Jerry Nadeau: A Story of Relentless Fighting Spirit

Summary

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Herm & Schrader Episode Summary

Episode Title: Jerry Nadeau: A Story of Relentless Fighting Spirit
Date: May 14, 2026
Hosts: Kenny Wallace & (mentions of Ken Schrader, but Schrader is not present in this episode)
Guest: Jerry Nadeau
Podcast: Herm & Schrader (Dirty Mo Media/SiriusXM)

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth and often candid conversation between Kenny Wallace and retired NASCAR driver Jerry Nadeau. The two delve into Nadeau's racing origins, his family and upbringing, career highlights in karting, open-wheel and stock cars, his abrupt transition to NASCAR, and his life after a career-ending injury. The tone is heartfelt and irreverent, with the hosts sharing personal stories, memories, and plenty of humor. The theme centers on resilience, reinvention, and the relentless spirit that defines racers like Nadeau.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jerry Nadeau’s Roots and Early Racing (02:06–13:51)

• Family Background & Influence
  • Nadeau is from Danbury, Connecticut. His father, Gerald Joseph, was a Vietnam War veteran and a local modified racer.
  • Jerry’s dad struggled financially but invested everything into racing, showing the sacrifices typical of grassroots racers.
  • Jerry shares emotional memories of his father’s battle with a rare cancer and the profound impact of his loss.
    • Quote: "He went to get checked, he was gone within three months." (05:41, Jerry Nadeau)
• Karting Beginnings
  • Started racing go-karts at age 4. His early success came through relentless practice and racing on both dirt and pavement.
  • Family stories—like his sister flipping his kart at age 6—highlight the “anything to race” mentality.
  • Dominated regional and national karting (WKA Gold Cup, Grand Nationals at Rockingham).
• Sacrifices for Racing
  • Living in rundown homes, scraping money together, and hustling for every opportunity.
    • Quote: “Just short of a drug addict. We’re going to find money to field that race car.” (08:25, Kenny Wallace)

2. Progression Through Racing Ranks (13:06–19:22)

• Transition to Cars

  • Skipped traditional paths and often worked on a shoestring budget.
  • Moved from karting to modifieds and then to road racing and open-wheel (Formula Ford/F3000).
  • Faced setbacks due to lack of funding and constant need for creative problem-solving:
    • Quote: "You gotta be creative. There’s no route." (19:17, Kenny Wallace)

• Experience in Europe

  • Spent a year (1996) in European Formula racing; racing there was “a lot more intense...everybody there wants to go to F1.” (13:51, Jerry Nadeau)
  • Learned from racing aggressive drivers like Juan Pablo Montoya and Kenny Brack.
  • Nearly made it in F3000 (now F2) but was forced back to the U.S. due to funding issues.

3. Breaking into NASCAR, Fast-Tracked Career (19:22–26:59)

• First NASCAR Opportunities
  • Landed a NASCAR ARCA ride after hustling for $15,000 in sponsorships (often in piecemeal support).
  • Impressed immediately: finishing 2nd in ARCA at Charlotte, then quickly into a Cup car at Michigan.
  • Quote: “Literally...the next week, I was in the Cup car at Michigan.” (16:18, Jerry Nadeau)
• Learning on the Job
  • Unlike most, Nadeau wasn’t groomed for NASCAR—he had to learn quickly, often by trial, error, and necessity.
  • Discusses the challenge of being “thrown to the wolves” at top teams like Hendrick Motorsports.

4. Reflections on Modern NASCAR and Racing Culture (20:54–26:12)

• Modern Cup Racing
  • Both hosts lament changes: fuel-saving tactics, "monkey see, monkey do," increased technical complexity (e.g., shim stacks, "turtle shell" car designs).
  • Jerry notes how different old-school racing was from today:
    • Quote: "I can’t believe they put something in the window and the car raises. It’s like they are Formula One cars." (21:51, Jerry Nadeau)
• Grassroots Success Stories
  • Discussion of modern up-and-comers like Carson Hocevar; Nadeau seen as a similar "hungry" underdog.
  • Amusing recaps of events at tracks like the Freedom Factory and Talladega, with nods to racing "characters" and celebrations after wins.

5. The Highs: Grabbing the Brass Ring (26:16–38:12)

• Cup Victory
  • Remembering Nadeau’s 2000 Cup win at Atlanta (NAPA 500), holding off Dale Earnhardt Sr.
    • Quote: "Everybody was waiting for him to catch you, and he didn’t." (26:19, Kenny Wallace)
  • Reflection on feeling both proud and unprepared at the sport’s highest level:
    • Quote: "I think I was thrown...to the wolves when they [Hendrick] went to me." (26:59, Jerry Nadeau)
• Open-Wheel Success and What-Ifs
  • Notable achievements in Skip Barber and Formula Ford, including a standout finish (4th) at the prestigious Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.
  • Nadeau led big races; often, misfortune struck at the crucial moment (e.g., running out of fuel, mechanical failures).

6. Unique and Worldly Experiences (38:12–43:55)

• International Racing
  • Drove karts on ice in St. Petersburg, Russia, racing against the formidable locals—no brakes, just a gas pedal, clutch, and steering.
  • Battle with food poisoning, racing sick, and drawing parallels to Tony Stewart’s infamous Watkins Glen win.
    • Quote: "My, my, my back of my suit was brown...it was a horrible, horrible moment for me...but probably the best experience I ever had." (40:19, Jerry Nadeau)
• World Perspective
  • Conversations about trips to Europe, the intensity of global motorsport, and shared moments in history.

7. Transitioning From Racing: Life After NASCAR (46:44–57:04)

• Finding Purpose
  • Both Nadeau and Wallace reflect on the abrupt end of competitive careers and the struggle to redefine themselves.
  • Jerry describes caring for friends and family, maintaining property he invested in during his Cup days, and his love for watching racing even if he no longer competes.
  • Kenny and Jerry discuss mental strategies for moving on, self-worth, and the importance of reinvention.
    • Quote: “You’re going to say, ‘Am I happy doing what I’m doing?’ And if the answer is no too many times, change your life. Because you’re in charge.” (54:33, Kenny Wallace)
• Humor and Real Talk
  • Lots of self-deprecating joking about grey hair, hair loss, and their now “elder statesman” status in the sport.
  • Reflections on hyperactivity, the role of entertainment in survival as a public figure, and the power of positive mental attitude (PMA).

