Greg Zipadelli

Greg Zipadelli
Born	April 21, 1967(1967-04-21) Berlin, Connecticut, United States
Residence	Huntersville, North Carolina, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Competition Director
Years active	1988 – present
Employer	Stewart-Haas Racing
Known for	Crew Chief of #20 car (1999–2011)
Notable work(s)	Winning 2 Sprint Cup Series championships
Home town	Berlin, Connecticut, United States
Spouse	Nanette Zipadelli
Children	Zachary Zipadelli Elwina Zipadelli Gianni Zipadelli
Relatives	Scott Zipadelli (brother)
Website
www.gregzipadelli.com

Greg Zipadelli (born April 21, 1967) is an American crew chief in NASCAR. He is currently the competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing. Zipadelli is most notable for being the crew chief of the #20 The Home Depot car for Joe Gibbs Racing from 1999 until 2011. He has three children: Zachary Charles, Elwina Sophia, and Gianni Greogry, and is married to Nanette.

Racing career

Zipadelli began his career in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour series, becoming the crew chief for his family's team and immediately winning a championship with driver Mike McLaughlin in 1988, at the age of 21. When McLaughlin advanced to the Busch North Series in 1990, Zipadelli joined him, winning five races during the pair's four-year tenure together, and claimed another championship in 1997 as the crew chief for Mike Stefanik. But his greatest fame and success would be achieved when he joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 1999, partnering with IndyCar Series champion turned NASCAR rookie Tony Stewart. Their accomplishments include the 1999 Rookie of the Year title, winning a stunning three races, a feat which has only been tied by Jimmie Johnson in 2002, three Chase for the NEXTEL Cup appearances, two championships in 2002 and 2005. The duo of "Smoke" (Stewart) and "Zippy" (Zipadelli) currently have the longest crew chief-driver relationship in NASCAR. However, that relationship ended as of the 2008 Season. In 2009, Stewart moved over to Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the #14 car. JGR Nationwide driver Joey Logano took over the driving of the 20 Home Depot Camry, with Zipadelli continuing as crew chief. As of December, 2011, Zipadelli moved to Stewart-Haas Racing to reunite with Stewart, but as competition director, not as crew chief. Steve Addington, also a former JGR crew chief, heads to SHR in 2012 to fill the role of crew chief for Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet. It was later announced that Zipadelli would be a part-time crew chief for Danica Patrick in the Daytona 500 in 2012, with her later 9 races undecided.