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Mike Stefanik NASCAR
Born on May 20, 1958 at Wilbraham, Massachusetts, Mike Stefanik NASCAR driver made his debut in the year 1985 at the Whelen Modified Tour. He succeeded in attaining four top ten and two top five spots in six races. Within just a span of ten years from 1989 to 1998, Mike had already won four major championships in the Whelen Modified Tour.
He is the first driver to have won two NASCAR championships consecutively and this was soon after he had won the Busch East Series Championship in the year 1997 and 1998. The only other driver to have won two championships in a single year is Lee Petty.
In the year 1999, Mike Stefanik participated in the Craftsman Truck Series where he raced for Dale Phelon. The year turned out to be very lucky for Mike, as he succeeded in making it to the top ten nine times.
The same year, he also received the ‘Rookie of the year’ award. Soon after having spent a year with Dave Phelan, Mike once again switched back to the Busch North tours and the Whelen Modified Tour in the year 2001.
As anticipated, he won three Modified Tour Championships consecutively for two years in 2001 and 2002 and then in 2006. However, he had a tie with Richie Evans in the 2006 championship.
He attained the title of the most popular driver of Whelen Modified Tour in the year 1997, 1998 and finally in 2001. He has also won the Coors Light Pole Award. Soon in 2007 and 2008, Mike won ‘The Coca Cola Power Move of the Race’ Award.
Prior to starting his NASCAR series career, he had already made his name in the world of racing by winning a Limited Sportsman track championship and the Pro Stock Track title. He is the only driver who has 70 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race wins to his name.
Mike’s Stefanik life
Mike Stefanik NASCAR driver currently resides in Coventry, Rhode Island with his wife, Julie and two daughters Christine and Nicole. According to Mike, his wife has played a major role in his success. Belonging to a racing background herself, Julie is completely aware of the ins and outs involved in the game.
Julia happens to be Mike’s toughest critic. Above all, Mike states that Julia is a good wife and a good mother. No doubt, Mike has seen numerous hurdles during his entire career. However, he still holds a perfect place in the hearts of millions across the globe.
Mike Stefanik Greg Zipadelli
Almost everyone is aware of the fact that the world of NASCAR keeps on changing each year. However, the things that have remained consistent from the start are the No. 20 Home Depot Team and certainly Crew Chief Greg Zipadelli.
One of the toughest jobs that Zipadelli has taken up is to guide rookie drivers, which according to him is a very huge challenge. He was primarily responsible for guiding Tony Stewart towards winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1999.
Under the guidance of Greg Zipadelli, the team managed to build Home Depot cars. These cars driven by Tony Stewart fetched him 2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championships, 10 poles, 33 wins and of course the Rookie of the year award. Zipadelli was also highly committed towards Joe Gibbs’s NASCAR championship team and his driver.
Greg Zipadelli happens to be the most respected crew chief in the history of NASCAR. His leadership and highly sophisticated mechanical skills make him one of the most popular names in the world of car racing.
- In the year 1996, Greg Zipadelli started working for Mike Stefanik. With the assistance of Zipadelli, Stefanik succeeded in achieving nine top 10 and eight top 5 finishes. Soon under Zipadelli’s guidance, Mike won the Camping World Series East Championship with fourteen top 5 finishes and 2 wins in the year 1997. At the same time, Zipadelli too won his second touring series title. Without a doubt, Greg Zipadelli has played a major part in the success of Mike’s career.
- In 1998, Zipadelli soon joined the NASCAR Sprint Cup Operation and worked for team No. 99 as a chassis specialist along with driver Jeff Burton. Zipadelli turned out to be very lucky for Burton as he succeeded in finishing fifth in 1998 in the Cup standings, where he scored 18 top 5s and 23 top 10s with 2 wins.
In 2003-2004, Zipadelli along with the Home Depot Team managed to score 37 top 10s and win four races. They finished in the top-10 for the sixth year consecutively. The Home Depot team in all has tasted victory nine times, scored 50 top 10s and 36 top 5s and all of this was possible just because of the sheer dedication and hard work of Greg Zipadelli.
In 2008, the most popular pair (Zipadelli and Stewart) earned their final win at Talladega Superspeedway in a 500-mile race. No doubt, Greg Zipadelli is highly responsible for bringing about a positive transformation in the world of car racing.
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