8. What’s Next & Continuing the Racing Life (57:04–end)

• Staying Connected
  • Nadeau keeps up with racing through streaming and television, considers (humorously) the idea of a podcast, and is active in supporting friends.
• Future Racing Plans
  • Jerry will be attending the Little 500 at Anderson Speedway and is grateful for friends who keep him engaged in the racing community.
• Final Reflections
  • A mutual admiration club: Kenny lauds Jerry’s perseverance and victory, Jerry expresses appreciation for the friendship and conversation.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My dad put me in a go-kart at 4 years old.” (09:34, Jerry Nadeau)
• “If there’s this much of a hole, somebody’s going to fill it up.” (14:03, Jerry Nadeau on European kart racing)
• "I was making $240 a week, spotting for Morgan Shepherd." (15:28, Jerry Nadeau)
• “You are a Cup winner. I cut my finger off to do what you’ve done, Jerry. You’re a badass.” (25:12, Kenny Wallace)
• “You gotta be hungry. I didn’t have a job. I was delivering papers, I was pumping gas and I was racing.” (45:12, Jerry Nadeau)
• "You’re in charge." (54:37, Kenny Wallace with advice for post-racing life)
• “I wish there was a way I could just go to all these races...talk about it.” (55:55, Jerry Nadeau)
• “I love you, too. I think you’re awesome.” (50:46, Jerry Nadeau to Kenny Wallace)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• [02:06] – Start of main conversation with Jerry Nadeau
• [05:29] – Jerry discusses his father's racing and early struggles
• [09:34] – Jerry’s introduction to karting
• [13:06] – Insights on European motorsport culture and paths
• [15:28] – Nadeau’s first Cup opportunity and sponsorship hustle
• [21:12] – Comparing old-school vs modern NASCAR racing
• [26:16] – Nadeau’s Cup win and adjusting to the sport’s top level
• [34:01] – Frank Martinelli’s influence & the importance of road racing in Jerry’s career
• [39:03] – Racing karts on ice in Russia, fighting food poisoning
• [46:44] – Roofing memories, mutual struggles, and finding a new life focus
• [54:33] – Kenny’s poignant advice about post-racing happiness
• [55:17] – Jerry on being a racing fan, not a competitor
• [58:25] – Plans to attend Anderson Speedway’s Little 500
• [61:23] – Sign-off and final reflections

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

The episode is a rich, honest, and occasionally laugh-out-loud retrospective look at the life and mindset of a true racer. It covers the joys and traumas of the racing journey, the pressure of living up to opportunities, and the challenge of finding purpose after the adrenaline fades. Jerry Nadeau’s story is one of grit, determination, and relentless spirit—and is celebrated as such by hosts who know firsthand what it means to never give a damn about anything but racing, storytelling, and living on their own terms.

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For listeners seeking inspiration or a window into the racing soul, this episode delivers a masterclass in humility, humor, and heart.

Transcript

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[Kenny Wallace]

Hello everyone and welcome back to Kenny Conversation. Brought to you by i55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway park right here in Peebley, Missouri. Dirt racing every Saturday night. Wow, you talk about a blast from my past. I'm 63. The great Jerry Nadu right there is 56 years old. How you doing Jerry?

[Jerry Nadu]

I'm doing well. How you guys doing?

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, like you said when we were off screen, you said Kenny, I haven't seen you in a long time, and I sure do enjoy doing Kenny conversations because I learn a lot and I can catch up with my old friends. So where are you coming to us from? Where are you talking to us from?

[Jerry Nadu]

In Davidson, North Carolina, where I live. So it's funny. Funny story. Kenny, before we get started.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

I thought. I remember where you lived. Yeah, Okay. I guess off. What's that road?

[Kenny Wallace]

It's Harris.

[Jerry Nadu]

I went to your house. I went to your house and I went in your garage. But it's totally different now. Like, but it. I go, is Kenny here? And they said, oh, no, Kenny's been gone for a few years now. Yeah. So I guess somebody else bought it and they used your shop and they make T shirts or something.

[Kenny Wallace]

So here's what happened. Here's my quick story. I lived 27 years basically there. We built that, you know, right next door I had a double wide mobile home. And then I bought some land next door. I built that house, built that shop. And it was just, you know, Kim and I always wanted to come back to St. Louis. We always wanted to come back to where we're from. We love Arnold, Missouri. It's right outside of St. Louis. So we sold everything and we moved back. But yes, we built all that. So that's really Kenny Wallace's place. Right.

[Jerry Nadu]

Kenny and Kim used to live right next door. You. Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Eddie Sharp. Yeah. Yeah, he was a. He was a good race car driver and a great crew chief. Good friends with Johnny Benson.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yep.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I sold him the double wide mobile home and. And the shop, and we had the go kart races there.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Speaking of go kart racing, huh? I know. Look, the elephant in the room is this. You are a great race car driver. You had a. A career ending wreck. But when we do Kenny conversation, we celebrate people. So it's about pma, Jerry. It's positive mental attitude. Are you ready to get started?

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

All right. I did a little studying on you, and you're 56 years old. You're from Danbury, Connecticut, the great Northeast. And to me, you are the definition of race car driver. And I'm going to tell everybody why as. As we get going. But let's just start with the earliest beginnings. Your dad, Gerald Joseph, he. This is very intriguing to me. I read that he was a veteran in the U.S. army during the Vietnam War. Tell me about your dad.

[Jerry Nadu]

Well, my. My dad. My dad's not here no more.

[Kenny Wallace]

I'm sorry about that.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, he unfortunately passed away with a rare Type of cancer. He died at 61 years old.

[Kenny Wallace]

Too early.

[Jerry Nadu]

Seven. And that was the year that I was trying to come back in racing. I was actually on. I was actually in Sebring testing a BMW at Sebring. And I got the phone call that my dad was in the hospital, and they. They did a diagnosis of his. His throat, and he. They said that he had atc, which is antiplastic thyroid cancer. And it literally took him by storm, like, within the day. He went to get checked, he was gone within three months. And so we made him feel comfortable at home in Troutman, North Carolina. And, yeah, that was a really, really rough time. I mean, I remember, you know, heading back to his house every day, and he was in the middle of the driveway just looking down on the ground, and it was a really tough moment in my life.

[Kenny Wallace]

I'm sorry to hear that. It reminds me of Bobby Hamilton a little bit. Throat cancer, esophagus. I'm sorry to hear that. But let's celebrate him a little bit. So you. You know, I mean, I don't even know your father. Didn't get to know him, but Vietnam War. And then as I read on your dad, I'm thinking to myself, how did Jerry Nadu get racing? It says that your dad raced modifieds at Danbury Race Arena.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, God, I think he started in 75, so that makes me 6 years old. Well, yeah, he built his own stuff. You know, my dad, he made money in roofing, but he spent everything. Like, we lived in a house. He was paying rent off. The guy that owned the house that. That lived that. That had a shop right next door to the shop. The house was a machine shop. Oscar Taylor and Oscar rented the house for him for 200 bucks. It was a rundown house, and we lived there for, God, 10 years until my mother put her foot down and says, honey, we got to get out of this place. We got to get into a real home, you know? And so she did, and he. He found a house down the road, and he quit his racing in 81 when the fairgrounds shut down. But, yeah, he. He enjoyed it. I mean, the Danbury Fairgrounds was my life. I mean, I went there since I was 3, 4 years old. You know, once my dad got started racing, we went there every Saturday night to watch him race. And that's where Donald Joy, Randy Lajoy raised the sportsman division. So, yeah, I was a big fan of the Danby Race Arena.

