Snowmobiling matters to Greg Zipadelli. But concerns for kids matter more. As crew chief for Tony Stewart's No.20 Home Depot-backed NASCAR championship-winning car, Zipadelli uses his love for motorsports to better the lives of children. It's a great combination that begat last year's inaugural Crusade for Kids in the Old Forge, New York area.
This winter the Old Forge area will again host Greg Zipadelli's Crusade for Kids Charity Snowmobile Ride to benefit various children's charity organizations.
With all that a NASCAR crew chief has to do, what drives Zipadelli to create his kid's charity? It's all quite simple, really. The son of Chick and Diane Zipadelli, Greg grew up in Berlin, Connecticut with his older sister, Kim, and younger brother, Scott. While his mother was visiting a friend's son in Newington Children's Hospital in 1989, she noticed an infant in a room across the hall who never had any visitors.
The little girl, Tina, was a ward of the state of Connecticut. Diane continued to visit the little girl with Chick. They watched her come out of a coma and progress. But as a result of brain and neurological damage from abuse, she could not use her legs or her right arm. Greg's family would go to the hospital to feed her and give her love. As a result of the growing bond, Chick and Diane adopted the little girl.
Tina Zipadelli is now 18 years old and has led a very full life surrounded by a family who loves her. Although limited to a wheelchair and faced with daily struggles, Tina is in a special school where she goes to the prom, learns skills, holds different jobs and maintains friendships.
Greg has seen firsthand how special every child is, and he is determined to help other families and children through his charity snowmobile ride, Zippy's Annual Crusade for Kids.
As a top-rung NASCAR crew chief, Zipadelli wears the hat of full-time mechanic and coach. What needs to be done to the race car, what needs to be done in time for the next race, and what needs to be done to keep the team happy are all under the crew chief's job description.
Thanks to more than a decade of motorsports experience, Zipadelli knows race cars and team chemistry, allowing him to continue the juggling act that the modern-day crew chief job entails.
His skills in working with sponsors at NASCAR have allowed him and his wife, Nan, to not only create the Crusade for Kids, but to share the event with top sponsors like Home Depot, title sponsor on Zipadelli's Winston Cup car.
Crusade for Kids was founded in January of 2003 by Greg and Nan Zipadelli. Greg is the NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Crew Chief of the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet driven by Tony Stewart. The Zipadelli's founded The Crusade for Kids to help kids who are less fortunate, and families that are fighting to cover medical expenses and care for their sick kids.
This year's event was held in late January. It has proven to be one of the most popular snowmobile events in the region as it gives snowmobilers a chance to rub handlebars with some of NASCAR's top celebrities like driver Tony Stewart and crew chief Greg Zipadelli.
If you would like to be included in the fun of snowmobiling with stock car racing's top celebrities, check out Zippy's website at
www.gregzipadelli.com/crusadeforkids.asp This story ran in the February 2004 issue of American Snowmobiler magazine