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NASCAR Winston West: Nadeau Wins Pole Position for Orleans 150

6 March 1999

LAS VEGAS -- NASCAR Winston Cup driver Jerry Nadeau qualified on the pole for his first race in the NASCAR Winston West Series. Nadeau posted a top speed of 166.246 mph in his No. 9 Melling Engine Parts Ford to grab the pole for tonight's Orleans 150 at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His speed was more than one mile per hour faster than his nearest competitor, Ricky Craven, who qualified second at 165.052 mph. Nadeau's NASCAR Winston Cup team, Melling Racing, is fielding cars for him in both the Orleans 150 and Sunday's Las Vegas 400 Winston Cup race.

"The guys at Melling Racing did a good job to put this car together for me," said the 28-year-old Danbury, Conn., native. "They really stepped up to give me such a great car for the Winston West race while they are getting ready for the (Winston) Cup race, too."

"Tonight's race will help us a lot when it comes time for the Winston Cup race," Nadeau explained. "There's not much difference between the two cars, so this lets us get a lot of good time on the track and will help me learn the best line around track -- almost like a test session. Drivers are always looking for an edge and I think this race will be mine for Sunday."