Racing Team with Tom Cotter, which fielded USAC Sprint Car Series driver Tony Hunt.

Nadeau raced for four teams in 2002. He started the season by competing in eleven events for Hendrick Motorsports. He had his only top-ten finish of the year, taking eighth place at Bristol Motor Speedway. In early May, Nadeau and Hendrick Motorsports agreed to terminate his contract, citing a lack of performance. He was hired by MBV Motorsports to fill in for the injured Johnny Benson Jr. for three races, while Joe Nemechek took over Nadeau's former seat at Hendrick Motorsports. Afterward, Nadeau drove for Petty Enterprises at Sonoma where he came close to winning his second Winston Cup race, having a five-second lead with three laps to go but finishing 36th after his car suffered a broken rear-end gear on the race's 107th lap. He subsequently drove one race for Michael Waltrip Racing at Chicagoland Speedway, finishing 37th after a steering problem.

For the rest of the season, Nadeau was hired by Petty Enterprises to drive Steve Grissom's No. 44 Dodge car, although he injured his ribs and shoulder in a go-kart accident at his home before the Old Dominion 500. He was advised by team owner Kyle Petty to rest, and Grissom replaced Nadeau for the rest of the season. He had competed in 28 out of 36 races, with one Top 10 finish at the Food City 500, seven DNFs, and an average finish of 27.4. Nadeau finished the 2002 season 37th in points. He partnered sports car driver Anthony Lazzaro with the Rand Racing team in the Rolex Sports Car Series to finish first in the SRPII (Sports Racing Prototype) class at Daytona International Speedway, and in the Busch Series, he finished 20th at the fall Charlotte race.

Nadeau started the 2003 season as the driver of the MB2/MBV Motorsports No. 01 Pontiac Grand Prix, and quickly had a fourth place finish at Texas. On May 2, 2003, during a practice session at Richmond International Raceway for the Pontiac Excitement 400, Nadeau was leading the practice session when he suddenly swerved to avoid a slowing car, spun in turn one and hit the wall, driver's side first, at high speed. His car then slowly scraped across the wall for 50 feet before sliding to a complete stop. NASCAR red-flagged the track to cut Nadeau out of his car. Jason Keller raced for him at the Richmond race, Mike Skinner, Mike Wallace, and Boris Said raced the No. 01 until the fall Martinsville race, Joe Nemechek raced in the No. 01 for the remainder of the season and for the next few years as Nadeau's replacement.

Post-racing career In fall 2003, Nadeau began discussions with MB2 Motorsports boss Jay Frye about a long-term comeback. Frye gave Nadeau a test at Concord Speedway, where he was unable to feel his car's brake pedal. He also suffered a loss of stamina during this test. While Nadeau received a small financial settlement from NASCAR, it was not enough to pay for all of his rehabilitation, so he sold his large house near Lake Norman and moved to Davidson, North Carolina. He also suffered from depression caused by the loss of his racing career. During that year, Nadeau served as a karting instructor at Lime Rock Park and returned to NASCAR as a spotter for Busch Series driver Todd Szegedy. He worked with the Clay Andrews Racing Busch Series team as a mentor for rookie David Gilliland in 2006, who went on to win the Meijer 300 and earned a ride with Robert Yates Racing later that season. He raced in the Old School Racing Champion's Tour in 2008. In 2011, Nadeau became a mentor to Truck Series rookie Jeffrey Earnhardt, son of Kerry and grandson of Dale. In 2012, Nadeau began involvement with the B.R.A.K.E.S. program in Lake Norman, North Carolina, which teaches children how to drive.

Personal life On December 11, 1999, Nadeau married long-time girlfriend Jada Blanchard in the Bahamas. Together, they have a daughter, Natalie Kate (born February 17, 2003).

In a 2016 interview with Autoweek, Nadeau was candid about his life after the crash:People don't understand how difficult it is living with a head injury. It's really hard; it sucks; it's aggravating. It feels like I'm a little off on things, a little slower. My left side is always numb, and my brain doesn't feel as sharp as it used to. And it's tough when people don't want to see or know about that. They draw a big X on you, and that's sad. It's like you're forgotten when you're out of the limelight. Nobody owes me anything, but somebody could maybe give me something (work-wise) to keep me involved. I used to make $5,000 for a two-hour appearance. Now, I have a hard time finding a job for anything. I hate to say it, but sometimes I wish God had just taken me.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. Small numbers denotes finishing position)

Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts Ref 1997 Precision Products Racing 1 Pontiac DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR TEX BRI MAR SON TAL CLT DOV POC MCH36 CAL38 DAY30 NHA39 POC33 IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO ATL 54th 287 1998 Elliott-Marino Racing 13 Ford DAY21 CAR28 LVSDNQ ATL32 DAR31 BRI37 TEXDNQ MAR27 TAL37 CAL26 CLT40 DOV RCH38 MCH35 POC21 SON43 NHA27 36th 2121 Melling Racing 9 Ford POC26 IND26 GLN15 MCH30 BRI32 NHA29 DAR32 RCH23 DOV36 MAR35 CLT35 TAL42 DAY19 PHO39 CAR24 ATL37 1999 DAY11 CAR31 LVS31 ATL27 DAR40 TEX24 BRI42 MAR32 TAL8 CAL20 RCH21 CLT20 DOV30 MCH26 POC23 SON34 DAY37 NHA36 POC38 IND31 GLN5 MCH29 34th 2686 MB2 Motorsports 36 Pontiac BRI20 DAR43 RCH18 NHA32 DOV16 MAR26 CLT34 TAL40 CAR37 PHO37 HOM38 ATL20 2000 Hendrick Motorsports 25 Chevy DAY35 CAR29 LVS20 ATL42 DAR37 BRI19 TEX43 MAR20 TAL19 CAL13 RCH30 CLT38 DOV42 MCH23 POC20 SON8 DAY15 NHA4 POC27 IND4 GLN38 MCH12 BRI32 DAR29 RCH10 NHA21 DOV33 MAR12 CLT36 TAL13 CAR27 PHO23 HOM12 ATL1* 20th 3273 2001 DAY32 CAR15 LVS15 ATL3 DAR20 BRI30 TEX29 MAR10 TAL25 CAL8 RCH41 CLT13 DOV38 MCH28 POC19 SON31 DAY6 CHI37 NHA33 POC24 IND38 GLN6 MCH34 BRI20 DAR9 RCH14 DOV2 KAN12 CLT40 MAR24 TAL35 PHO24 CAR5 HOM33 ATL4 NHA6 17th 3675 2002 DAY28 CAR25 LVS15 ATL30 DAR18 BRI8 TEX32 MAR39 TAL32 CAL26 RCH41 37th 2250 MBV Motorsports 10 Pontiac CLT28 DOV27 POC MCH NHA18 Petty Enterprises 44 Dodge SON34 DAY POC36 IND24 GLN26 MCH32 BRI21 DAR41 RCH27 NHA28 DOV42 KAN27 TAL24 CLT13 MAR ATL CAR PHO HOM Michael Waltrip Racing 00 Chevy CHI37 2003 MB2 Motorsports 01 Pontiac DAY28 CAR26 LVS22 ATL31 DAR35 BRI28 TEX4 TAL36 MAR41 CAL14 RCHINQ† CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV TAL KAN CLT MAR ATL PHO CAR HOM 45th 844 † - Career-ending injury in post-qualifying practice; Jason Keller raced

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 1998 Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 26 21 1999 Melling Racing Ford 25 11 2000 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20 35 2001 5 32 2002 8 28 2003 MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 42 28

Busch Series NASCAR Busch Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Pts Ref 1995 T&G Racing 15 Ford DAY CAR RCHDNQ ATL NSV DAR BRI HCY21 NHA29 NZH CLT DOV MYB19 GLN MLW20 TAL SBO IRP31 MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CARDNQ 53rd 455 Chevy HOMDNQ 1996 M.P.H. Racing 59 Chevy DAY CAR RCH39 ATL NSV39 DARDNQ BRI HCY NZH CLT DOV SBO MYB GLN MLW NHA TAL IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR HOM 85th 92 1997 Precision Products Racing 01 Chevy DAY CAR RCH ATL LVS DAR HCY TEX BRI NSV TALDNQ NHA NZH CLT DOV SBO GLN MLW MYB GTY IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAL CAR HOM NA - 1999 GTS Motorsports 90 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR TEX NSV BRI TAL CAL NHA RCH NZH CLTDNQ DOV SBO GLN MLW MYB PPR GTY IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV CLT CAR MEM PHO HOM NA - 2002 Team Bristol Motorsports 54 Chevy DAY CAR LVS DAR BRI TEX NSH TAL CAL RCH NHA NZH CLT DOV NSH KEN MLW DAY CHI GTY PPR IRP MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV KAN CLT20 MEM ATL CAR PHO HOM 97th 103

Craftsman Truck Series NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Pts Ref 1998 Reher-Morrison Racing 9 Chevy WDW HOM PHO POR EVG I70 GLN TEX BRI MLW NZH CAL PPR IRP NHA FLM NSV HPT LVL RCH MEM GTY MAR SON MMR PHO27 LVS 97th 82

Winston West Series NASCAR Winston West Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Pts Ref 1999 Melling Racing 9 Chevy TUS LVS 1* PHO CAL PPR MMR IRW EVG POR IRW RMR LVS MMR MOT 53rd 185

ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Pts Ref 1997 Precision Products Racing 01 Pontiac DAY ATL SLM CLT 4 CLT 2 POC MCH SBS TOL KIL FRS MIN POC MCH DSF GTW SLM WIN CLT TAL ISF ATL N/A –