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NASCAR WCUP: Nadeau ready to race after hard hit at Darlington

8 September 1999

MOORESVILLE, N.C.-- NASCAR Winston Cup driver Jerry Nadeau is ready to get back on the track after a hard hit at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway last weekend.

Nadeau was airlifted to Carolinas Hospital System in Florence, S.C., after an accident early in Sunday's Pepsi Southern 500. Nadeau sustained a mild concussion and a laceration to his tongue when he blew a right-front tire and hit the turn-two wall. He was kept overnight for observation. He was released from the hospital Monday afternoon and returned to his home on Lake Norman.

"When someone sustains a mild concussion like Jerry did, we like to keep an eye on them for a little while just as a precaution," said Dr. Russell Jaicks, Nadeau's attending physician and a trauma surgeon at Carolinas Hospital System. "At the time of his release, he was significantly improved and doing well."

"I basically just got my bell rung," said Nadeau, who turns 29 Thursday. "It was more frustrating than painful because I really wanted to have a good run for the guys at MB2 Motorsports. I've really enjoyed working with them the past couple of weeks. Even though we've had a couple of tough races, I've had a lot of fun."

Nadeau wasn't as much fun for the nurses at the hospital, however. "Jerry was anxious to get settled into his room so he could watch the end of the race," said Harriet Parker, marketing and public relations director for Carolinas Hospital System. "We made sure he was comfortable and found a universal remote for him so he could flip to other races during the Southern 500 rain delay. That seemed to help our patient feel much better."

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