Dale Jr.: Qualifying is 'a pleasant surprise'

"We finished first, second, second last year, but we did that on luck," Earnhardt said on this week's "Dale Jr. Download" on Dirty Mo Radio. "We ran about eighth or ninth all race long last year at Vegas and worked around with strategy and got up there and finished second.

"This time, we raced up there. So you can see the cars are better, and I think that our team's really in good shape."

Earnhardt Jr. praised Ives and the crew as he looks forward to getting his first points win with the new team. The No. 88 went to Victory Lane at Daytona in the first Budweiser Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500.

"I back the crew chief," Earnhardt said. "Everything he wants to do. He sees the race from a different vantage point than I do so I'm always going to back him. Greg's doing a great job. The cars are fast."

Those fast cars have led him to starts of third, ninth and fourth to begin 2015 compared to starts of ninth, 20th and 14th at Daytona, Atlanta and Las Vegas last year. Over an entire season, Earnhardt has never had a single-digit average when it comes to starting position. His career best 10.3 average start came in his first season at Hendrick Motorsports in 2008.

"We haven't been great at qualifying over the last several years, and we just didn't know what was wrong," Earnhardt said. "We never found anything that worked. But over the last two weeks, we've been real comfortable. We've had good speed. We just want to get into that last round. That helps us choose a real good pit stall, and it makes the race a lot easier to call when you start toward the front. That's been a pleasant surprise, I guess."

Two third-place finishes and a fourth in the first three races of his 16th full-time campaign in the Sprint Cup Series have made Earnhardt hungrier for a win. But thirst, rather than hunger, is what's on his mind when it comes to his crew.

"We're having some good, consistent stops," Earnhardt said. "We've got a lot of new guys on that team, and they're a good job. They seem to be jelling really well together, and I'm ready to get 'em drunk after a win. I'm ready to win one."

A victory could come Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX), where Earnhardt has two wins in 25 starts. And Auto Club Speedway is in his sights a week later.

"We should have another couple good cars," Earnhardt said. "Hopefully the car will be good in Phoenix, and Fontana's a race I've been really looking forward to trying to win. Can't wait to get out there and see what kind of speed and comfort we've got. I really enjoy racing around that track with the grooves and multi-grooves it has."

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