[Kenny Wallace]

I love this because we're digging into how you got started racing. We're celebrating Jerry Naidu, everybody from Danbury, Connecticut. And his father was very intriguing to me. You know, Jerry, just to let you know, you know, none of us are on an island by ourselves. You know, I lost my father at 77 years old. Dad, you know, had a defibrillator, had a pacemaker. And I lost my dad. October 30, 2011. Schrader would say, Kenny Schrader would tease, you know, he lost his dad, then he lost his. His mom. And Schrader said, this makes me an orphan. I said, schrader, stop it. But this is life, my friend. And we're celebrating you and talking about your mom and dad. You know, when you tell me that story, it reminds us of the typical racer. We do whatever it takes. We rob Peter to pay Paul. We just short of a drug addict. We're going to find money to field that race car. Is that what it was like?

[Jerry Nadu]

You know, I think when my dad got me involved, I was just all about going fast in a go kart. And my dad put me in a go kart at 4 years old and he took me to an arena called nutmeg. Nutmeg karting or something. It wasn't far from our house. And then we went to Shelton and, and we got in and I was only like 6 years old and I think the age was like 8 to 12. And I remember one time I went there. It was a funny story with my. My whole family was there. My sister and I had a problem with my nose. Like I was all crudded up.

[Kenny Wallace]

He had a cold.

[Jerry Nadu]

I don't know what it was. Yeah, maybe it was a cold, but they wouldn't let me race. So my, my sister had to fill in for me. And she'd never raced a go kart in her life. And she ended up flipping it, going down pit road, going into the pits. It was really tight because there was. There was tires on both sides. And she went in the pits and she climbed the wall and she flipped over on the head. And I think that was the end of her career in carding. But carding with me, to me was everything. I mean, I did it so much from four years old till. Till I moved on. And I did it with my dad for a while and I got picked up by a cart shop in Long Island, Bonsignor, Bontino Racing. And we won everything. I mean, we won the WK Gold cup three times. We won the nationals at Rockingham. We had a go kart track at Rockingham Speedway.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

And they hold. They held the. The WK Grand Nationals there, and I won it. I don't remember. Back in 91, 92.

[Kenny Wallace]

I have it all right here. Okay, we're going to celebrate that. But I, I like that because that gives me a good preview. We're still at home right now in this Kenny conversation with Jerry Nadu, everybody. It says you graduated from Henry Abbott Technical High School and studied automotive technology. Is that right?

[Jerry Nadu]

I wouldn't say automotive technology. I think it's shot class auto mechanics.

[Kenny Wallace]

So that.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, it was. It was a. You know, they had all sorts of shops. They had hairdressing, they had plumbing, they had woodwork. So, yeah, I chose auto mechanics.

[Kenny Wallace]

All right, so let's go racing, everybody. Your dad was a race car driver. You started racing and go karts. 18 years old, you won the World Carding Association Gold Cup Championship. Now, now the world sees this natural talent from you sharing a dew. It's like, okay, you know, we're building. Who is Jerry Nadu? Where is he from? And, and now, now we're starting. You really, you know, we see this in Formula one over in Europe. You know, Kevin Harvick, you know, started his son Keelin and sent him over there. Same thing with Connor Zillich. When you, when you see. Now we're, we're. We're talking about your career, but we're in go kart right now. When you see Harvick put his son over there and Connor Zilich and they go to Europe, what is. And I love it. I'm just saying. What do you think when you see all these drivers start out in carding?

[Jerry Nadu]

I think it's 80% of the driver. I think, you know, when you started at a young age, you know, it's like learning how to wipe your butt. You know, you start young and you. You get better as you get older. And I think with Cardi, for me, it was just. You learn a lot. And, And I think I've raced on ice, on dirt and pavement, and we used to race Saturday nights on dirt, and then we used to run asphalt on Sundays. But I think as far as Europe, when I spent in 96, I went to Europe for a full year in the European Formula Drivers association. And the racing there is intense. I think it's a lot more intense there than it is here because everybody there wants to go to F1.

[Kenny Wallace]

You took the words right out of my mouth. One thing I've learned about go kart racing or V8 racing, everything in Europe, you never get away from anybody. Do you? You're always on each other's ass. Just grind in every corner.

[Jerry Nadu]

If there's this much of a hole, somebody's going to fill it up.

[Kenny Wallace]

I noticed that.

[Jerry Nadu]

It's crazy racing, and, you know, you don't have spotters. You're doing everything by instinct. And, you know, if you see a hole, someone's going to jump in. And that's why you have to be careful, you know, getting in. Turn the guys that I looked up to when I was coming up and I raced a lot with these guys was Juan Pablo Montoya and Kenny Brack. And those guys were the most aggressive European drivers that I ever dealt with. And they're both Indy 500 champions, they're both IndyCar champions. And that's kind of like my time. Like, my, my, my racing background was heading towards Formula one. Yeah. And, and I don't know. I don't. I'm not really sure what happened, but I think I had cold feet because I did a test with F3000, which is now F2, in Europe, and it's one step below Formula One, and we were doing really, really good. But again, it was all about money. And that's when I got cold feet and I came back home. I said, let me just see if I can get into nascar. Because I had no home. I didn't know where to go. I was down here. I met Tom Cotter. He got me down here. We did some bush races. 95, 96. I went to Europe for a full season. 97, I got hired by Richard Jackson. You know Richard?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, yeah, the skull car.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yes. And I went to work for him. I was making $240 a week, and I was spotting for Morgan Shepard.

[Kenny Wallace]

I love this.

[Jerry Nadu]

Working seven days a week in the shop. And then I told Richard, I said, richard, you got nine cup cars in your shop. I said, what, can I, can I rent one of them and let's go do a sportsman race or an ARCA race? And he's rocking in his chair. He said, I tell you what, Jerry, I like you. He says, get me $15,000 and I'll put you in the ARCA race next month at Charlotte. So that's exactly. I called everybody about my mom and dad, gave him a check, did the race, finished second. Morgan Shepard had an art. He already had a deal to go to Jasper. Remember Jasper?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Motors, rebuilt engines. Yeah, yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

So, yeah, So I, I, I finished second ARCA race. And then literally the next week, I was in, I was in the cup car at Michigan

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[Kenny Wallace]

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[Jerry Nadu]

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Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Jerry Nadu]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, I love this. Now listen, we got a lot to talk about. I believe you raced in St. Petersburg, in Russia. Yeah, we're gonna get to that. We're gonna get to that. Everybody. But. Okay, so I like this. They saw how good you were in Go Karts and, And dick and where as you drive his car, Lime Rock. I think you come out of Go Karts. And was that your first big car, Lime Rock? Yes.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, I tooled around a little bit with the. The NASCAR modified. Like with SK Modifieds. Yeah, we messed around a lot. We wrecked every time, though. This was at Waterford Speed Bowl.

