Jerry Nadeau
Jerry Anthony Nadeau (born September 9, 1970) 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.
| Jerry Nadeau | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nadeau after winning the 2000 NAPA 500 | |||||||
| Born | September 9, 1970 Danbury, Connecticut | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 177 races run over 7 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 17th (2001) | ||||||
| First race | 1997 Miller 400 (Michigan) | ||||||
| Last race | 2003 Auto Club 500 (California) | ||||||
| First win | 2000 NAPA 500 (Atlanta) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 8 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 53rd (1995) | ||||||
| First race | 1995 Sundrop 400 (Hickory) | ||||||
| Last race | 2002 Little Trees 300 (Lowe's) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 97th (1998) | ||||||
| First race | 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus / AC Delco 300 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| |||||||
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 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.