NASCAR WCUP: Jerry Nadeau/Melling Racing Darlington Preview
18 March 1999
Jerry Nadeau/Melling RacingRace Performance Profile
TranSouth Financial 400 Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
March 21, 1999
Track Specs: Track Length: 1.366 miles Banking: 25 degrees in turns one and two 23 degrees in turns three and four 2 degrees on the straights Race Length: 400 miles / 293 Laps Media Coverage: Television: ESPN, 12:30 p.m. (EST)
1999 Stats and Facts:
Nadeau posted the best finish of his career -- 11th -- in the 1999 season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Last week, he started 12th in the Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and finished 27th. He is currently in 26th position in the NASCAR Winston Cup points standings.
1998 Stats and Facts:
Nadeau finished 31st and 32nd, respectively, at Darlington Raceway in 1998. His highest finish in 1998 was 15th at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. His best starting position was at Sears Point (Sonoma, Calif.) Raceway where he posted the second-fastest speed in time trials.
Nadeau's Thoughts on Darlington Raceway:
"Darlington is a fun race track. To me, it's a driver's track because teams depend more on the driver's performance than on the car's setup. Usually, the driver is half of the package and equipment is the other half. But Darlington is a tough track to get around, so the teams have to rely on the driver even more.
"Drivers have to have patience at Darlington because the track can bite you. You have to race it even more than the other drivers in the field."