We lovingly refer to him as “Santa O’Donnell” for his work with O’Donnell Motorsports, but the name on his birth certificate says Joe Guzzi. He’s well known for his setup expertise on the mini sprint scene, and he’s now the head wrench on the full size sprint car campaigned by “The Bloodhound” Brett O’Donnell on the Top Gun Sprint Series scene, a nicer, well-spoken articulate crew chief you will not find, he is the one and only Joe Guzzi.

For those that don’t know of the setup genius that is Joe Guzzi, tell our readers a little about yourself.

I was born in Easton, Pa. in 1958. We moved to suburbia in 1969, where I could faintly hear the sort of nearby half mile Nazareth Speedway on quiet summer Saturday nights. My friends and I would occasionally go to the races but that side of Pennsylvania was open wheel modified territory so I didn’t see my first sprint car, Mike Shank’s, until several years after we moved to Deltona, Florida in 1972. As a kid I was always reading Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines and loved the idea of drag racing. Especially the Altereds. At a little local car show I saw my first real life ’48 Anglia with a Hilborn fuel injected 327. Who knew the red things at the end of each stack was really a red rubber ball? I always painted them red on my models but now I knew why. Since that day I always wanted to run a constant flow fuel injected car and now I finally have my chance.

I’m a bicentennial graduate of DeLand High. I dropped out of UF my freshmen year when my dad got sick and returned home to run the family business, a bicycle concession on the beach in Daytona Beach Shores. I spent every summer day working on the beach throughout high school. I was the second darkest white kid at DeLand High. After we sold the business I started down the machine shop career path.

Tim and Brett O'Donnell celebrate with Crew Chief Joe Guzzi in victory lane at East Bay in 2009.

Is it true you are an heir to the Moto Guzzi fortune? If so, can you get me a good deal on a Moto Guzzi V7 Racer? I’d really like to have one of those in my garage.

I only wish, alas it is not true. I lust in my heart for one too. I’ve always thought one day I’d buy a Moto Guzzi Le Mans and would often imagine the confounded look on the salesman’s face when I revealed my last name.

We took an informal poll of those who know and it’s somewhat common knowledge that you’re one of the top three guys to talk to when it comes to setting up a mini sprint. How did you get so good at setting these things up? I’ve rarely seen a mini sprint suck down on the left rear like Brett O’Donnell’s did; it was a thing of beauty to watch.

1.  Who are the other two?
2. Trial and error mostly. The first time Tim and I raced Mini-Sprints together were the 1996 thru 1998 FMSA seasons. Back then many, if not most, of the cars were home built. If you build a car from more or less scratch you have to, or at least should, think about things. Just consider a Jacobs Ladder. How big should it be? How should it be orientated? Where is the roll center? My background as a machinist/tool maker, plus the old Bridgeport mill in my garage, made it possible to transfer what I saw in my mind and sketched on my beloved yellow legal pads into metal.
3. Brett drives a little harder than Tim, especially going into the corner. I often say Tim drives like Tim is paying for it and Brett drives like Tim is paying for it. Anyway, turn the car sideways, the wind blows it over to the left, and then the infinity adjustable high dollar left rear ARS shock holds it there. Once you figure out just where the little bit of usable adjustment range is for the infinity adjustable high dollar left rear ARS shock.

You’re well known for being the head wrench at O’Donnell Motorsports, both on the mini sprints and now the big sprint car. How did you get to working with the O’Donnell family?

Years ago my wife worked for a local custom home builder and Tim was their Landscaping and Irrigation subcontractor. One year some of us in the machine shop discovered we were not going to get raises anytime soon so I told the boss I’d take an old Bridgeport mill instead of a raise for the next year. I knew Tim had a flatbed trailer and a fork lift so I had my wife make the arrangements for transport.

Tim had been racing Mini-Sprints for a year or so then his garage burnt down with his Mini-Sprint in it. He took the warped remains to some dirt track chassis builder in Ocala and they copied the frame. Soon after that he shows up at my house with a couple of old pieces of aluminum and asked if I could turn them into a gas pedal for something called a Mini-Sprint. I said sure. When I was done he was pleased and handed me another couple of identical pieces of old aluminum and asked if I could turn them into a brake pedal. I said sure. But why didn’t you ask me the first time? Because now I have to do all the same set-ups all over again. Anyway, that was the start of my involvement. He had the bare frame, new Stallard front and rear axles with accouterments, and four new Carrera shocks. We made most everything else.

Joe Guzzi has been helping put O'Donnell Motorsports entries in victory lane for quite some time now.

Who were some of your favorite race car drivers when you were growing up?

There can be only one. Mario Andretti. He’s Italian, I’m from Italian ancestry. He was from Nazerath; I was from the next town over. Done deal. One interesting thing was I had a friend in grade school, Tom, whose uncle, Al Loquasto, who was a local racer of some renown.