[Kenny Wallace]

Were you too aggressive? Did you have that Formula One? Were you in their ass all the time?

[Jerry Nadu]

Well, I was not a very. I. I mean, I won a lot of races on oval tracks, dirt tracks, but I didn't understand. I think it took. I had to learn too quick. Like, we did everything ourselves and if we crash, we'd be out for two weeks, you know, fixing it. Yeah. So I had to be careful. But then when I was careful, I'd get in somebody else's mess or I would get bumped because I was too worried about other people hitting me. And, you know, we did everything really, really cheap. You know, it was our. It was our own stuff. We. We borrowed a lot of stuff. I remember a guy gave me a motor and we had to take it out of his shop and bring it out home. And then we had a friend of mine, Frank Bondati, kind of overhaul it. Look at it. So, yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't the best. I mean, there's a lot of guys that get groomed, you know, going towards a top series, and I didn't. I just kind of finagled my way up to. To the top of nascar.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, but that's. That's what it takes. You got to be creative. There's no root.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, no, I believe you're right. And I. I'm so. I gotta say, I am so stoked about Carson.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yes.

[Jerry Nadu]

He's amazing.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

I don't know how to. I mean, he's six feet tall. I can understand him grabbing the throttle, but I. If I sit on my door, I can barely touch my seat. I mean, my legs were short, and I couldn't see how you can get on the gas pedal and do what he did yesterday with the victory.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, let's stay right there for a minute. Okay, let's stay right there. Okay. When we come back, we're going to talk about modern NASCAR racing right now, because you brought that up. But when we come back, we're going to talk about, you know, some graduate members that. Skip Barber really liked you. You had some people like Tom Cotter, Walter Bladstrom, Bill Fisher, Bob Colis, Frank Martinelli, Art Reagan. They liked you a lot. Okay, now let's. We're going to come back to that. Okay. You and I watched NASCAR today, and you just brought up Carson Hosavar. Carson. Osar Cletus, which is Garrett Mitchell, Michael Jordan, Jason Kelsey, who was the football player with the Philadelphia Eagles. They. They all were at Talladega. It just seemed like an exciting weekend at Talladega. Tell me what you enjoyed about it.

[Jerry Nadu]

I. I don't know. It's not like when we ran, because obviously when I ran, your foot was to the floor the whole time, right? No, you're not saving gas. And I'm looking at the. The gauges, and it's like 30%. How do you. How the hell do you drive at 30%?

[Kenny Wallace]

And for the most stupid reason, they. They do it, Jerry. So when you come in the pit, you don't take a full can of gas. You spend less time on pit road. So it's monkey see, monkey do. It's. I studied it. I'm like, why are you guys doing this? Because when they come down pit road, it will take less gas because it's stages, so they know when they're gonna pit. So if they race 30%, it takes the less gas. These guys have turned into Formula One. This. NASCAR has. It's turned into little like 30 second shim stacks in the shocks. It's. It's stupid.

[Jerry Nadu]

It's stupid. But I gotta say one thing, the one thing that, that I really was intrigued by and I'm sure, I'm sure Bill France is flipping over in his grave. I can't believe they put something in the window and the car raises. Yeah, I. When you get flat tires, a lot of times we just were stuck, you know, we can't go nowhere. But now they got this thing that you can plug in and the cars just come up. It's like they are Formula one cars

[Kenny Wallace]

that what they did is they had to fix a bad design. The bottom of the cars. Right now the nickname is called Turtle Shell, you know, because the bottom of a turtle. The turtle. Turtles going through your grass. You pick them up, head comes in, feet going. So when these guys have flat tires, the bottom of these next gen cars are like a Formula one car. They're flat. So they get stuck in the grass, they bottom out. So they had to fix the mistake. Yeah, yeah. So the Carson Josevar, you know what's funny when you think about Talladega, you got Cletus, which. I went to Sarasota, Florida, and I ran a Crown Vic race with Cletus. How was that? First of all, it was the time of my life, buddy. Is he tall? You know, Cletus is way taller than Carson Hosovar.

[Jerry Nadu]

Really?

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, that. Cletus is an athlete. Cletus could be a football player. He is in shape and he is no joke. That guy is a hell of a talent. He can fly helicopters, airplanes, he drag races. But. Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

So it's this place, right? The Freedom. The Freedom, yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

It's Bradenton, Florida. Yeah, it's. I used to race my ASA car down there. It, it is a normal circle track and he bought it, and there's a drag strip right there, and he turned. He, he named it the Freedom Factory. Free the. You know, Rock and roll America, baby. Freedom and Jerry, they eat it up. I mean, they packed that place to where there's no.

[Jerry Nadu]

You.

[Kenny Wallace]

You can't put any more people in it.

[Jerry Nadu]

That's pretty cool. He's a good person. But as far as, as Carson, I, I seen that kid a, a while ago and I saw how good he was.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

And it kind of resembles how I got in. I got in. I, I had a quick shot. I, I was fast at times and just had a lot of bad breaks. And yesterday was absolutely perfect. I was so proud of him winning that race and Then for him to think of a way, how do I celebrate? And he's like, well, I'm gonna get out of the car, and I'm gonna take my helmet off. I'm gonna wave at the crowd and still drive. Yeah, drive the car.

[Kenny Wallace]

Badass.

[Jerry Nadu]

And the thing is, I'm thinking, holy. He falls out of the car, he's screwed.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yes, me, too.

[Jerry Nadu]

And then he ran into the wall

[Kenny Wallace]

and did a burnout and didn't care no. Me, the racer and me and you, I'm looking at, you know, then. Now I'm looking at the nose. I'm like, did he knock the nose off? Because you saw it flex.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, I know. The cars are different today than. Than we were in. I mean, you can bump now.

[Kenny Wallace]

It seems like these things are beast, Jerry.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Our cars were so, you know, you couldn't. I mean, you could. You know, like, in our day, you had to have artwork, right? And Harry Gant would teach us. You know, he would roll up on you in the middle three and four at Bristol. He'd roll up on you and push you. Now, Earnhardt, you know, they just ran 090 wall inch and three quarter tubing up there. And Earnhardt knocked the hell out of you. Yeah, because they made the car for that, for Earnhardt. You know, before we get there, I want to remind everybody we're talking to the great Jerry Nadu. He won the cup race In Atlanta, the 2000 Napa 500. Extremely fast, just flat ass. The man you're looking at is a NASCAR cup winner. I cut my finger off to do what you've done, Jerry. You're a badass. You are a cup winner. And. And you just flat out random. You. You flat out randomly passed Ward Burton, and you went on and you won and, you know, got second. Was it Ward? I don't know.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, it was Earnhardt.

