NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Zipadelli Will Help Patrick Transition
The new competition director at Stewart-Haas Racing will oversee Danica Patrick's NASCAR Sprint Cup effort in 2012...
FOXSports.com  |  Posted December 16, 2011   Charlotte, NC
Danica Patrick will make her NASCAR Sprint Cup debut in the 2012 Daytona 500. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Greg Zipadelli is joining Stewart-Haas Racing as the competition director, but he won’t be completely abandoning his crew chief role. Zipadelli will spend time working with Danica Patrick when she makes her NASCAR Sprint Cup debut in the season-opening Daytona 500.

Zipadelli, who won Cup championships while working as a crew chief for Tony Stewart in 2002 and 2005, is leaving that role with Joey Logano at Joe Gibbs Racing to join the Stewart-Haas team, it was announced Friday.

Along with that, though, will come some work with Patrick, who plans to race in 10 Cup races with the organization in 2012 as she transitions into a full-time NASCAR career. Patrick will also race full time in the Nationwide Series next season.

“I think that is the plan now,” Zipadelli said when asked if he would work as her crew chief for the Daytona 500. “I will start as soon as this afternoon on putting some of those pieces together. I know that (team Vice President of Competition) Matt Borland has done a really good job of keeping that going already so that they’re not behind. As far as Daytona, (the) Daytona test and Daytona 500 right now it looks like I’ll be there to do that. Most important is we find the right person long-term for that position.”

Zipadelli admits there is no target date for that hire.

“I think, honestly, if it takes till the end of the year to make sure we look at everybody that’s going to be available, either now or coming available at the end of the year and really see who that person is, (how that person) fits in with the other crew chiefs, fits into Stewart-Haas under their umbrella, into the mold of finding that right person, we’ll take as much time as we need,” he said.

Zipadelli admits that he’s looking forward to helping build Patrick’s team and aiding as she learns the ropes in the Cup series. He’s a veteran when it comes to working with rookies in these ranks, assisting both Stewart and Logano as they made the move into Cup full time.

He’ll take an even larger role in working with Patrick – and admits that he’s glad he’ll still have some races on the pit box in a familiar role as he transitions into his new job.

“I know I’m going to get to do a couple of races and be actively involved in getting her cars built and getting some people hired and putting that group together, so I think it will help me wean myself from that passion and daily fire of the fire drills you go through as a crew chief to moving into a new position,” he said. “… It won’t be such culture shock to me, you know.”

Zipadelli says that he has not spoken with Patrick yet. But, he listened to Stewart talk about why he hired her and has watched her race.

And what he’s seen is obviously a driver that he appreciates and looks forward to working with.

“From what I see from the outside ... She’s got more determination than most people,” he said. “She has confidence in her abilities, she’s proven that in the past. The big thing about it is the want and the desire and that seems to be there without any question at all.
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