Jerry Nadeau
Encyclopedia
Jerry Nadeau is a retired race car driver
from Danbury, Connecticut
. Nadeau competed in the 1994 Barber Dodge Pro Series
and the 1996 Formula Opel Euroseries.
and ran five races that season with a best finish of nineteenth at Myrtle Beach Speedway
. He ran a pair of Busch races the following season in the #59 Winmiser Chevy, but finished 39th in both races.
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 #1 R+L Carriers
/Cruisin' America Pontiac Grand Prix
. He 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. In 1998, he signed up to drive a full schedule in Winston Cup with Bill Elliott Racing
to drive the #13 FirstPlus Financial Ford for a car owned by Dan Marino
. He failed to qualify for two of the first seven races, and was let go from the team midway through the season. He was immediately picked up by Melling Racing
to drive the #9 Cartoon Network
Ford Taurus
, and finished the season thirty-sixth in championship points, and third in the NASCAR Rookie of the Year
points standings.
Nadeau returned to Melling in 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, earning his first top-ten finish at Talladega Superspeedway
. Early in the 1999 season, he announced that he would be leaving Melling at the end of the year, and two weeks after placing fifth at Watkins Glen International
, he moved to MB2 Motorsports
to replace Ernie Irvan
in the #36 M&M's
Pontiac. In 2000, he drove the #25 Michael Holigan Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports
, and after two fourth-place finishes, won the season-ending NAPA 500. Holigan was replaced by the United Auto Workers
and Delphi Corporation in 2001, and although Nadeau did not win again, he placed a career-best seventeenth in points that season with ten top-ten finishes. He opened 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series with an eighth-place at Bristol, but failed to improve on that performance and was released from Hendrick. He filled in for Johnny Benson
at MB2 for a pair of races, before leading twenty laps and almost winning at Infineon Raceway
; leading 20 laps in the #44 Georgia Pacific/Brawny car before a rear end gear gave out on his Dodge. After another fill-in stint at Michael Waltrip Racing, Nadeau returned to the #44 Petty Dodge with the expectation that he would finish out the year until shoulder injuries ended his season.
Pontiac, and quickly had a fifth-place finish at Texas. On May 2, 2003, during a practice session at Richmond International Raceway
for the Pontiac Excitement 400, Nadeau spun in turn one and hit the wall driver's side first at high speed. Nadeau suffered complete immobility of the left side of his body, a skull fracture, concussion, and several broken ribs. Nadeau has not raced since.
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 later said in a Speed Channel
interview in May 2006 that he will "more than likely not race in a Cup car again", but raced in the Old School Racing Champion’s Tour in 2008. For 2011, Nadeau became a mentor to truck series rookie Jeffrey Earnhardt, son of Kerry and grandson of Dale.
Driving
Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus.Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as riding, such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road...
from Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
. Nadeau competed in the 1994 Barber Dodge Pro Series
Barber Dodge Pro Series
The Barber Pro Series was an entry-level open-wheel auto racing series from 1986 to 2003. The races were primarily on road and street courses in North America, although the schedule did sometimes include a few ovals....
and the 1996 Formula Opel Euroseries.
NASCAR career
Nadeau's NASCAR career began in 1995 in the Busch Series. He made his debut at Hickory Motor Speedway in the #15 Buss Fuses Ford ThunderbirdFord Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
and ran five races that season with a best finish of nineteenth at Myrtle Beach Speedway
Myrtle Beach Speedway
The Myrtle Beach Speedway, originally named Rambi Raceway, was built in 1958 and is located on U.S. Route 501 near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.The speedway is a semi-banked asphaltic oval track that spans...
. He ran a pair of Busch races the following season in the #59 Winmiser Chevy, but finished 39th in both races.
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
Morgan Shepherd
Clay Morgan Shepherd has been a NASCAR Sprint Cup driver since 1977. He has also raced in the Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. He is a born again Christian who serves as a lay minister to the racing community...
in the #1 R+L Carriers
R+L Carriers
R+L Carriers is a freight shipping company, based in the United States. Over the course of 40 years, R+L Carriers, Inc. has grown from one truck to a fleet of 21,000 tractors and trailers. R+L Carriers serves a total of 50 states plus Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Dominican...
