NASCAR WCUP: Jerry Nadeau Loving the Trip to the North
11 July 1999
9 JERRY NADEAU -- Cartoon Network Taurus -- IS IT EXTRA SPECIAL TO BE ABLE AND COME BACK HERE TO RACE? "It's always nice to come back up north. I've won a bunch of races up here in open-wheel cars and my family is only two-and-a-half hours away so they all come up here. I've also got a lot of french fans who come down from Maine and Canada because with the french last name it attracts some people. It's a lot of fun. I enjoy it a lot. The weather is nice and it's great to see a lot of green trees around here."IT SEEMS DRIVERS FROM THE NORTHEAST HAVE AN EXTREMELY LOYAL FOLLOWING. DO YOU FEEL THAT'S THE CASE? "I hope so. It's kind of neat because last night I had to do a deal in Waterford, Connecticut and I was really surprised at how many people knew who I was. I haven't been in this sport that long, but it was a lot of fun. If it wasn't for the race fans, we wouldn't be here. Everybody kind of follows their drivers and to be from up north and running in Winston Cup, it always helps to come to a northern race track. You seem to get a little more support from the race fans, but our main job anywhere is to do well and race as hard as you can and get good finishes wherever you are."
DO YOU HAVE ANY FAMILY AND FRIENDS COMING TO THE RACE SUNDAY? "Just my mom and dad. I used to try to get everybody in, but it got a little bit too hectic. There were so many people wanting tickets and it got pretty hard ever since I got into Winston Cup, so now I just limit it to my mom and dad, and maybe a couple of friends I used to hang out with years ago when I was in school. Other than that, that's about it."
YOU WERE THE THIRD-FASTEST FORD IN QUALIFYING, BUT YOU THOUGHT IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER. "I was disappointed. The guys gave me a good race car, and the only mistake we made is that we didn't scuff our tires good enough in practice. The tires didn't start working until I was coming off turn four. When it did, the car tightened up and when I tried to turn it, it got loose and I tagged the wall a good bit. Other than that, I think we've got a good race car. I like Loudon. We haven't finished well here yet, but I feel like we've got a good race car. If we make the right calls during the race and stay out of trouble, my goal is to realistically get a top 10 or a top 15. I think the car is good enough to do that."
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