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Talladega: Jerry Nadeau race report

Nadeau collected in multi-car accident; finishes 36th. Talladega, Ala. (April 6, 2003) - United States Army driver Jerry Nadeau found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was one of the victims of a fourth lap multi-car accident ...

Nadeau collected in multi-car accident; finishes 36th.

Talladega, Ala. (April 6, 2003) - United States Army driver Jerry Nadeau found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was one of the victims of a fourth lap multi-car accident during Sunday's Aaron's 499 here at Talladega Superspeedway.

The massive wreck caused damage to 27 cars, 17 of which were forced to the garage for major repairs, including Nadeau's No. 01 U.S. Army Pontiac Grand Prix.

Nadeau, who started the 188-lap NASCAR Winston Cup race from the 24th position, was not injured in the accident, but his black and gold car took a major beating that resulted in a 36th place finish for the U.S. Army team.

"You come to Talladega knowing there's a strong probability that something like this is going to happen, but the hope is that you would be able to avoid it," said Nadeau. "We weren't that fortunate today because it was an unavoidable situation. It was one big mess out there and our car got really banged up. This was not a fun day."

When Nadeau drove his car into the garage the U.S. Army crew went to work immediately, replacing the radiator along with repairs to almost every other part of the car. When Nadeau returned to action 30 minutes later, his car was without a good portion of the sheet metal, including a hood.

"Aerodynamically, we were at a huge disadvantage," said crew chief Ryan Pemberton. "Our goal was to go as long as we could and get as many points as possible."

Nadeau's crippled car did as best as it could around the 2.66-mile tri-oval, but the damage was so severe that he had to make three additional repair stops into the garage before he was forced to retire from the race on lap 144. He completed a total of 73 laps.

"My hat goes off to the crew for their dedication and how hard they worked today," said Nadeau. "They did everything possible and even more to get the car running. I am really proud to be part of this team."

-mb2m-

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