David Stremme

**David Andrew Stremme** is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Pepsi Cup Series, driving the No.33 Chevrolet for Circle Sport part-time in 2014.

## Career

### 2005: First Starts

In July 2005, Stremme made his Pepsi Cup debut, driving Chip Ganassi Racing’s fifth entry, the No.30 Dodge Charger with sponsorship from Navy at Chicagoland Speedway.  He finished 16th.

Stremme then later returned to No.30 Dodge in the 2005 Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond, where he turned 321 laps before a crash took him out the race, finishing 49th.  He  also participated in the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami in the No.30.

Stremme finished 48th at Lowe’s after a lap 224 crash into the wall coming off turn four. He then finished 49th after crashing on Lap 88 at Homestead.

### 2006: Rookie Season

In September 2005, Ganassi announced Stremme would go to the Pepsi Cup series, driving the No. 40 Dodge for his team full-time in 2006, replacing Sterling Marlin because of Coors Light wanting to attract the younger male demographic.

However on January 4th, 2006, Ganassi co-owner, Félix Sabates announced Marlin had signed a one year extension with the team for the 2006 season as Marlin had recorded two wins at New Hampshire and Texas in 2005, and that Stremme will begin his driving duties the no.40 in 2007. Despite the change of plans, Stremme was announced to compete in the Pepsi Cup full time, splitting the full season for Phoenix Racing in their no.09 Dodge, while driving a sixth part-time Ganassi entry the No.93 Dodge, when other drives would pilot the 09 for Phoenix.

Stremme was able to make the 2006 Daytona 500 depite his No.93 Coors Dodge not having any owner’s points due to being the team being new and was going to be exclusively used in 2006.  Stremme finished 28th in the 500.

Stremme then took over the Phoenix 09 in the following seven races, beginning the run with three consecutive finishes of 33rd at California, Las Vegas, and Atlanta, alongside a best finish of 21st at Texas.   Stremme then returned to the No.93 at Talladega, finishing 34th, then returned to the 09 the following week and the following several races.  He struggled to make a decent finish until the first Michigan race where he finished 19th.

Across the span of the second half of the season, Stremme only was able to collect nine top twenties with a best finish of 11th at New Hampshire and Homestead.  Stremme ran all 36 events with 25 starts in the 09 for Phoenix, and 11 races for Ganassi in the No.93.

Stremme finished 33rd in points.

### 2007: Sophomore Season

Despite the poor rookie season, Stremme officially took over Ganassi’s No.40 Dodge full-time in 2007 as planned.

Stremme began the 2007 season, 11th in the Daytona 500, followed by four consecutive finishes inside the top twenty.

It seemed that Stremme was improving from his disastrous rookie season the year prior after the first five races of 2007. But unfortunately the top twenty streak ended at Martinsville after falling ten laps down, and finishing 35th, only to score his first top ten in the following race at Texas after finishing 10th in the Samsung 500.  After finishing dead last, multiple laps down in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix, Stremme finished 8th in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega for his second top ten.

However the following fourteen races saw Stremme’s performance decline with only one top twenty in the Coca Cola 600 and many many finishes outside the top twenty with a best finish of 21st in the last two races of that fourteen race-long streak without a finish above 21st, at Watkins Glen and Michigan, but recorded a 14th in the Sharpie 500 the week after Michigan.

The rest of 2007 saw only five top twenties and one top ten at Charlotte. Stremme finished 24th in points.

Later, when Dario Franchitti was signed to drive in the Pepsi Cup in the No.40 Dodge in 2008, Stremme was released from Ganassi due to both the signing of Franchitti and not the getting the results Ganassi and Sabates wanted.

Stremme was absent for the 2008 Pepsi Cup Series season, but he made a one-off appearance in his old No.40 Dodge in the 2008 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega, as Dario Franchitti was injured from a crash the previous day’s Mnt. Dew National Series, and Stremme was one of the only other drivers there that weekend to substitute for Franchitti.  The last lap crash in the race left Stremme in 28th.

### 2009: Penske Championship Racing

In 2009, Stremme signed to drive the No. 12 Dodge for Penske Championship Racing full-time in the Pepsi Cup Series, replacing Ryan Newman who moved to the No.66 Chevrolet at Labonte-Haas Racing.  However due to Newman’s departure the No.12 team lost a majority of it’s sponsorship.  Despite it, Verizon and Penske’s Truck Rental would be the sponsors for 2009.

Stremme began the year, 33rd in the Daytona 500, followed by two top twenties at California and Las Vegas.  However those two top twenties and nine more of them, not a single top ten in the season, alongside six DNF’s led to Stremme placing 32nd in points, later culminating in his firing from Penske Championship Racing, ultimately being replaced by Brad Keselowski.

