Greg Zipadelli made Tony Stewart’s dream come true this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – he brought the Indiana native a win at the Brickyard 400. Stewart held the lead three times for a total of 44 laps before taking the checkered flag in one of NASCAR’s most prestigious events. His victory marked his fourth win this season and his seventh consecutive top-10 finish. For arranging the appointment for his driver to “kiss the bricks,” Zipadelli was voted the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race.
Stewart had the car to beat this weekend. But unlike most winning cars that arrive to the track with hours of practice and test sessions already logged, Stewart’s car came fresh to the Brickyard. The original car that Zipadelli planned on using for the race didn’t test well, so he had his Home Depot crew piece together a brand new # 20 machine. “I’m just so proud of this team,” said Zipadelli. “I’d like to thank my fab shop and motor room. This is a brand new car. Everybody worked night and day to get it built. We weren’t happy with the one we tested. We went to the wind tunnel and the car looked good. And we brought it back here even without even taking it to the race track. So I couldn’t be prouder of everybody in our organization.”
The panel of voters; including Steve Ballard of the Indianapolis Star, a Wypall Wipers representative and Robbie Reiser; all agreed that Zipadelli deserved Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race honors. Doug Richert leads the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings with five wins. Alan Gustafson, Bob Osborne, Greg Zipadelli and Robbie Loomis are tied for second place with two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Fatback McSwain, Steve Hmiel, Jimmy Fennig and Pete Rondeau are in a tie for third place, each with one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. Fans can also vote for their choice at wypall.com.(SMC 500)(8-9-2005)