[Kenny Wallace]

And everybody was waiting for him to catch you, and he didn't.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, no, I know. It was. It was tough. We've had a lot of good runs. That's one thing I got to say, Hendrick. It was a great, great team. I just didn't know if I was ready for that. You know what I mean? Growing up, thinking back, it would have been nice if I had the. The. The five, $10 million to go to a. A young kid. I would have put it into me, but stay at Melling, like, work my way up. Before I became a top driver, I think I was thrown. I was almost like thrown to the wolves when they went to Hendrix. Even though they're the best team, one of the best.

[Kenny Wallace]

As a fellow competitor to you, and I like you, I will compare with you because we're racers. When they put me. When Ernie Irvin got hurt and they put me in the 28 Texco, have one car, I had some moderate success, but I'm like, oh, I'm not ready for this. I mean, I'm sitting there running my xfinity car o' rally car, bush car, and. But. But it worked out. And it worked out for you, too. So I say, wow, I wish, you know, I'd have been tutored along.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

And you're saying the same thing, but both of us did perform. You are a cup winner. Okay, let's hold it right there, everybody. We're jumping ahead. Okay, let's go back. Let's go back to where Tom Cotter, he ends up being somebody in the. In the cup area down there in Concord, North Carolina. Tom Cotter heads up a big marketing company, but he had a lot of friends. Now, is that where that $15,000 came from to get that arca start?

[Jerry Nadu]

No, no, because, you know, Tom is the guy that wrote the letter. He wrote a letter to all the cup teams.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, my God.

[Jerry Nadu]

And one team answered. One team answered, and it was Richard Jackson.

[Kenny Wallace]

Darn.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah. He's like, let. Let me take a look at the kid. And I went to his place and met him, and then I got hired and. But I was still doing road racing. Like, I was doing some barber dodge races, I was doing some formula Ford races, I was doing grand dam races. And I was there for a while, you know, I was spotting for Morgan Shepard. And that's when I called every game. And Tom may have put some money into it, I don't know. But I. I called everybody. I think bus fuse was on the car.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

Use. Right.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. They sponsored me when I drove for Bill Elliott at teledown. Good sponsor.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, they were great. But they gave me 5,000 for that, and I got 500 from here. You know, Frank Martinelli, good hill mechanical that I used to work at, put in some money. So, yeah, and I. Literally, everybody put money except my mom and dad. I didn't want to ask my mom and dad to put money.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

So, you know. Yeah, so I. I did that, and, yeah, it happened quick, Kenny. You know, just, I. I did the race, went to arca, did that, and the. The next time I was in the car was at Michigan. Michigan speaker was my first cup race in 1997.

[Kenny Wallace]

That's badass.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Now the timeline that I read is that somewhere there, you. You. You defended your carding championship in. In World Carding association, like the next two years. You. You won the WKA grand national championship. You're still kicking ass and go karts because I mean, it's big.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Was that after that ARCA race?

[Jerry Nadu]

No, no, I didn't do it. I didn't do another cart race once I got in the Cup. But I did. I did win some endurance karting races. I don't know if you know them, but I did. I saw. I saw a plaque. First place at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 2004. This is after my accident, but I did. I. My last grand national when I think was in 91 or 92. And then I went right to Bush after that. And that's when Tom Cotter was able to get me a sponsor with Busman Fuse. I did five bush races. And I'm sure I probably wasn't away with you when you were out there.

[Kenny Wallace]

Stop that. You're way better than me, buddy.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, no.

[Kenny Wallace]

You want a cup race?

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[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, no.

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[Kenny Wallace]

Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

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[Jerry Nadu]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Kenny Wallace]

Hey, hey. Let me brag on you for a minute. We're talking to Jerry and they do. Everybody, the winner of the NASCAR cup race. I'm Sorry, that was 2005 at the Napa 500.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, no, 2003.

[Kenny Wallace]

2003. How in the world did I mess that up? Thank you so much. 2003. No, no, no.

[Jerry Nadu]

I'm sorry. I was hurt in 2003. 2000. It was 2,500.

[Kenny Wallace]

Sorry. Hey, like I always say, everybody respond right here. You're looking at the man that won the NAPA 500 over the great Dale Earnhardt senior in Atlanta. But let me just say some things here about you. You moved into the big cars for Skip Barber in the Eastern series. You won eight races, and you became rookie of the year in the Skip Barber Eastern series. Now, I realize everyone, we're kind of going back and forth a little bit. I'm wanting to celebrate, and I am celebrating. The man you're looking at, how did he become so great? How did he make it to the highest form of motorsports in America, which is nascar? I love these struggle stories because we all are on the struggle bus. I need five grand. You know, that's what it takes. So at the end of 91, you won $100,000 in the barber Pro Series shootout. So you heard what I just said. You moved into the big cars Skip Barber Eastern series. You win eight races, 100 grand into Barber Pro Series shootout. Tell me about that time in your life.

[Jerry Nadu]

That was a really cool time. And this is. This is why I have this shirt on, because Frank Martinelli owns Good Hill Mechanical Services, and they're located in Woodbury, Connecticut. And Frank is really the one that introduced me to the formula Fords.

[Kenny Wallace]

Good stuff.

[Jerry Nadu]

And, you know, he was a big road race and fanatic. And to this day, I'm. You know, his wife called me and asked me to come help him because he had a triple bypass not long ago, and he's not walking too well. And he's.

[Kenny Wallace]

My dad had one of those.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah. Yeah. So. But, yeah, those were really good times because I'm. I love road racing. I'm a road racer. And you can make up so much more time as a driver on road racing.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

And if you're smooth, I mean, look at. I mean, this is. I mean, I'm not knocking. Knocking myself up, but, you know, I sat on the outside pole, but with Jeff Gordon n. My rookie year, which was pretty cool. In the number 13 car, it wasn't a top team, but was.

[Kenny Wallace]

Was that at Sears Point? So.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. And you had that baby one and something happened at the end there.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, no, that wasn't. Yeah, that was in 2002. That was with the Petties.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

This is when I got let go from Hendrick. Yeah. And Kyle called me and says, hey, you want to fill in for Steve Germ at Sonoma, and we qualified, like, 14th. And then at the end of the race, we're leading it, and I have a seven. This is in 2002, and I have a seven second lead over Ricky Rudd.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

And we're coming for the white flag. And as I'm coming off a turn, was it 13 or 11?

