CUP: Go Time For Stremme

Sprint Cup

CUP: Go Time For Stremme

David Stremme will drive the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge in 2009, the same car that Ryan Newman drove to a stunning victory in the 2008 Daytona 500...

Tom Jensen | Posted January 08, 2009 Harrisburg, NC

David Stremme was Penske’s test-team driver last summer, which allowed him to develop some familiarity with the organization. (LAT Photographic)

Every driver has high expectations starting off a new season with a new team, and for David Stremme, those expectations will be especially elevated this year at Daytona Speedweeks.

Stremme will pilot the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger in 2009, the same car that Ryan Newman drove to a stunning and surprising victory in the 2008 Daytona 500. On top of that, Stremme is returning to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after spending last season in the Nationwide Series following his release from Chip Ganassi’s former team at the end of 2007.

Add those two factors together and it’s especially important for Stremme to open the season on a high note. At age 31, the Indiana native needs to show he belongs in NASCAR’s top division this year. Stremme is well aware that he needs to perform well in 2009, but rather than feeling pressure, he feels a quiet level of confidence because Penske is the first truly top-tier NASCAR team he’s raced for, or at least the highest-tier team he’s been a part of.

And Stremme does have one advantage that a lot of drivers who’ve switched rides don’t have: He was Penske’s test-team driver last summer, which allowed him to develop some familiarity with the organization, how it functions and the people on the team. That’s helped him feel positive about starting off this season.

“I think a lot has to do with all the teams I was with before — it's not disrespecting any of them — were all in either I would consider B or C team environments,” said Stremme. “I'm at an A team now, where I'm able to go out and I feel like I can win here at this organization. They've put people around me to go win races, just be competitive each week. That's the main thing. Especially starting out at the beginning of the season, we haven't worked together, but, again, we have a little bit throughout the testing. The test team I was with here last year.”

Still, Stremme is keenly aware that this year he and the team both need to step up, especially since most everything after the Daytona 500 was a disappointment for the No. 12 squad in 2008. Newman went winless the rest of last season, scoring just one top-five finish in the 35 points races after Daytona and ultimately finishing 17th in points. New driver or not, that won’t cut it this year.

In order to bolster performance, Penske took a hard look at its 2008 and decided to make changes, resulting in the team retooling its lineup. Crew chief Roy McCauley will be back atop the pit box in 2009, and the team has made some other internal shifts, including moving engineering ace Tom German from Penske’s IndyCar program to the NASCAR side.

“There's a lot of things going on,” Stremme said. “There's other things I would like to talk about, but I'm not gonna. We'll wait throughout the year. But I feel that's definitely going to help our performance. I'm looking forward to it. I'm here about every other day in the shop watching, seeing what's going on, and I'm excited.”

Will it be enough to allow Stremme to stick this time in his second stint in the big leagues? The driver certainly thinks so.

“Everybody around the shop is really amped up and ready to go,” Stremme said. “I just was in a meeting with my teammates (Wednesday). I know we were talking about everything, what progress they've made here at Penske Racing. I'm excited. I feel that '09 is going to be a statement year for not only myself but for the whole organization.”

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

NASCAR 39/10: Reviewing the 60th Season A unique and comprehensive look at a historic season in the annals of stock car racing. For the first time ever, NASCAR fans will be able to relive the entire 2008 Sprint Cup Season, over the course of a 30-hour anthology. From Preseason Testing in Daytona, to the Postseason Banquet in New York, viewers will relive NASCAR’s 60th season, and one of the most important years in the sport’s history.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Jensen

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

JENSEN: The Crew Chief’s Advantage
The Sprint All-Star Race was an interesting affair ...
CUP: New Hall Of Fame Class To Be Announced
The late Curtis Turner is among the nominees to the NASCAR Hall of…
CUP: All-Star Power Rankings
Jimmie Johnson remains atop the FOXSports.com/SPEED.com Power Rankings...…