Scott Zipadelli

Scott Zipadelli
Personal information
BornScott Zipadelli
(1969-10-29) October 29, 1969 (age 57)
Newington, Connecticut, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportNASCAR Truck Series
Team11. Tricon Garage

Scott Zipadelli (born October 29, 1969) is an American NASCAR crew chief who works for Tricon Garage as the crew chief of their No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driven by Kaden Honeycutt. He has won 41 Truck Series races and 3 championships as a crew chief.

Zipadelli started his crew chiefing career in 2000 in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series when it was known as the NASCAR Busch Series for Ward Burton at Innovative Motorsports. In 2010, he earned his first win as a crew chief for Boris Said in the Busch Series. In 2015, he shifted over to the Truck Series beginning with Red Horse Racing. He worked as a crew chief in that series for Hattori Racing Enterprises from 2017–2022, including winning a championship with Brett Moffitt in 2018. In 2023, he moved to Tricon Garage, winning back to back championships with Corey Heim and Kaden Honeycutt respectively.

Racing career

Zipadelli got his start as a Cup level crew chief in 2000 as he was hired by George Debidart for his team Innovative Motorsports. He got his first start as a crew chief that year as he worked in the Busch Series with Ward Burton; where he finished fifth. Then he was paired up with Mike McLaughlin for 13 events. They managed one top-five finish.

Zipadelli would not perform as a NASCAR crew chief again until 2007. He was hired by Tad Geschicter who split a ride between Jon Wood and Kelly Bires. Wood would have a best finish of tenth while Bires would post a seventh and ninth place result. 2008 saw Bires race full-time, and the pair would finish a season best fifth place finish, with six top-tens.

Said's car in which he won at Montreal in 2010.

Zipadelli was hired by Todd Braun to be the head wrench for Jason Leffler. They would have eight top-five finishes; two of them being second place finishes, ending up fourth in the points. In 2010, he split time between drivers Leffler, Boris Said and Brian Scott. Said would claim a win at Montreal. The following season Zipadelli went to work for Robby Benton and his driver Kenny Wallace. Benton split driving duties among eight drivers that season with Zipadelli being the crew chief.

In 2013, Zipadelli was hired to work for Steve Turner and driver Justin Allgaier. Although they did not win any races; they did have six top-five finishes and finish fifth in the points. The following season Turner hired Kyle Larson to drive the car, with Zipadelli remaining as the crew chief. Larson won twice in 28 starts, including his first at Auto Club Speedway. In 2015, team owner Tom Deloach of Red Horse Racing hired Zipadelli to team up with driver Ben Kennedy. As Deloache's funds dwindled; he split the driving duties of one of his race teams among five different drivers, one being Brett Moffitt, who won at Michigan in one of his six starts.

Truex's 2017 truck at Dover
Brett Moffitt's championship-winning truck on display in 2018

Due to Deloache's lack of funding, he scaled back the size of his race team; and Zipadelli went to work for Hattori Racing Enterprises and driver Ryan Truex beginning in 2016. They posted eight top-five and 13 top-ten finishes, ninth in points. The duo paired again in 2017, where they finished ninth in points. For 2018, Moffitt was hired by Hattori to drive his truck full-time. Moffitt won the second race of the year at Atlanta. He had three more wins before the season was halfway over; and kept up that pace scoring three more before the seasons end. Moffitt made it through every round of the playoffs and was in contention to win the championship. Moffitt led the final 29 laps to win the championship, the first championship for Zipadelli and Hattori.

Hill racing Derek Kraus in the 2019 JEGS 200
Ankrum's No. 16 truck at Sonoma Raceway in 2022

In 2019, Austin Hill was hired to drive for Hattori and was paired with Zipadelli. The pair kicked off the season with a win at Daytona. They would win again at Michigan and Las Vegas. He ran well in the playoffs but in the final race of the Round of 8, Hill crashed and would be eliminated from playoff contention. Hill won the final race at Homestead and finished fifth in the points. Zipadelli and Hill returned for 2020. Hill got two wins in that year for the playoffs and added two more in 2021. Both seasons Hill had a good shot to win the championship, but problems in the playoffs kept him from advancing to the final race. For 2022, Tyler Ankrum took over Hill's ride with Zipadelli remaining as crew chief. Overheating sidelined them at Texas. They would finish 12th in season points.

