| Jerry Nadeau | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Nadeau after winning the2000 NAPA 500 | |||||||
| Born | (1970-09-09)September 9, 1970 (age 54) Danbury, Connecticut, U.S. | ||||||
| NASCARCup Series career | |||||||
| 177 races run over 7 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 17th (2001) | ||||||
| First race | 1997Miller 400 (Michigan) | ||||||
| Last race | 2003Auto Club 500 (California) | ||||||
| First win | 2000NAPA 500 (Atlanta) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCARXfinity Series career | |||||||
| 8 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 53rd (1995) | ||||||
| First race | 1995Sundrop 400 (Hickory) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002Little Trees 300 (Lowe's) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCARCraftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 97th (1998) | ||||||
| First race | 1998GM Goodwrench Service Plus / AC Delco 300 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| |||||||
Jerry Anthony Nadeau[1] (born September 9, 1970) is an American formerstock car racer. He competed in theNASCARWinston Cup Series. He started racing go-karts before moving up to car racing, driving in the12 Hours of Sebring, the EuropeanFormula Ford Festival, and theBarber 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 NASCARRookie of the Year award standings. After Nadeau took his first Top Ten finish atTalladega Superspeedway in 1999, he won his first NASCAR sanctioned race in theWinston West Series atLas Vegas Motor Speedway. He earned his first Winston Cup victory atAtlanta Motor Speedway the following year. Nadeau achieved his top NASCAR season in 2001 when he finished 17th 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.
Nadeau was born on September 9, 1970, and grew up inDanbury, Connecticut. His parents were Gerald Joseph, aroofer, and veteran in theUnited States Army during theVietnam War (1944–2007) and Pauline Cyr Nadeau. Nadeau's ancestors originate from St. John's Valley, Maine.[2] He has one sister, Debbie.[3] Nadeau was educated atHenry Abbott Technical High School and studied automotive technology.[4] His family had connections to auto racing; Gerald racedmodifieds at the Danbury Race Arena. Nadeau was given ago-kart by his father when he was four and one-half years old.[5] He also worked with his father in the construction industry to support his career.[6] 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."[6]
At age seven, he came in first in the eight- to twelve-year-old karting championship held in Bethany, Connecticut.[7] In 1988, aged eighteen, Nadeau won his firstWorld 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 atLime Rock Park. Jerry caught the eye ofSkip 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.[8] He defended his karting title for the next two years. In 1991, he took the WKA Grand National Championship.[9] In the same year, Nadeau moved into car racing, driving in theSkip 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 theBarber Dodge Pro Series.[8]
Nadeau drove alongside sports car driverGene Felton for the Jill Prewitt team which entered the 199212 Hours of Sebring, but retired after forty-eight laps because of adifferential problem. He also took part in karting events in St. Petersburg, Russia, competing on an ice track, winning two out of eight races. Nadeau later stated the experience helped him to develop the skill of not using his car's brakes on slippery surfaces.[10] In 1993, he raced in the Barber Pro Series, where he finished with one win and took fifth in the points standings.[11] Nadeau also drove in the European Formula Ford Festival winning the qualifying race and coming second in the semi-finals behindFormula Ford champion Peter Duke. Nadeau secured fourth in the final heat.[7] He also took five, top-four finishes in theFirestone Firehawk Series.[7] Nadeau improved in the Barber Pro Series in 1994 by finishing fifth in the championship with two victories. In 1995, he took two victories but fell to thirteenth overall in the standings.[11]
Nadeau entered eight NASCARBusch Grand National Series races for T&G Racing in 1995.[12] 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, theWinston Cup. It is comparable toFormula One's relationship withFormula 2/Formula 3000/GP2 Series. He originally signed to run fourteen season races.[13] Nadeau moved toNorth Carolina that year on the advice of public relations worker Tom Cotter,[5] and was on a budget of $200.[14] He often went toHendrick Motorsports to receive tips.[15] Nadeau failed to qualify for his first career NASCAR race, which took place atRichmond International Raceway. Later that year, he finished twenty-first atHickory, twenty-ninth atNew Hampshire, nineteenth at theMyrtle Beach Speedway, twentieth at theMilwaukee Mile, thirty-first atLucas Oil Raceway, and did not qualify for the races atNorth Carolina Speedway orHomestead-Miami Speedway.[12]
