David Stremme posted the fourth-fastest speed in Monday's test session at 184.729 mph. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images

Ganassi team pleased with engine results in test

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Load up the No. 40 car and truck it back to North Carolina. David Stremme has learned all he needs to know.

That was the feeling after the first day of the second round of Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder, where Stremme and Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Juan Montoya each posted top-six speeds at Daytona International Speedway. This from an organization that managed two top-10 finishes at restrictor-plate venues last season -- both by the since-departed Casey Mears -- and watched Reed Sorenson blow an engine in the opening session last week.

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"I told them we could pretty much load up and go home," said Stremme, whose top speed of 184.729 mph Monday ranked fourth-fastest. "We can still make some little gains, but I think if we go back and work in the engine shop a little more, that's better than running around here all day."

The Ganassi group came to Daytona thinking they were still lacking in the engine department. Stremme saw hope when Sorenson, despite an engine failure last Tuesday, called his teammate at home excited about what he saw under the hood.

"He told me I wouldn't believe the motor," Stremme said. "Everybody is really working harder. I'm not worried about the other manufacturers or anything else that's going on. We're worried about our stuff. It's starting to show."

Former Formula One star Montoya, driving at Daytona in a stock car for the first time, backed up Stremme's effort with the day's sixth-fastest speed.

David Stremme had an average finish of 27th at restrictor-plate races in 2006. Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

"It's still very early. It's my first test this year, so we'll take it step by step," Montoya said. "We're trying different things for the car, and we'll see what happens. I had a couple of weeks off, and it was good. Now it's getting really busy. I'm not really thinking about it. We'll just dive into it and see what happens."

Team manager Tony Glover was impressed.

"Montoya is really cool," he said. "I think he's going to be the real deal."

Stremme, driving the same car he used to qualify third in last season's July race at Daytona, believes the improvement goes deeper than just the test speeds.

"With my team, I notice a big difference," he said. "Last year we were new, and this year we come here and everybody's already worked with each other, and they've gelled. It's like family. I feel a lot better about that, and our cars are better. There are just a lot of factors right now."

But Glover still isn't sure what to make of Monday.

"We're trying pretty hard right now, and I'm not sure how hard a lot of these other guys are trying," he said. "Right now everything is going pretty good."