Despite rift, Ganassi team still one big happy family

LAS VEGAS -- Teammate wrecking teammate in pursuit of the checkered flag? Heck, that's nothing. How about son wrecking mother?

As strange as that might sound, that's exactly what happened when David Stremme, driver of the No. 40 Dodge in the Nextel Cup Series, was a youth. He used to race against his brother and both of his parents while honing his driving skills in and around his hometown of South Bend, Ind., and, well, sometimes mom just wasn't going fast enough for his tastes.

Team orders

Chip Ganassi issued only one team rule last week at Mexico City: Do not wreck a teammate. But that's exactly what happened for Juan Montoya to win his first NASCAR race.

• Complete story, click here

That's why it's easy to believe Stremme when he says that he and the rest of his Chip Ganassi Racing teammates are one big happy family again, just one week after Juan Montoya spun Ganassi teammate Scott Pruett and went on to win the Busch Series race in Mexico City.

"I think they would have been in some more trouble if nobody [from Ganassi] had won," Stremme said. "But I think they have tremendous respect for each other. Nothing was intentional. It was just hard racing.

"One of the things it made me think of was growing up I raced against my family a lot -- and one time I ended up running into my mom and beating her. So this really was nothing. It happens and it was just one of those things."

Team owner Chip Ganassi said immediately after the incident that he was disappointed that one of his drivers wrecked another of his drivers, but that he needed to look at tape of it before making any kind of definitive judgment. He said Friday that he's had the time to view the tape, and that all members of his team are ready to put the controversy behind them.

It looked like they were doing a good job of it when Stremme qualified second for Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, turning a lap at 184.193 mph in Friday's qualifying. He'll start on the outside of the front row next to pole winner Kasey Kahne, who turned a lap at 184.856.

Montoya will start right behind Stremme on the second row after qualifying fourth in his No. 42 Dodge. A third Ganassi driver, Reed Sorenson in the No. 41 Dodge, qualified seventh and will start on the inside of the fourth row.

All of which made Ganassi smile. (Continued)