Gordon: pressure is on Earnhardt Jr

Gordon says Earnhardt Jr joined the squad chasing his ultimate goal of becoming Cup champion, a move that according to him has put him under more pressure than ever to win races and fight for the title.

"Isn't that why he's here?" Gordon said. "I thought that's why he came to Hendrick. I don't think he came to Hendrick to think oh boy, the pressure will be off me; I won't have anybody looking at me and having expectations on me any more.

"He's at one of the best organizations that's synonymous with championships. It just won back-to-back championships. And the pressure has never been higher on him in my opinion. Everybody is waiting to see."

The four-time Sprint Cup champion claims Earnhardt Jr should not only benefit from racing the top machinery Hendrick provides him, but also that he has to prove he can add to the team's strength.

"Now he's really going to show what he's capable of. And I think he's going to have a great year. In this sport, if you don't have the team behind you, I don't care how good of a driver you are, you're not going to stand out.

"You're not going to do anything over the top for excitement. And that holds true for (Tony) Stewart, (Matt) Kenseth, Jimmie (Johnson) and for me. The one thing I think is in common is that all these guys is they are with good organizations and good teams.

"But, do they bring something to the table that makes that team even excel more? Yeah, I think they do. And I think this is going to be the real test of whether Junior is capable of doing that."

Earnhardt Jr will make his Hendrick race debut this weekend in the non-points Budweiser Shootout where he will compete against all of his new teammates.