Every year Al would spend the month of May in Indy and young Tom would spend some time there with him. The year Mario won the 500 he wrecked his primary car in practice. Tom came back from Indy with several pieces of Mario’s nose cone. Pretty cool from my 11 year old perspective. Later that same year my not a race fan Dad surprised me with two tickets to this big race at Nazareth. It turned out it was on the big mile and an eighth dirt track and was an Indy Car race. Most had these big front engine cars, but there were several rear engine cars too. Home town hero Mario finished second I think, after someone broke while he was a distant third.

What’s your favorite race track in Florida and why?

The one that we’re running at that night as long as it has enough water. Volusia is our home track, it is big and wide and I like the speeds and racing room. If it has enough water it doesn’t hurt tires. If it doesn’t have enough water it will eat both rears each night and I’d rather go elsewhere. Really, any of the big four on the Top Gun Schedule, plus any of the tracks the FMSA has visited in Georgia. I truthfully like them all, with one exception, and I will not name it. Think parallel sand drag strips joined by two curved return roads forming a unique squashed oval. Or now two hard as a rock drag strips joined by two curved return roads forming a unique squashed oval all magically covered with microscopic ball bearings. Those of us old enough to remember life before video games may recall that bar bowling game with the heavy metal puck and the can of parmesan cheese like stuff you sprinkle on the lane.

Joe Guzzi now is crew chief on the #11 driven by "The Bloodhound" Brett O'Donnell in the Top Gun Sprint Series.

For those of our readers not in the know, as a crew chief, enlighten us all as to how much work you put into working on the O’Donnell Motorsports sprint car, both away from the track and at the track.

I work on the car at least six days a week, most times during the season seven days a week. I like two weeks between races so I have plenty of time to do everything that needs to be done. That is without any crash damage which so far has been the case. If Brett wads it up we’re more or less done because we have no spare anything to speak of. Once, when we unloaded the Mini-sprints at a race, I think it was Brian’s nephew asked me if we ever washed the cars. I told him we have a 1/10 mile dirt track in the back yard and always run the cars before we left for the track to make sure all was well so that was why they always had dirt on them. In addition I told him I was going for best prepared and not best appearing. Mineral spirits, a toothbrush, a wire toothbrush, scotch bright, a couple of files; they are all my best friends. I don’t like black anodized parts because I like to drag a file over things to knock off the dings. Tim’s brother Kelly trains horses so he got me several large syringes I keep filled with mineral spirits, grease, and motor oil. I can also pretty much guarantee you no one has a cleaner fuel system than I do. Because so much of the car is dismantled between races when at the track I just make sure I didn’t forget anything and check everything is tight. I do not like the phrase Did Not Finish and have an excellent, though not spotless, record of my cars finishing races.

You’ve been working with Brett O’Donnell as Tim has stepped aside as driver. We’re all very high on Brett, how is he to work with as a driver?

Brett “Stickers” O’Donnell is a raw talent, an old school seat of the pants driver just like his dad. He really needs a good experienced big car mentor.

Sometime after we were done racing Mini-Sprints the first time Tim drug home an old dirt kart for Brett to run at the Volusia Kart Track. I went with them for his first rookie race and remember telling Brett to run the inside line because no one could pass on the outside. He understood and hugged the inside but that lasted about a lap and a half; the other young driver wasn’t making any mistakes so to the outside Brett goes. It took him four or five laps constantly working, working, working the wheel but he made the pass on the outside and won. All the dads hanging on the pit wall were saying wow, look at that kid, he passed him on the outside! Lesson learned. Now I don’t tell Brett how to drive, what do I know? Other than that, he knows tight and loose.

My personal favorite was at the FMSA Winter Nationals a couple of years ago. I asked him how the car was. He said it was OK, it was good, but it wasn’t leaning enough. I knew just what to do because in Brett speak that means it needs a little more chassis tilt and a little more tie-down on the left rear. He won the race.

I always tell him the same three things after he’s strapped in. Have fun, 3^rd gear, don’t hit anything. The particular order changes based on recent activity, with the last thing being most important. Like at Volusia, it is one of the few places we run 4^th gear so then it would be have fun, don’t hit anything, 4^th gear. Now with the big car I tried in gear instead of what gear but I didn’t really like that so I dropped it. But I still liked three things so now it is don’t hit anything, have fun, no, really, don’t hit anything.

One of Joe Guzzi's favorite wins was when Brett O'Donnell sent all of the out-of-state mini sprint drivers packing and took home the big check during WinterNationals at East Bay in 2011.

When you’re not working on the O’Donnell Motorsports entry, what do you like to do in your free time?

I have no free time, I race. I do love the internets and check FloridaSprintCarFans.com hourly. That is why the hits are up.

Let’s say we’re in the Deland/Debary area and we need a really good landscaping company, who should we call?

Lob that softball. O’Donnell Landscaping & Irrigation, Inc., your full service landscaping company. Give them a call at (386) 736-1059.