Gerald "Jerry" Nadeau (born September 9, 1970) is a former American from Danbury, Connecticut. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series). He started racing in karting before moving up to car racing, driving in the 12 Hours of Sebring, the European Formula Ford Festival, and the Barber Dodge Pro Series. Nadeau arrived in NASCAR, the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States, with a limited budget. He started racing part-time in NASCAR and finished sixth in the 1996 Formula Opel Euro Series.

He started full-time racing in 1998 and came third in that year's NASCAR Rookie of the Year award standings. After Nadeau took his first Top Ten finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 1999, he won his first NASCAR sanctioned race in the Winston West Series (now K&N Pro Series West) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He earned his first Winston Cup victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway the following year. Nadeau achieved his top NASCAR season in 2001 when he finished seventeenth in points. In 2003 his racing career ended after a car accident during a practice session for a NASCAR race. He attempted a comeback before moving on to mentor drivers.

Nadeau was born on September 9, 1970, and grew up in Danbury, Connecticut. His parents were Gerald Joseph, a roofer, and veteran in the United States Army (1944–2007) and Pauline Cyr Nadeau. Nadeau's ancestors originate from St. John's Valley, Maine. He has one sister, Debbie. Nadeau was educated at Henry Abbott Technical High School and studied automotive technology. His family had connections to auto racing; Gerald raced at the Danbury Race Arena. Nadeau was given a go-kart by his father when he was four and one-half years old. He also worked with his father in the construction industry to support his career. Speaking about his father's role in his career, Nadeau said, "I learned a lot from my dad, Gerry, while I was growing up. He wasn't afraid to yell and get on my toes to do my job because he hated to lose and I hated to lose. He made me the hungriest guy on the race track."

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