MARTINSVILLE -- Jeff Gordon's racing skills are unquestioned. He showed again Friday he's not bad with sarcasm either.

"I know we're just terrible this year, it's awful to be 14th in the points five races in," Gordon said at Martinsville Speedway. "I can't believe how rough it is over at Hendrick Motorsports."

Yes, Gordon is 14th in the points, good for third-best in HMS' four-car stable. Two-time defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is one spot ahead of him, and newcomer Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fifth.

Yet, the all-star lineup has yet to take a checkered flag, and already a groundswell of negativity is starting to surround the team.

They're all hopeful, however, that today's Goody's Cool Orange 500 can be a boost to their thus-far lackluster start.

"One thing I've become accustomed to at Hendrick Motorsports since 1994, 1995 is that we hold a very high standard and expectations within our organization and that also is outside the organization," Gordon said. "So when you've had the type of year that we had last year, it's only natural for the expectations to be high, and if we don't live up to them, we're going to get criticized and people are going to question.

"As a race team, if you live by that, it would be a short career. You've got to go out there, you've got to work hard, you've got to make your cars and your team the best you can, and you hope to have good fortune along the way."

The loudest jeers have been directed at Johnson, who has just one top-10 finish in five starts. He's won three consecutive races at Martinsville, leading Gordon to hang the moniker of "Mr. Martinsville" on him.

But what always has looked so easy for Johnson suddenly looks anything but. He was 29th at Las Vegas, another track at which he had won the three previous races.

"Well, we're certainly learning," he said with a laugh. "I think that we all get sucked into things that we think are predictable, and we forget that this is racing and nothing is predictable. This is so tough, and it's so easy to lose whatever you have. It's just a tenth or two-tenths of a second that can take you from a hero to a zero."

The good news already has started, with Johnson, Earnhardt and Gordon running 1-2-3 in yesterday's first practice. In Happy Hour, the final Cup practice yesterday afternoon, Gordon was fastest with Johnson third.

Gordon has won seven times at Martinsville; Johnson four times. Earnhardt has not conquered the track, but he has seven top-five finishes in 16 starts.

So while Johnson said he still feels some people are overreacting to his team's points standing, he's more than ready to answer some questions with a good run today.

"I really think this is the best track we can come to to get back to our ways," Johnson said. "I'm really looking forward to this race. But I looked at Las Vegas as one of those tracks, but that didn't pan out for us. So I'm optimistic. But at the same time, I know that this is racing. It's a tough deal. We've got to be on our game even here at one of our better tracks."