The following year, Nadeau moved toM.P.H. Racing and planned to run ten races in the Busch Series in 1996, in combination with a full season in the Formula Opel European Union Series Championship.[16] He ran only two races in the Busch Series, finishing thirty-ninth in both races and did not qualify atDarlington. 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.[7] He later declined a move into theFormula 3000 series, opting for a return to NASCAR.[5] In November 1996, Nadeau and Barber Dodge Pro Series driverTony Renna represented the United States in theEDFA Nations Cup held atDonington Park and won the silver medal, finishing behind Germany.[17]
After returning from racing in Europe in 1997, Nadeau moved to the Winston Cup Series and signed a five-race contract withPrecision Products Racing to replaceMorgan Shepherd in the No. 1Pontiac Grand Prix. During the first races, Nadeau was Shepherd'sspotter,[18] and worked on maintaining Shepherd's car before the races. Nadeau also built his own cars forAutomobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and Busch Series events.[19] Nadeau made all five races, including a ninth-place qualification atNew 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.[20] In five races, he had no Top Ten finishes, two Did Not Finishes (DNF) and finished fifty-fourth in season points.[21] He also took part in one race in the Busch Series atTalladega Superspeedway but failed to qualify.[22] He made his first appearance in anARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series car and finished fourth and second in the races he entered.[23] Nadeau's performances during the season caught the interest of 1988 ChampionBill Elliott and quarterbackDan Marino, and they offered him the chance to become their second driver.[6]
Nadeau started his rookie season in 1998 withElliott-Marino Racing driving the No. 13Ford car, owned by Marino. After sixteen races, and missing one race due to food poisoning,[24] he was released from his contract in July.[7] One week later, he was signed toMelling Racing to drive the No. 9 car.[7] Melling and Nadeau used the second half of the season to develop a consistent program in preparation for the 1999 season.[7] He had no top 10 finishes, seven DNFs, an average finish of 24.2, and had two results in the top 20. Nadeau finished 36th in the Winston Cup points standings for that season and was third in the NASCARRookie of the Year Award standings.[25] He entered his first and only race in the Craftsman Truck Series atPhoenix International Speedway finishing twenty-seventh.[26]
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 atWatkins Glen, he substituted for the injuredErnie Irvan to drive the No. 36 Pontiac atMB2 Motorsports for the remainder of the season.[27] In thirty-four races, he had two Top Ten finishes and finished thirty-fourth in season points.[28] In that year, Nadeau won his first NASCAR-sanctioned event in theWinston West Series atLas Vegas Motor Speedway.[29]
For the 2000 season, Nadeau was hired by Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 25Chevrolet, replacingWally Dallenbach Jr.[30] That year, Nadeau won his first NASCAR Winston Cup race in the season'sfinal race atAtlanta Motor Speedway after passingWard Burton seven laps from the end. Nadeau led 155 laps and won by 1.3 seconds.[31] He became the first driver fromConnecticut to win in the series.[32] He finished the 2000 season with five Top Ten finishes, nine DNF's, and an average finish of 23.1 in thirty-four events; Nadeau finished twentieth in the Winston Cup points standings for that season.[33]
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.[34] In thirty-six races, Nadeau achieved ten Top Ten finishes, eight DNFs, and an average finish of 21.1. He finished seventeenth in the Winston Cup points standings that season.[35] During 2001, Nadeau took part in the DIRT Motorsports Series with R&C Motorsports,[36] and co-founded the Tom and Jerry Racing Team with Tom Cotter, which fielded USAC Sprint Car Series driver Tony Hunt.[37]
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.[38] He was hired by MBV Motorsports to fill in for the injuredJohnny Benson Jr. for three races, whileJoe Nemechek took over Nadeau's former seat at Hendrick Motorsports.[39] Afterward, Nadeau drove forPetty Enterprises atSonoma where he came close to winning his second Winston Cup race, having a 5 second lead with 3 laps to go but finishing thirty-sixth after his car suffered a broken rear-end gear on the race's 107th lap.[40] He subsequently drove one race forMichael Waltrip Racing atChicagoland Speedway, finishing 37th after a steering problem.[41]
For the rest of the season, Nadeau was hired by Petty Enterprises to driveSteve Grissom's No. 44 Dodge car,[42] although he injured his ribs and shoulder in an go-kart accident at his home before theOld Dominion 500. He was advised by team ownerKyle Petty to rest, and Grissom replaced Nadeau for the rest of the season.[43] He had competed in twenty-eight out of thirty-six races, with one Top Ten finish at theFood City 500, seven DNFs, and an average finish of 27.4. Nadeau finished thirty-seventh in the Winston Cup points standings for that season.[44] He partnered sports car driverAnthony Lazzaro with the Rand Racing team in theRolex Sports Car Series to finish first in the SRPII (Sports Racing Prototype) class atDaytona International Speedway,[45] and in the Busch Series, he finished twentieth at the fall Charlotte race.[46]