In 2023, Zipadelli was paired with Corey Heim, racing for Tricon Garage. Heim scored his first win of the season at Martinsville. He was forced to miss Gateway due to an illness; Jesse Love substituted for him and finished ninth in the race. Despite missing one race, Heim maintained the points lead and scored his second win at Mid-Ohio. At the conclusion of the Richmond race, Heim claimed the regular season championship. During the playoffs, Heim won at Bristol. Heim finished third at Homestead to make the Championship 4.

Zipadelli was paired with Heim again for the 2024 season. Throughout the regular season, he scored wins at COTA, Kansas, North Wilkesboro, Gateway, and Pocono. During the playoffs, Heim won at Kansas. He finished second in the final points standings.

Heim's No. 11 truck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025

Heim started the 2025 season with another second-place finish at Daytona; however, the initial race winner, Parker Kligerman, failed post-race inspection after it was found that his truck was too low. Kligerman was disqualified, and Heim would be awarded the win. In the regular-season, he also scored wins at Las Vegas, Texas, Charlotte, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, and Richmond. During the playoffs, he won at Darlington, New Hampshire, and the Charlotte Roval; the latter earning him a record ten wins in a season, beating Greg Biffle's previous record of nine wins in 1999. He scored his eleventh win of the season at Martinsville to make the Championship 4. Heim and Zipadelli concluded the season with a win at Phoenix to claim the Truck Series championship.

On December 5, 2025, it was announced that Kaden Honeycutt and Zipadelli would be paired up in the No. 11 truck in 2026 season. Zipadelli would be side-lined the first three events due to injury. With Zipadelli back on the box, Honeycutt scored his first career Truck Series victories at Watkins Glen and Richmond. In "The Chase", Honeycutt won at Kansas and Phoenix. He then won the season ending race at Homestead to win his first Truck Series championship and Zipadelli's second-straight.

Personal life

Zipadelli's brother Greg was a crew chief, who helped Tony Stewart win two NASCAR Cup Series championships.

