David Stremme
Signing at the Fan Festival – January 9th, 2010
Stremme’s racing roots can be traced back to Midwestern short track racing, where David followed in the footsteps originally cast by his Great Uncle in the 1950’s. Stremme’s first stock car victory came in the early 1990’s at New Paris Speedway, while behind the wheel of his mother’s street stock ride. Once track officials realized that David was only 15 years old however, he was forced to temporarily give up driving.
Once he became of legal age, David set the Midwestern short tracks ablaze, earning 24 feature wins, two Rookie of the Year titles and two track championships in just four years. From the local tracks, Stremme became a winner in the Kendall Late Model Series and then reached the ranks of the prestigious American Speed Assocation (ASA). David was named the 2002 ASA Rookie of the Year.
Stremme’s ASA performance caught the eye of Chip Ganassi Racing, who signed David to a development contract for the 2003 season. Splitting time with Jamie McMurray in a Nationwide Series entry, Stremme earned the 2003 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year award, his second major Rookie of the Year honor in as many years. In doing so, David became the first driver in Nationwide Series history to earn Rookie of the Year honors without competing in the full season.
For the 2004 season, David earned a full-time race seat in the No. 22 Nationwide Series entry. Behind the wheel of the 22 car, Stremme garnered his first Nationwide Series pole position in round 17 at Milwaukee. He went on to earn four top-five and 13 top-ten finishes during the 2004 season, en route to a tenth-place finish in the standings. Stremme remained at the 22 team for 2005, where he collected five top-fives and ten top-tens, on his way to 13th place in the overall standings.
2005 saw the next chapter in Stremme’s career begin, as he made his first-ever Sprint Cup Series start. David finished a respectable 16th place in that event and earned a ride in Ganassi’s No. 40 Sprint Cup Series car for the 2006 season. In 2006, David earned four top-15 finishes, in addition to a pair of top-five starts. 2006 also saw Stremme star in one of the most dominating performances in recent stock car racing history. In a single start for his future team, Rusty Wallace Racing, Stremme led 99 of 100 laps and lapped the entire field en route to victory in the spring 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Michigan. Back in the Sprint Cup Series, Stremme remained with the 40 car for 2007 and his results continued to improve. He earned three top-ten and eight top-15 finishes en route to a top-25 finish in the final 2007 driver standings.
2007 also saw David compete in a limited Nationwide Series schedule with his old No. 22 team. In 13 starts, David collected two top-five and eight top-15 finishes. He also earned his second career Nationwide Series pole in April 2007 at Nashville Superspeedway. As of the conclusion of his 2007 season, Stremme’s Nationwide Series career included 15 top-five and 33 top-ten finishes in 101 starts. His resume also boasts two Nationwide Series poles.
