Jeff Gordon: 'We have some work to do'
DOVER, Del. --- Nine-time Dover winner Jimmie Johnson blazed through Friday's opening round of practice under an overcast Delaware sky topping the speed charts. But when it came to qualifying his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet later in the sun-drenched afternoon, Johnson only advanced to the second round and will start 14th in Sunday's FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks (1 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1, MRN, SiriusXM).
Still, that's the best of his Hendrick Motorsports team, which for the second consecutive race has not had any of its four cars advance to the final round of qualifying.
"In a sense maybe we didn't make the changes we needed to, the car had so much speed in the first practice session,'' Johnson told FOX Sports 1 following the second round of qualifying on Dover International Speedway's "Monster Mile."
"But the track is totally different right now. … We'll learn and get smarter from it. This car has a lot of speed and we've won from much farther back, so I'm really not worried at all."
With a series-best three victories already this year (including one from a 37th-place starting position), Johnson may not be overly concerned. But his winless teammate Jeff Gordon conceded earlier in the day that his team is not performing at full potential.
Gordon will start 22nd on Sunday, and his teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne will roll off 16th and 25th, respectively.
"I wouldn't call it urgency, but there is definitely a lot of hard work being put out to get that turned around," said the four-time Cup champ Gordon, who is retiring from full-time competition at the end of the 2015 season.
"This rule package that we have this year has not suited any of us very well. I know Jimmie has the three wins, which we all scratch our heads and are amazed that he has been able to do that. We don't feel like we have really performed, any of us, to that level, but they (No. 48 team) have done an excellent job."
Gordon is currently Chase-qualified based on his points standings, but would prefer a win and a sure ticket in -- especially in his final full-time season.
His No. 24 3M Chevrolet has a pair of top-fives and three pole positions in 12 races this season, and Gordon is a five-time Dover winner -- including last fall.
"I think we are very conscious of the fact that we need to improve our performance, especially on the 1.5-mile tracks,'' Gordon said. "We have not lived up to our own expectations and we are working extremely hard to fix that.
"I think right now if we execute flawlessly, we have a shot at winning. Be we haven't been doing that either.
"We have some work to do.''