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Jerry Nadu]

I don't know what it is. But anyway, we came off the turn to go for the white flag and the rear end gear broke.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, Jesus.

[Jerry Nadu]

The plug, the plug in the rear ring came out and I was wondering why I was so loose because all the grease was running out and I was sliding in it and then came off turn 11 or 13 and we broke the rear end gear and that was it. We, I think we finished 38th. But those were really fun times. You know, we had, you know, after 2000 when I won there. The next year we had it won again. And I went for the white flag and came off turn two and we ran out of fuel. I've had a lot of gremlins that happened to me over the years, but I'm not worried about that. I'm just happy that I, I got there, you know, from, from Danbury, Connecticut. We were very low, fun family and I loved racing. I still think about racing today, but I'm trying to figure out what's next, like, where do I go? I've got two kids, I got a wonderful wife, but I'm kind of like, what am I doing?

[Kenny Wallace]

You're like me. My, my brain wanders too. We're, we're the same. We don't, we don't cry over spilt milk. We're, we're moving on, celebrating Jerry Nadu's wonderful career. Okay, you keep talking and I have this wrote down here and I have it wrote down. European Formula Ford Festival. Is that a series? The name of a car? What is that?

[Jerry Nadu]

No, it's the best drivers in Europe. And wherever you're, it doesn't matter what country it is. There's literally 245 drivers at brands Hatch and they hold, they hold the Formula Ford Festival and they get the best driver. And that year Jeremy Shaw put that together. He does it every year. He had Brian her to do it. He had Jimmy Vassar do it. I think the highest finish never by an American was Brian herta. He finished eighth or ninth. And then I did it in 92 and I finished fourth. But I was leading again. On the last lap I took the white flag, leading the race. There's four car train and I got bonsai and hit and I went sliding off the course and came back and finished fourth. But you have the best of the best. Do the formula Ford races, and you have tears that finally they set up 28 cars that started the fe. That started the main race. So it's really, it's, they still do it today. Matter of fact, an American driver won it two years ago. I don't know who it was, but that was the first time an American driver won it.

[Kenny Wallace]

I, I, I believe you are worldly. I've been to Europe a couple times over the last couple years, going to Rome, and you know, well, I've raced. Yeah, right. Okay. So I've, I've raced so much that my whole life has been like a horse with blinders. And I came up for air finally and I said, you know, I, I want to go see where the Pope has mass on Christmas Eve, and I want to see the Coliseum. And yes, this last time there, I went to Nurburgring and made six laps and just. Oh, that's a whole nother story. But you are worldly. And this is where I'm getting to. You raced Go Karts in St. Petersburg, Russia on Ice. Mole, tell me about this

[Jerry Nadu]

again. I think it was the year after. It was the year after I finished fourth at Brands Hatch. I got asked to go to Europe, do Russia, and I said, sure, I'll go. And I went with Barry Waddell, Bobby Carville. It was only three of us, and we, we couldn't beat the Russians. Th, those guys were absolutely amazing. You're on ice. So it's a bed of ice, and they groove it with a bed of nails and you have spikes on your tires.

[Kenny Wallace]

Insane.

[Jerry Nadu]

You have a clutch and a gas pedal. That's it. A steering wheel, clutch and gas pedal. There's no break, no brakes. No, they have, they have snow banks in the turns, so you have to go in and it sideways and your tire sticks out and it rubs, it rubs up against the wall.

[Kenny Wallace]

I love this.

[Jerry Nadu]

So it, it literally took me two or three flips in the snowbank to figure it out.

[Kenny Wallace]

Wow.

[Jerry Nadu]

And I, I got to win two races, but it, it was absolutely insane. The bad thing about it is we, we met up with the Finn guys, the Finnish and Sweden guys, and they took us all out to eat before anything ever started. And I got food poisoned.

[Kenny Wallace]

No.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah. So I was the rest of the week. My, my, my, my back of my suit was brown. And not, not to talk bad about it, but it was just, it was a horrible, horrible moment for me. The whole week I didn't feel good until I was flying home. That was A day that I felt really relieved and I felt like, okay, I'm. I'm normal again. That was the worst week personally, but probably the best experience that I ever had.

[Kenny Wallace]

So to let you know, some things that I've been part of when I was working for Speed tv, Tony Stewart one Watkins Glenn. And they told us, you know, we're sitting there live on the set and Tony Stewart's coming into victory Lane. We're all excited, we're smiling and they go, okay, look, Tony's really sick. Tony Stewart's really sick. He just won this race. He's got to go straight to his motorhome. Probably one of the first times in NASCAR history that he in his pants in the race. Tony Stewart did and, and went to his motorhome, cleaned up, and then we, you know, started Victor Lane.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

So yes, everybody, Charlie is probably beeping this out, but drivers do. In their pants tire suits.

[Jerry Nadu]

That. Yeah. That was literally the first time that's ever happened to me. It was a really rough moment, but it was a really, it was amazing. It was really fun. It was a little quarter mile oval track, spiked ice with snow banks all the way around. A gas pedal note and a clutch pedal. That's all you had in a steering wheel. And it was a good experience, really fun.

[Kenny Wallace]

Do you remember when you look back, do you remember what, what food it was? Do you draw a conclusion during that time? What restaurant? What made you sick, do you think?

[Jerry Nadu]

I don't know. I don't know. I was excited when I first landed. Yeah. And then we're there for roughly nine, 10 days and. And I got sick very early on. And I don't. I'm not blaming it on the Finn guys or the Sweden guys, but something happened. I don't know. May I like to eat? I love to eat.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

And. And something I had didn't settle with my stomach. And it could have been, you know, that was the first time Americans ever stepped soil on Russia because that was a really tough time for everyone. You know, I don't think anybody's ever. I think they stopped it. I think we were allowed to go over there after 90s, and then I was there in 92, so who knows?

[Kenny Wallace]

There's so much to say about Russia. You know, when I went to Berlin, obviously we stopped Hitler from taking over Europe, but two countries stopped Hitler, which was Russia and America. And then you comes to Berlin Wall. Russia takes care of this side, we take care of that side.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

And then finally Reagan says, gorbachov, tear down that Wall. Do you remember who was, who was the leader when you went to Russia? Who was. Do you know who their president was? No.

[Jerry Nadu]

Kenny, you're talking to a race car driver. Come on.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, well, me too. I just learned all this stuff last year.

[Jerry Nadu]

I know, but I'm, I'm learning, I'm learning now that we never landed on the moon.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, Jesus.

[Jerry Nadu]

Okay, I'll stop also.

[Kenny Wallace]

No, no, that's good stuff. That's good stuff. It is fun.

