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NASCAR WCUP: Nadeau at Talladega/ Melling at 212 mph

21 April 1999

Jerry Nadeau/Melling Racing
Race Performance Profile
DieHard 500  Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
April 25, 1999
Track Specs: 
Track Length: 2.66 miles
Banking: 33 degrees in the turns
Race Length: 500 miles / 188 laps
Media Coverage:
Television: ABC, 1:00 p.m. (EDT)
Radio: Motor Racing Network

1999 Stats and Facts:

The April 25 running of the DieHard 500 marks the 12th anniversary of Melling Racing's record-setting qualifying speed of 212.809 mph. Bill Elliott piloted the No. 9 Melling Ford to the front row of the April 30, 1987, NASCAR Winston Cup race at Talladega with the fastest speed to date in a stock car.

Nadeau's No. 9 Ford will feature a special paint scheme from Cartoon Network's sister company, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), for the DieHard 500.

Nadeau scored the best finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup career -- 11th -- in the 1999 season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Nadeau posted his best qualifying effort of the year -- fourth -- at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway last week. He finished 32nd after an early race incident and is currently in 34th place in the NASCAR Winston Cup point standings.

1998 Stats and Facts:

Nadeau finished 37th and 42nd, respectively, in the two NASCAR Winston Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway in 1998. His highest finish in 1998 was 15th at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. His best qualifying position was at Sears Point (Sonoma, Calif.) Raceway, where he started second.

Nadeau's Thoughts on Talladega Speedway:

"Melling Racing is known to be good on superspeedways. It's nice to go into a race knowing we should be fast. My guys are capable of giving me a car that will qualify in the top five or 10. The key here is getting good people to run with in the draft so you can stay out of trouble and be ready to race hard at the end. We've been struggling for a good finish over the past few weeks, but I still have confidence in my team and I know they will give me a great car this weekend."

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