References

  1. ↑ "Said edges Papis and Villeneuve for NASCAR Nationwide win". www.tsn.ca. Archived from the original on September 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Kyle Larson makes history, wins Nationwide race at Fontana". The Sporting News. Associated Press. March 22, 2014. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  3. ↑ Peltz, Jim (March 22, 2014). "Kyle Larson gets first Nationwide Series win at Fontana". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ Knight, Chris (February 15, 2016). "Ryan Truex Returns To Trucks At Daytona With Hattori Racing". Catchfence. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ Utter, Jim (January 16, 2017). "Ryan Truex set to run full NASCAR Trucks schedule in 2017". Motorsport.com. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ "RYAN TRUEX TO COMPETE FULL TIME FOR HATTORI RACING". NASCAR. January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Brett Moffitt joins Hattori Racing for 2018 NASCAR Truck season". Motorsport.com. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Moffitt takes wild Truck win at Atlanta after drama for Kyle Busch". Motorsport.com. Retrieved February 25, 2018. On June 16, 2018, Brett Moffitt held off a late charge from Noah Gragson on the final lap to grab Hattori's second career truck series win at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. Moffitt started 16th in the race, making him the farthest back in qualifying to ever win at Iowa in the truck series.
  9. ↑ "Moffitt needs sponsor dollars, but can "compete for a championship"". Motorsport.com. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ Cain, Holly (November 16, 2018). "Hattori Racing exceeds all expectations 'of peers and competitors' in 2018". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 8, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Austin Hill, Hattori Racing Enterprises Team for 2019 Truck Season". Frontstretch. January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Hill earns first career win after overtime finish in Truck season opener at Daytona". NASCAR. February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  13. ↑ Cheek, Adam (November 5, 2019). "Austin Hill Returning to Hattori Racing Enterprises in 2020". Frontstretch. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  14. ↑ Weaver, Matt (September 26, 2020). "What You May Have Missed from the NASCAR Truck Series at Las Vegas". Autoweek. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Austin Hill to return to Hattori Racing Enterprises No. 16 next season". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. October 30, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  16. ↑ Kristl, Mark (October 30, 2020). "Engine Failure Ends Austin Hill's Playoff Run at Martinsville". Frontstretch. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Hattori Racing Enterprises taps Tyler Ankrum for No. 16 Toyota in 2022". NASCAR. December 1, 2021.
  18. ↑ "2022 SpeedyCash.com 220 Race Results" (PDF). Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. May 20, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2026.
  19. ↑ "DGR Rebranded To TRICON Garage, Heim Joins". Speed Sport. October 27, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  20. ↑ Cain, Holly (April 14, 2023). "Corey Heim wins rain-shortened Truck Series race at Martinsville". NASCAR. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Corey Heim not racing at Gateway due to illness; Jesse Love to pilot No. 11 truck". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Corey Heim triumphs in wild Truck Series race at Mid-Ohio". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
  23. ↑ Cain, Holly (July 29, 2023). "Hocever uses late pass to win Truck regular-season finale at Richmond". NASCAR. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  24. ↑ Spencer, Reid (September 14, 2023). "Corey Heim wins Truck Series playoff race at Bristol". NASCAR. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  25. ↑ Cain, Holly (October 21, 2023). "Carson Hocevar converts Homestead win, joins Rhodes, Heim, Enfinger in Championship 4 field". NASCAR. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  26. ↑ Cain, Holly (March 23, 2024). "Corey Heim roars to Craftsman Truck Series win in overtime at COTA". NASCAR. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Corey Heim dominates rain-delayed NASCAR Truck race at North Wilkesboro". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. May 4, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Corey Heim dominates Gateway for fourth Truck Series win of 2024". NASCAR. June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  29. ↑ Cain, Holly (July 12, 2024). "Corey Heim wins Craftsman Truck Series race at Pocono". NASCAR. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  30. ↑ Spencer, Reid (September 27, 2024). "Corey Heim slips by sputtering Majeski on last lap, lands Craftsman Truck Series win at Kansas". NASCAR. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Corey Heim takes Truck Series season opener at Daytona; Kligerman disqualified". NASCAR. February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  32. ↑ "Excellent pit work propels Corey Heim to Truck Series victory at Las Vegas". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  33. ↑ Spencer, Reid (May 2, 2025). "Corey Heim tames Texas, surges to third Craftsman Truck Series win of 2025". NASCAR. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  34. ↑ Spencer, Reid (October 3, 2025). "Heim battles back for record-breaking 10th Truck win of 2025 at Charlotte Roval". NASCAR. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  35. ↑ Spencer, Reid (October 24, 2025). "Heim wins 11th race of Truck season at Martinsville as Championship 4 is set". NASCAR. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  36. ↑ "Corey Heim shakes off pressure to win NASCAR Truck Series championship". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. October 31, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  37. ↑ "TRICON Signs Kaden Honeycutt to Drive No. 11 Truck in 2026". TobyChristie.com. December 5, 2025.
  38. ↑ Walters, Shane (February 11, 2026). "NASCAR crew chief unable to attend Daytona due to injury". RacingNews.co.
  39. ↑ "Kaden Honeycutt scores first career Truck Series victory at Watkins Glen". NASCAR. May 8, 2026. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Kaden Honeycutt dominates Richmond for second career Truck Series win". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Wire Service. August 15, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Kaden Honeycutt dominates at Kansas to take over Chase lead". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Wire Service. September 26, 2026. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  42. ↑ Albino, Dustin (October 16, 2026). "Kaden Honeycutt expands Chase lead with NASCAR Truck Series win at Phoenix". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Honeycutt storms through Chase to clinch first Truck Series title". NASCAR. November 6, 2026. Retrieved November 7, 2026.