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[Kenny Wallace]

So I just will stay here just for a hot minute. I just can't. I just can't let it go. You went to Russia racing. You were sick. You come home. I'd have been scared to death. I'd have never went to Russia. Just because, you know, you know, it's a little sketchy.

[Jerry Nadu]

Tell me, Henry, you, I mean, Kenny, you have to be hungry. It doesn't matter what you, you want to go get into. I was hungry. I didn't have a job. I was delivering papers, I was pumping gas and I was racing. I, I, you know, I worked with my dad. My dad owned the roofing business, which I hated. I hated roofing. It was such a horrible job. I loved. I, I see guys on, I was watching Earnhardt, Bodine, Bram Bouchard. And I see that. It's like, God, how do I get there? How do I. That would be so fun because I loved racing so much. You gotta, you gotta love it. Just like you. You're all your brothers did it. And I think watching my dad do it, watch him struggle, it just gave me more Emphasis. And just to be hungry and to

[Kenny Wallace]

be nice to people, we deliver newspapers. When you just said you hated roofing, you know, my dad said, okay, you and your brother Mike tear the shingles off, and then we're gonna have somebody put the new shingles down. And me and Mike are taking these flat shovels and we're knocking. I mean, my hand. I can still feel my hand hurting to this day. But. But my point is, we delivered new. We had a newspaper route on Tuesdays. And like you, I hate newspapers. And my mama said, don't ever use the word hate. I'm like, no, mama. I hate the smell of that ink. It made me sick. So when you. When you said you hated roofing, I'm right there with you. I get it.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, I. You know, I didn't mind it. You know, to be honest. It's funny. When Michael Holligan sponsored Rick Hendrick the year that I came in, in 2000, we did my roof. I. I bought a house. No, no, listen. So. So Michael's like, yeah, yeah, we'll do a show. Let's do a show. We. We did a show at my house on a lake. We tore all the shingles down. Me, my dad. We just. Me and him, we tore all the shingles off. We put all new roof in. They have a show on michaelhulligan.com.

[Kenny Wallace]

yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

And they did a whole show, like 15 minutes of me, my dad, roofing. And. And all you heard was bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep. Because my dad. My dad.

[Kenny Wallace]

My dad roof shingles.

[Jerry Nadu]

My dad was a. Was a cuss addict.

[Kenny Wallace]

Me too. I am, too.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay. I love this. And, you know, we're coming towards the end. Can you believe we're already almost at an hour? Or have you had fun with me? Has this been fun for you?

[Jerry Nadu]

We've gotten a lot grayer, though.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, yeah, big time.

[Jerry Nadu]

Let me tell you, I'm noticing more on my sides.

[Kenny Wallace]

So let me tell you about this gray hair. Once again, everybody. We're talking to Jerry Nadu. We haven't seen each other in 20 years. I talked to Hermes Sadler a lot, and I'm. And I'm talking to Hermit the other day on the phone, and out of nowhere, you know, we're talking about him seeing my brother Mike at Darlington for the alumni. There's the alumni hat that. And. But. But he brought it up for the first time. He goes, you know, you guys are getting real gray. And it. It made me laugh. And so when I was doing tv, working For Fox, I was dying my hair because I wanted to look younger, okay? And then I finally just said, screw it. I mean, and this, this is my hair.

[Jerry Nadu]

I like it.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, listen to this one, Jerry. I, I, I'm a, I'm a lover, I love life, and I like to make people feel good. And I know I don't mind having fun with myself to make people feel good. So I spent $19,000. I would be dead bald right now. All this hair right here was from Bosley. It was cut out of the back of my head and replanted in the front. So, I mean, it looks good. I mean, but it is what it is. And so my hair, Schrader said, Schrader said. Kenny Schroeder goes. You spent $19,000 on your hair? And that's all the hair they got?

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, yeah. There's so many things today. Yeah, that's one good thing. I, I mean, I've got not much hair left, but, yeah, I'm okay.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, let's address the elephant in the room here at the end. I'm a philosopher and I am into psychology. A lot of people think I'm crazy. That's because I'm an entertainer, Jerry. You know, when, same as you, we had nothing. You know, dad delivered newspapers, us Wallace has had no money. And I, I, I was born hyperactive and all, and I am off centered, but really not. But I go with it because it helps the narrative. Kenny Wallace is crazy, okay? I'm crazy. Now, now can we go on? But you know, I had to do what I had to do to make it to nascar like you. So I learned that if I entertain people, when TV came to me, I could sell sponsorship so they'd have a rain delay and they say, go to Kenny Wallace, fill some time. And, and that really saved my career.

[Jerry Nadu]

Kenny, I've always known you to be a hell of a talker. I love you. I love you. I think you're awesome.

[Kenny Wallace]

I love you too. I love you.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, no, I'm being serious as a. I, I do catch some of your shows. I, I do. I'm a big YouTube fanatic. I'll scroll through it at night time and I'll always look at your shows. And I think it's so cool that you, you became something else besides just a driver.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yes, Very important.

[Jerry Nadu]

I know. Well, my thing is as a driver, as I used to be driver, I can't. I'm trying to find my next step. Like, what do I do? You know? But I am, I am the cool, fortunate Thing. I mean, I'm happy that I'm able to help my old friends. You know, I do make a lot of trips from my house in Davidson up to Connecticut. I go see Frank just about every other week, and I usually spend a couple weeks with him and take care of him and then come back home and see my family, then go back up. So that's kind of my routine right now. I do take care of my, my house and my wife helps. And, and I do go. I have a building that was probably the greatest thing that I, that I did. An investment is I bought a building. I built a building in 2000 when I signed a deal with Hendrix, and I still have that building today, and I lease it out to a guy who sells cars.

[Kenny Wallace]

Badass. Good move.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, that was only, that was the only smart thing I did.

[Kenny Wallace]

No, you're very smart.

[Jerry Nadu]

I've got two beautiful girls, two daughters.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, listen, you, you had a career ending wreck, and I've read everything, and we didn't want to have Kenny conversation and harp on the negative thing, but we don't bear him either. You know, listen, I was going to win the 1991 Bush Grand National Championship. I had it one, and I knocked myself out. I got knocked out going into turn three at loud New Hampshire. That, that is my Jerry Nadu moment. That is that blink in my eye. You know, me and Bobby Labonte are very good friends, but it destroyed my life. I, I, I, I went and had sports therapy in Topeka, Kansas, me and my wife, because I wanted to be Jeff Gordon. And when I realized I wasn't, it was a devastating blow to me. You won a cup race. I wanted to win one damn cup race. I understand your hardship. You know, you're very young. You're only 56. And I just want to let you know that I acknowledge this. I know that you're trying to find, you know, your purpose in life after that big wreck, but I, I wanted to tell you that as bad as you think you have it, I want a little bit of what you had. And so don't, you know, please understand that I'm a unique individual. I brag on people. And I want you to know I love you. You're a cup winner. You're a badass. And, you know, keep searching. Find what your purpose in life, because there you have a purpose. And, and let me tell you something. Certainly you're going to pass a mirror, whether you're brushing your teeth in the morning, and you're going to look in that mirror every day. And you're going to say, am I happy doing what I'm doing? And if the answer is no too many times, change your life because life is too fast. So you can find what you want to do. Just find it because you're. You're in charge.