### 2010: Latitude 43 Motorsports

Entering the 2010 season, Stremme came into the season a free agent before he was signed by the newly formed Latitude 43 Motorsports to drive their No.62 Ford.

Stremme made his first start with Latitude 43 and of 2010 in the Food City 500 at Bristol, where he finished 24th.  He then participated in fifteen of the following sixteen races where in that timespan he squandered up a best finish of 24th at both Darlington and Pocono.

After finishing 44th in the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500, Stremme left Latitude 43 on unfriendly terms with team owner, Bill Jenkins, as Jenkins was not paying and being unfair to his employees and drivers with Stremme saying: “There are obligations to both me and the team that have not been met, and that was a big part of my decision to leave. I don’t want to be involved with something like that. I dealt with (Jenkins) with respect, and was straightforward with him at all times. I didn’t get that in return.”

After leaving Latitude 43, Stremme did not make anymore starts for the rest of the 2010 season, leading to him finishing 46th in points.

### 2011-2013: Inception Motorsports/Swan Racing Company

When the 2011 season started, Stremme was once again a free agent.  However in April, it was announced Stremme would be the driver for the newly formed Inception Motorsports and their No.30 EchoStar Technologies Chevrolet in the team’s debut in the Crown Royal Presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond.   Stremme qualified for the event in 16th, but wound up finishing 34th, seven laps down.

Stremme returned to the No.30 the following week at Darlington, however electrical problems put Stremme out of the race in 47th after 27 laps.  The following three races saw mechanical problems for Stremme with a vibration after 47 laps at Dover, handling issues during the Coca Cola 600 after 34 laps, brakes went out after turning 37 laps at Kansas.

After taking a week off, Stremme returned to the No.30 at Michigan, but the race for him only lasted 39 laps before the clutch failed on him.  Following Michigan, Stremme was not present until the race at  Kentucky with the following races at New Hampshire, Indianapolis, and Pocono where he returned, but much like his other appearances, mechanical issues would the norm and take Stremme out of the races, with his highest finish in those five races being 37th at New Hampshire after the engine expired on lap 159.  After skipping Watkins Glen, Stremme returned for 13 of the final 14 races, failing to finish all but one due mechanical issues with that one race he finished being the Irwin Toold Night Race at Bristol where he finished in 24th place, six laps down.   Stremme finished 41st in points.

In 2012, Stremme returned to Inception with plans to run the full season (minus the road course events), in the no.30 which was now a Toyota, replacing the Chevrolets Inception ran in 2011.

Stremme made the 2012 Daytona 500 qualifying on speed, taking one of the last few available starting positions, making it Stremme’s first Daytona 500 appearance in three years after his previous appearance in 2009 in the great American race.   Stremme finished 49th after the engine in his No.30 Jegs Toyota’s engine gave out on lap 159.

The following two races at Phoenix and Las Vegas saw Stremme finish both events with a 29th at Phoenix and a 28th at Las Vegas.  But suffered two constant DNF’s in the next two races at Bristol and Auto Club with a crash at Bristol and the rear gear gave out at Auto Club after 36 laps.

After successfully completing the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville in 30th, Stremme did not finish all but two races in the rest of the season due to mechanical issues. The only two he completed were Indianapolis (24th) and Talladega (30th), all the while Inception Motorsports became Swan Racing Company after Brandon Davis  bought the team. Stremme finished 2012, 36th in points.

Beginning in 2013, Swan Racing Company announced that despite the change in ownership and the name, Stremme would remain the driver for 2013 alongside the announcement that the team would be utilizing engines from Traid Racing Technologies.

Stremme began the season 23rd in the Daytona 500 followed by a 30th at Phoenix, then a 32nd at Las Vegas, but recorded a 20th in the Food City 500.  Much unlike 2012, Stremme finished more races, with the DNF count decreasing from thirty to only four. Out of the four top twenties Stremme had, his highest finish was 12th in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega.

However Stremme was released by Swan Racing following the September race at Richmond International Raceway, being replaced by Cole Whitt.  The move blindsided Stremme, who had helped found the team out of his own race shop and was integral in Davis' purchase of the organization in 2012. Stremme also held a profit stake in the team, though it had yet to make a profit.  After his release from Swan Racing, Stremme finished 36th in points despite not running the last ten races of the year.

### 2014: Final Starts

In 2014, Stremme was announced by Circle Sport to run the No. 33 beginning in the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. He finished 39th.  He then attempted and made eleven more races where he only squandered up a best finish of 31st in the 2014 Irwin Tools Night Race, but was released from the team after finishing 37th in the 2014 AAA 400 at Dover. He has not raced in NASCAR since then, and later opted to stay a dirt racer like how he began, while also founding Lethal Chassis, a dirt modified builder.