A thinking man's racer: Danny Gill's business education and mechanical know-how--not to mention a huge competitive streak--make him one of the truck series' savviest crew chiefs.(NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series)

Danny Gill has learned that the grass isn't always greener in the other NASCAR garages.

But after a short stint in working at NASCAR's highest level, Gill is perfectly content to be leading the points race in the Craftsman Truck Series as the crew chief of the No. 46 Chevrolet driven by Dennis Setzer.

"I've seen both sides of it, and we're still racing over here," says Gill. "I've seen the grinds of Cup and had I never had the opportunity, sure I would have wanted to get to Cup, but right now I want to be the winningest crew chief in the Craftsman Truck Series."

Gill's background will help him accomplish that task. The 35-year-old Nashville native has experience behind the wheel and with a wrench. Gill started racing mini stocks and late models at Nashville Speedway in the mid-1980s and continues to compete on a limited basis.

"I try to get in a car at least once or twice a year," Gill says. "That's the biggest advantage I have as a crew chief--understanding how the car feels. I can take what I'm learning with the new setups, and it helps me a lot. I have felt what the driver is driving, and I know how to respond when he has a question."

Gill's dream of driving full time evaporated as the costs of racing continued to rise. He knew that continuing his education was the safest route. He attended Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, where he graduated in 1992 with a degree in business administration and currently lives.

Gill continued working in racing, focusing on chassis development and fabrication, first independently, then as a crewman with Nashville-based Sadler Racing and Bobby Hamilton Racing in 1998. Gill advanced to truck chief on BHR's No. 18 Dodge in 1999 and to crew chief the following year. As a rookie chief, Gill won the first three poles of the 2000 season and caught the attention of Hamilton, who recruited Gill midway through the season to lead his Cup team at Morgan-McClure Motorsports. When Hamilton moved to Andy Petree Racing, Gill followed and was assigned to Kenny Wallace, but he missed the truck series and his family in Tennessee. In 2001, Gill became crew chief for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports, which had hired Setzer to drive the No. 46 Chevrolet. In June of that year, Gill helped Morgan-Dollar achieve its first CTS win.