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 thePontiac 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.[14] After he hit the wall, Nadeau responded to his crew before falling unconscious.[47] NASCAR red-flagged the track to cut Nadeau out of his car.[14] He was airlifted to a local hospital in critical condition, only given a six percent chance of surviving his injuries. Nadeau suffered complete immobility of the left side of his body, a skull fracture, concussion, a collapsed lung, and several broken ribs.[14] The injuries required him to use a medical ventilator to breathe.[48]Jason Keller raced for him at the Richmond race,[49]Mike Skinner,Mike Wallace, andBoris Said raced the 01 until the fall Martinsville Race,[50] Joe Nemechek raced in the 01 for the remainder of the season and for the next few years as Nadeau's replacement.[51]
In fall 2003, Nadeau began discussions with MB2 Motorsports boss Jay Frye about a long-term comeback. Frye gave Nadeau a test atConcord Speedway,[52] where he was unable to feel his car's brake pedal.[53] He also suffered a loss of stamina during this test.[52] Because of the effects of his accident, Nadeau had to learn to walk. He also experienced slurred speech.[53] He undertook physical therapy five times a week. This was later reduced to three when his condition improved.[54] 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.[55] He also suffered from depression caused by the loss of his racing career.[14]
MB2 Motorsports entered into a partnership to create a recovery driving program for Nadeau which included competing in the Nextel Cup, the Busch Series and ARCA events in 2004.[56] During that year, Nadeau served as a karting instructor at Lime Rock Park and returned to NASCAR as a spotter for Busch Series driverTodd Szegedy.[57] He worked with theClay Andrews Racing Busch Series team as a mentor for rookieDavid Gilliland in 2006, who went on to win theMeijer 300 and earned a ride withRobert Yates Racing later that season.[58] He raced in the Old School Racing Champion's Tour in 2008. In 2011, Nadeau became a mentor to Truck Series rookieJeffrey Earnhardt, son ofKerry and grandson ofDale.[59] 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.[14] In September 2013, he received a sports award from the Danbury Old Timers.[60]
On December 11, 1999, Nadeau married long-time girlfriend Jada Blanchard in the Bahamas.[61] Together, they have a daughter, Natalie Kate (born February 17, 2003).[5] One year after Nadeau suffered his accident, the couple divorced. In 2012, Nadeau remarried to Maryana, a Ukrainian.[55] He has a daughter from that relationship.[62]
In a 2016 interview withAutoweek, 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.[63]
(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)
| 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 |
| NASCARBusch 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 | NBSC | Pts | Ref | |
| 1995 | T&G Racing | 15 | Ford | DAY | CAR | RCH DNQ | ATL | NSV | DAR | BRI | HCY 21 | NHA 29 | NZH | CLT | DOV | MYB 19 | GLN | MLW 20 | TAL | SBO | IRP 31 | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAR DNQ | 53rd | 455 | [71] | ||||||||||
| Chevy | HOM DNQ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | M.P.H. Racing | 59 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | RCH 39 | ATL | NSV 39 | DAR DNQ | BRI | HCY | NZH | CLT | DOV | SBO | MYB | GLN | MLW | NHA | TAL | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAR | HOM | 85th | 92 | [72] | |||||||||
| 1997 | Precision Products Racing | 01 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | RCH | ATL | LVS | DAR | HCY | TEX | BRI | NSV | TAL DNQ | NHA | NZH | CLT | DOV | SBO | GLN | MLW | MYB | GTY | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAL | CAR | HOM | NA | - | [73] | |||||
| 1999 | GTS Motorsports | 90 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | TEX | NSV | BRI | TAL | CAL | NHA | RCH | NZH | CLT DNQ | DOV | SBO | GLN | MLW | MYB | PPR | GTY | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | CLT | CAR | MEM | PHO | HOM | NA | - | [74] | |||
| 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 | CLT 20 | MEM | ATL | CAR | PHO | HOM | 97th | 103 | [75] | |
| NASCARCraftsman 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 | NCTC | 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 | PHO 27 | LVS | 97th | 82 | [76] | |||||||||||
| NASCARWinston West Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | NWWSC | Pts | Ref | ||||||
| 1999 | Melling Racing | 9 | Chevy | TUS | LVS 1* | PHO | CAL | PPR | MMR | IRW | EVG | POR | IRW | RMR | LVS | MMR | MOT | 53rd | 185 | [77] | ||||||
(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 | ABSC | 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 | – | [78] | ||||||||||||||||
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