[Raceboy]

NASCAR Winston Cup driver Jerry Nadeau remained in a semi-conscious state Tuesday in a hospital in Richmond, Va.

Based on the progress he has made since he was injured May 2, he faces a long recovery with an indeterminate timeframe.

MB2 Motorsports general manager Jay Frye said doctors remain encouraged by the pace of Nadeau's recovery from his primary fault, a head injury doctors have told him is "moderate to severe."

Frye, who previously had to deal with a similar situation when MB2 driver Ernie Irvan suffered a career-ending head injury in the late 1990s, said Nadeau is responsive.

"His communication has consisted of hand squeezing and facial gestures," Frye said. "He is in a transitional state of regaining consciousness (and) being as determined and motivated as he is -- he has a hard time sitting still -- I think that will help him recover."

In addition to the head, lung and rib injuries that Nadeau sustained when his No. 01 U.S. Army Pontiac slammed into the Turn 1 wall during a practice session at Richmond International Raceway, doctors have also diagnosed a fractured left scapula, or shoulder blade.

Nadeau was moved from the Intensive Care Unit at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center to a private room last Thursday and his condition was upgraded to fair. Frye said doctors are in no hurry to move Nadeau out of Richmond.

Nadeau has begun therapy that includes being taken out of bed to a standing position, sitting in a chair, being physically manipulated and being stimulated by television -- including racing tapes -- and familiar smells.

While Frye continually espoused the doctors' feeling that Nadeau's recovery to this point is "encouraging and consistent with the injuries he's received," he said there was no time frame for Nadeau to become conversant or to be moved to a North Carolina rehabilitation facility, which is the long-term plan.

Nadeau's wife, Jada; her parents; and Nadeau's parents are all with him at the hospital and monitor the driver virtually 24 hours a day, Frye said. He said he had seen Nadeau five times since the accident, but that the family is more in tune with Nadeau's progress.

"He looks good -- he looks like Jerry," Frye said. "We're very encouraged. Jerry and his mom and dad are very strong. Jada and her family are there (and) every day they see signs of him getting better.

"That's their motivation. There is a lot of determination. I haven't seen him try to talk (but) every day is he is trying to do more."

Frye said the team is not even contemplating Nadeau's return to its race car at this point.

"We're all frustrated -- we want to wave a magic wand and make him better," Frye said of the mood of Nadeau's team, which will field a car beginning this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway for Mike Wallace. "He (Nadeau) is our teammate and our friend (and) you feel helpless. We want to make it go away (but) we feel like he will recover.

"I believe it is premature to look at what he will do in terms of getting back in a car. Our concern is to have a full recovery (and) it's too early in the recovery process to determine the possibility of a comeback."

Ironically, Nadeau filled in for Irvan in the final 12 races of the season after Irvan announced his retirement at Darlington Raceway in 1999. Frye said it was tough to draw parallels to the two men's conditions.

"All head injuries are different and people react differently to them," Frye said. "We're encouraged but we don't know what the next step is. He's getting better every day and there are more and more responses every day."

bron: nascar.com