[Jerry Nadu]

You're too kind, Kenny. You're too kind. I love you, too.

[Kenny Wallace]

You're in charge.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, I know, I know, I know. It's. I, I, I, I just thrive. I thrive every day. You know, my wife comes home usually around 3:00 clock from work. Kids run all off the bus around 4. Yeah, I mean, I, I just spent two weeks up in Connecticut, and this is my week off where I get to spend with my family. And then I head back up next week to Connecticut. So, yeah, no, I'm still. I'm always thriving and I watch. I'm a fanatic when it comes to flow racing and dirt vision.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, baby, now you're speaking my language.

[Jerry Nadu]

Listen, I love racing. I am a MotoGP fanatic. I'm a Formula One fanatic. Yeah, I'm just a racing nut. I can't do it. And I don't. I don't really want to do it because I don't feel like I'd be even close to being competitive. But I, I just enjoy it. I like it. I, I wish there was a thing that I can. I wish there was a way that I can just go to all these races that happen all the time and just be there, you know, talk about it.

[Kenny Wallace]

You should talk about it. You should get a podcast started up. You should. I'm not some type of radio.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, I, you know, I don't know. I don't think. I don't think that's my avenue. If somebody ran it like Kenny Wallace ran it. Kenny Wallace with Jerry Nadu, maybe.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, see, that's what Schrader does. Dale Jr. Called me up and he said, I need you and Schrader to do Herm and Schrader. But we need you to call Schrader. Schrader says, yeah, I want to do it. As long as you do everything. I'm like, no kidding, Schrader. Yeah. Oh, buddy, I love you so much.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Jerry, listen. There's no X on you. Nobody's drawing an X on you. You're Jerry Nadu. You're a badass. And I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed my time talking to you. You're a wonderful soul. You're happy. You haven't. You're not as happy as you used to be. Because you, you got roughed up, but you over, you will overcome and prevail. And I think that's it, my friend.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, yeah, I, I, I think it is too. I've got, I've got a good lady that's been helping me out and get me out because I, I don't do nothing. I'm home. I'm a home person. I go to my shop, clean, pick up weeds, kill stuff. And me not kill animals or people, but mainly kill weeds.

[Kenny Wallace]

You know, I, I did that too. I had Roundup and I think they got rid of Roundup.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah. So. But yeah, Jennifer Tiedman, who did he, she put out that article on me on Discourse magazine. She's been getting me out there. She runs my Instagram, my, my Facebook, all the other stuff that I don't even look at because at, at first I was on it all the time. Like, that was, I was obsessed. And then it's like you do something with somebody and then somebody says, why didn't you answer my question? You answer.

[Kenny Wallace]

Overwhelming.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah. Weigh. For me, it was. Yeah, well, me too.

[Kenny Wallace]

I'd make a post and then I leave. And then if I go to lunch, I might look a little bit.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. It, it appears that I'm on it all the time. I'm not, I'm hardly on it. I do coffee with Kenny and I go about my day and then I check on it.

[Jerry Nadu]

But that's awesome.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah. Well, all right, buddy. Well, hopefully we'll see you.

[Jerry Nadu]

Hopefully we'll see you soon.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah, I hope so too. You know what? I'm gonna be down there during the Charlotte race week. I'm coming in to see my mom. I will be at Dale Junior's Fan Day on May 22, but I'll be at Millbridge and I'm gonna come down there on Monday, May 18th, and I'll be there all week.

[Jerry Nadu]

I'm leaving May 20th to go to Anderson Speedway. They're hosting the Little 500.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, my God. Schrader loves that race.

[Jerry Nadu]

That.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay. You're. This makes me happy. Have you, have you been there?

[Jerry Nadu]

No.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, my God.

[Jerry Nadu]

No.

[Kenny Wallace]

It's the damn thing. You've ever seen.

[Jerry Nadu]

No, I've got a good. Listen, I've got a good. You probably know this guy, Tony Hunt.

[Kenny Wallace]

No, Schrader would know him.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, Tony Hunt's a great. He was a 10 time USAC midget spring car champion.

[Kenny Wallace]

Those guys are ballsy, man.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, he's really good. And then I got another friend, Chris Cromer, Christopher Kromer. They're both paying my way up there. They're flying me there. I get in Wednesday and I'm there all week till Sunday. I'm not going to the indie, the big track at all. But yeah, my wife let me go for this event and I'm looking forward to it. Should be.

[Kenny Wallace]

Well, to me, it's fantastic. I haven't gone. It's something I want to go see. I've raced there with my ASA car and it's a very small asphalt track, as we've all seen. We know, but 500 laps, everybody. This is what Jerry's talking about. 500 laps, basically, in a non wing sprint car. Schrader did it three wide.

[Jerry Nadu]

Three. Three.

[Kenny Wallace]

Three rows. Yeah, they dropped the green flags. I mean, they're basically just saying, hey, try to wreck.

[Jerry Nadu]

They've had a lot of wrecks the first lap. I know that it's. I don't know how you can run three. You can barely fit three cars.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

Three wide there, so it should be fine.

[Kenny Wallace]

And they'll put a seat in their race car with an incredible headrest. And Schrader tells me you just have to mold yourself in the seat. And like a marathon runner, you just gotta go, go, go. It's not about you gotta have speed, but you can't do it for 500 laps.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, that's awesome. I'm excited you're doing that.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, I'm not doing it. I'm going there.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

Experience it.

[Kenny Wallace]

Yeah.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah.

[Kenny Wallace]

Okay, everybody, remember, if you want to see Jerry Nadu's pretty face, you can watch this in two places on the Kenny Wallace YouTube show. And if you're headed up to Anderson, Indiana for the Little 500 or the Indianapolis 500, you can go to Dale Junior's Dirty Mo podcast. So you can watch us in two places. Podcast on Dale Jr's Dirty Mo Medium or the Kenny Wallace YouTube show. I think that's it, my friend. Anything else?

[Jerry Nadu]

No, I'm all good. I'm all good. Thank you. I had a lot of fun.

[Kenny Wallace]

I did, too. All right, everybody, until the next Kenny conversation. We'll see you next time. Goodbye, everybody. Check out Dirty Mo media on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

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[Kenny Wallace]

Oh, no.

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[Kenny Wallace]

Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Jerry Nadu]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

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[Jerry Nadu]

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