Martinsville: Jerry Nadeau preview
Feisty Nadeau takes his passion to the track. MARTINSVILLE, Va. (April 9, 2003) - Overcoming obstacles is nothing new for United States Army driver Jerry Nadeau. The Danbury, Conn. native knows how to suck it up and battle his way through ...
Feisty Nadeau takes his passion to the track.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (April 9, 2003) - Overcoming obstacles is nothing new for United States Army driver Jerry Nadeau. The Danbury, Conn. native knows how to suck it up and battle his way through adversity - he's been doing that ever since he jumped into a go-kart at the tender age of four.
The fight that got him to the elite level of NASCAR Winston Cup Racing is still very evident in the 32-year-old racer, who will take that passion to the .526-mile track in Martinsville for Sunday's (April 13) Virginia 500.
"We've been clipped, been blocked and have been hit from every angle but nothing has dampened the morale and fight of this U.S. Army Racing team," said the feisty Nadeau. "What's happened so far in the season is basically a waste of time to think about. Right now, our focus and energies are being spent to put together the best possible setup for Martinsville."
The historic Martinsville Speedway, located in southern Virginia, is another one of those facilities where a love/hate relationship develops.
"I love the short tracks," said Nadeau. "They're fun to race on, but they are also very unforgiving. You need track position, good brakes and a lot of luck at Martinsville. I feel good about our chances because I felt we had a good run going in Bristol a few weeks ago - we were running third when I got hit from behind.
"What's neat about my situation is I know I am surrounded by talented people, starting with our crew chief Ryan Pemberton. Granted our results don't show it, but we know the performance is there, we proved it in Texas a couple of weeks ago when we finished fourth. All of the bad breaks we've had have only given us a stronger desire to do well."
Nadeau and his No. 01 U.S. Army Pontiac Grand Prix suffered more bad luck last week in Talladega, spoiling the momentum from the previous week's race in Texas. With optimism running high in the U.S. Army camp, Nadeau was struck an early blow when he was collected in a multi-car accident on the fourth lap.
"That was so unfortunate because we felt we had something going," said Nadeau. "Hopefully that only halted our momentum temporarily."
-mb2m-
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