Qualifying meltdown for Ganassi.

Chip Ganassi's 2006 Nextel Cup season didn't get of to a great start in Sunday's Bud Pole qualifying session as all three of his Dodge Charger's failed to make an impression.

Casey Mears and rookie teammates Reed Sorensen and David Stremme will be seeking a much better showing in Thursday's two Gatorade qualifying races, even though all three are assured of a place in the Daytona 500 starting line-up by virtue of their respective owner points.

Things began to go wrong for lead driver Mears before he even started his two-lap Bud Pole qualifying run at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway when his #42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge refused to start. Although Mears' crew were able to re-fire the car and send Mears out on track, the result was a disappointing 48.354secs lap, good enough for 30th position in the field of 58.

"Either there wasn't enough charge in the battery or we had a problem with the starter," said Mears afterwards. "It just wouldn't turn over fast enough to get it fired. It finally caught fire, so we got kinda lucky. We spent all that time messing around with it, and it might have got the engine a little bit too hot. We might have lost a little there."

Mears, who has already won a race at Daytona in the Grand Am Rolex Series this year, finished up one place behind 20 year-old Sorensen, who is now driving the #41 Target sponsored machine that Mears drove last year.

"The car drove good," said Sorensen, who was the fourth fastest of eight Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates present for the first round of the 2006 season. "It's the best we've been since we got here. We haven't got to do a lot of drafting yet, but we'll have 500 miles to get together next Sunday."

Down in the #40 team's pit, new driver David Stremme wasn't happy with 43rd fastest time, more than a full second slower than Bud Pole winner Jeff Burton, and says that he has to raise his own level of performance when the real racing begins on Thursday.

"We're not really happy with that, but it's just a starting spot for the 150," said Stremme. "We knew we didn't have a shot for the pole, but we've got it set up more for race runs than qualifying. I feel pretty good about all the Lone Star guys and how they've got this Dodge running.

"The wind was a little tricky out there. I didn't see the rpm's I did yesterday, but so many of these teams throw so many things at it for qualifying. I just hammer it down and point it. My real job was start next Wednesday and Thursday. It's been pretty laid back down here so far. I'm probably a little too relaxed here. I'm ready to get going. I can't wait to race on Thursday."