Jerry Nadeau carries a constant reminder of the car crash that nearly killed him three years ago.

The former NASCAR Nextel Cup driver still feels tingling on the left side of his body as a result of a wreck during practice May 2, 2003, at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The crash left him with a collapsed lung, fractured shoulder and a severe head injury.

"Twenty-four hours a day. I have it all the time on one side of my body," said Nadeau, who was in a coma for three weeks after being cut out of his U.S. Army-sponsored Chevrolet. "My right side feels real. My left side feels plastic."

Nadeau, who produced one victory, nine top-five finishes and 19 top-10s in 177 Cup starts over seven seasons before his accident, is still coming to grips with the realization he'll never again race at that level.

"If I was on my own, I'd get in a car tomorrow, but my family and my daughter mean a lot more than racing," said Nadeau, who has a 3-year-old daughter, Natalie. "And I'm too old. I figure I'm 35 and not many people take chances on guys who have had head injuries, and I've had probably seven concussions."

Nadeau still has a passion for the sport, though, and is returning to NASCAR this season as a consultant for Busch Series rookie David Gilliland.

"I'm still trying to figure out my niche and my purpose in life. Now that I can't race, I need to find out what I can do to get my heart pumping," said Nadeau, who appeared fit and happy at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday. "I'm just here to help and try to speed things along for David. I wish I had someone I could lean on when I was growing up. I kind of had to learn the hard way. I had to wreck a lot of stuff."

Gilliland, a 29-year-old from Riverside, Calif., will be looking to complete his first Busch Series race in today's Sam's Town 300 at the speedway. He made two starts last season, but wrecked in one and blew a motor in the other. He also spun out in qualifying at California Speedway two weeks ago.

Gilliland, who will race in the No. 84 Chevrolet today, said Nadeau has been where he wants to go.

"He's won a Cup race and he's been at that level a long time, and that's where I want to end up," he said. "Hopefully I can learn things from him so I don't have to make the mistakes myself."

Nadeau said he's excited to again play a meaningful role in the sport he loves, but it's still difficult to accept his fate.

"Oh, it sucks, but the good thing is having David, and I built a simulator in my shop, just for racing for fun. That gets the fire back in me that I enjoy," he said. "It's still realistic, but if I wreck the car, it's no big deal. I just hit the reset button."

Nadeau said his doctors have told him he's making progess from his head injuries, but he's not so sure.

"I can't freaking tell. They say I am, but I've been the same for the last three years," he said. "I still think I'm recovering now, but you've got to go with the cards you're dealt.

"Many people in my shoes probably would've got into drugs or drinking alcohol, but I think I was raised good. I may not be as sharp as I used to be, but I don't think I ever was sharp. I don't think any racer is sharp."