Inside the Garage: NBS crew chief Scott Zipadelli

Scott Zipadelli can sympathize with Eli Manning, little brother to Super Bowl-winning quarterback Peyton Manning.

Little brother to Greg Zipadelli, a two-time championship-winning crew chief for Tony Stewart, Scott Zipadelli, a first-year crew chief in NASCAR's Busch series, knows what it's like to compete in the same arena where his elder sibling is grabbing all the headlines and notoriety.

And like Eli Manning in 2004, Scott Zipadelli is emerging this season as a rookie crew chief trying to make a name for himself outside the shadows of big brother.

Q: You're now the crew chief for Jon Wood of Wood Brothers/JTG Racing in the Busch Series but before you were the car chief at Joe Gibbs Racing for five years on the No. 18 machine. Tell us about the change and the difference between car chief and crew chief.

Zipadelli: OK, it's like this: The crew chief is the head coach and the car chief is the assistant coach. And I left, because I needed a new challenge. I felt like I wasn't working to my full potential. I was happy at JGR but the opportunity to move wasn't happening just yet. If I had gotten a new challenge, I may have not left, but other people were approaching me to work for them. I never went looking to leave.

Q: So much like in the NFL, you were recruited to the big leagues of NASCAR. Who was eyeing you?

Zipadelli: A few team owners had called. Fatback, you know, Michael McSwain [crew chief for the Wood Brothers No. 21 Cup car] called and he knew what I was capable of. He had a lot of faith in me. He also thought Jon and I would work well together and he was right.

I'm still young enough at 37 to relate to Jon, but old enough to be a mature influence on him. Jon knows I'm a hardcore racer. I tell him every weekend that we are both going to college here, so we can both learn what we need to do to make it to the other side of the fence -- the Cup side ... maybe as a team one day.

Q: You're first foray into the position has left something to be desired; lots of torn-up racecars. What gives?

Zipadelli: Some of it's because we are behind. We are trying to make a lot of changes. Our speed has been acceptable, but looking at our finishes, we have nothing to show for it. Jon seems to get caught up in everyone else's mess. But if you're racing with the guys that wreck a lot well ... Jon is working on putting himself in the right position on the track. Also, this is a building and rebuilding year for our team. We are changing all the cars and we are working through it all. We're also working on pit-crew issues. And I don't believe in luck, but it sure seems we haven't had any. (Continued)