/Cruisin' America Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac Grand Prix
Picking up where the Pontiac Ventura model left off, the Grand Prix first appeared in the Pontiac line for 1962. It was essentially a standard Pontiac Catalina coupe with minimal outside chrome trim and a sportier interior...
. He made all five races, including a ninth-place qualification at New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
, but failed to finish higher than thirtieth and was let go at the end of his contract. In 1998, he signed up to drive a full schedule in Winston Cup with Bill Elliott Racing
Bill Elliott Racing
Bill Elliott Racing is a former NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series team. It was owned and operated by 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott from 1995 until 2000, when it was sold to Evernham Motorsports.- Winston Cup :...
to drive the #13 FirstPlus Financial Ford for a car owned by Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
. He failed to qualify for two of the first seven races, and was let go from the team midway through the season. He was immediately picked up by Melling Racing
Melling Racing
Melling Racing was a NASCAR team that ran from 1982 to 2002. The team won the 1988 championship with driver Bill Elliott.-History:Owner Harry Melling first became involved in NASCAR when his company Melling Tool sponsored Benny Parsons in 1979. The team began in 1982 with driver Bill Elliott by...
to drive the #9 Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
, and finished the season thirty-sixth in championship points, and third in the NASCAR Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year....
points standings.
Nadeau returned to Melling in 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, earning his first top-ten finish at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
. Early in the 1999 season, he announced that he would be leaving Melling at the end of the year, and two weeks after placing fifth at Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
, he moved to MB2 Motorsports
MB2 Motorsports
Ginn Racing was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. Its principal owners in its final season, 2007, were 80% Bobby Ginn and 20% Jay Frye. The Valvoline corporation co-owned the #10 car with the principal owners from 2001 to 2005...
to replace Ernie Irvan
Ernie Irvan
Virgil Earnest Irvan, more commonly known as Ernie Irvan is a former race driver in NASCAR. He is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury at Michigan International Speedway which earned him numerous awards and respect from his fellow drivers...
in the #36 M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
Pontiac. In 2000, he drove the #25 Michael Holigan Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
, and after two fourth-place finishes, won the season-ending NAPA 500. Holigan was replaced by the United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
and Delphi Corporation in 2001, and although Nadeau did not win again, he placed a career-best seventeenth in points that season with ten top-ten finishes. He opened 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series with an eighth-place at Bristol, but failed to improve on that performance and was released from Hendrick. He filled in for Johnny Benson
Johnny Benson
Jonathan Benson, Jr. is an American NASCAR driver and the son of former Michigan modified driver John Benson, Sr...
at MB2 for a pair of races, before leading twenty laps and almost winning at Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
; leading 20 laps in the #44 Georgia Pacific/Brawny car before a rear end gear gave out on his Dodge. After another fill-in stint at Michael Waltrip Racing, Nadeau returned to the #44 Petty Dodge with the expectation that he would finish out the year until shoulder injuries ended his season.
Richmond crash
Nadeau started the 2003 season as the driver of the MB2/MBV Motorsports #01 United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Pontiac, and quickly had a fifth-place finish at Texas. On May 2, 2003, during a practice session at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
for the Pontiac Excitement 400, Nadeau spun in turn one and hit the wall driver's side first at high speed. Nadeau suffered complete immobility of the left side of his body, a skull fracture, concussion, and several broken ribs. Nadeau has not raced since.
After NASCAR
Nadeau worked with the Clay Andrews RacingClay Andrews Racing
Clay Andrews Racing was a NASCAR Busch Series team. They formerly fielded the #84 Hype Technologies Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Busch Series. The team was led by Billy Wilburn, a former Penske Racing mechanic and later crew chief...
Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
team as a mentor for rookie David Gilliland
David Gilliland
David Gilliland is a NASCAR driver and he currently drives the #34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland. He was born in Riverside, California....
in 2006, who went on to win the Meijer 300
Meijer 300
The Feed the Children 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, United States. The distance of the race is 300 miles .-History:...
and earned a ride with Robert Yates Racing later that season. He later said in a Speed Channel
SPEED Channel
Speed , is a cable and satellite television network broadcast to various parts of North America, but primarily the United States...
interview in May 2006 that he will "more than likely not race in a Cup car again", but raced in the Old School Racing Champion’s Tour in 2008. For 2011, Nadeau became a mentor to truck series rookie Jeffrey Earnhardt, son of Kerry and grandson of Dale.