"Now why is all this happening?" he says. "Did we lose all of our racing luck toward the end of last year, because we had a lot of good fortune and had things go our way? It sure isn't because of lack of effort or performance from our cars or especially our driver.
Zipadelli has weathered the storm of Stewart's tumultuous 2002 seasonand the rough stretches of 2003
"It's probably more frustrating for me on the inside, not being able to give you an answer for our problems, than it is for someone like yourself trying to come up with something to explain to people on the outside."
The conclusion--if there is indeed a conclusive explanation--is that a championship performance demands near perfection, particularly with the parity that marks NASCAR's top division.
The run by driver Matt Kenseth and crew chief Robbie Reiser provides the current example, and most assuredly there'll be another next season. Kenseth, with just one win in the season's first 22 races, has had few crippling performances in 2003. Just when it appears disaster is ready to strike, Kenseth and Reiser pull off another strong finish. Zipadelli can relate. He and Stewart worked their way from dead last in points, following the 2002 Daytona 500, to the title, giving team owner Joe Gibbs another championship to go with the one earned by Bobby Labonte in 2000.
Now Kenseth and Reiser are poised to give team owner Jack Roush his first Winston Cup title--barring disaster, something that appears unlikely.
"They can't do anything wrong," observes Zipadelli, turning his crew chief's analytic eye from his team to another. "They've had stuff happen to them and it turns around and the caution falls right in their lap. I'm not talking bad or begrudging them, but I'm jealous as hell. You know what I mean? They're running well every week; they're doing what they've got to do; and they're doing a great job."
This Is The Season
In a perfect world, this would be Tony Stewart's championship year. From the disastourous start at Daytona in February 2002, to Stewart's well-documented off-track troubles, the intense, sometimes volatile driver endured more adversity last season than many drivers experience in a full career. Home Depot's unprecedented $50,000 fine against Stewart, after Stewart allegedly struck a photographer, was the low point. There were also reports of troubles between Stewart and Zipadelli and Stewart and his other Home Depot teammates. Given Stewart's problems, the team's ability to win the championship last year was, above all else, a testament to resiliency.