By Andy Walter

DOVER — Jimmie Johnson used to love coming to Dover.

And why not? His NASCAR Cup Series success here was unprecedented.

“I tried not to carry too much confidence into any event,” Johnson said on Saturday. “But it was just hard to hide my excitement to come here and drive.

“I first ran here in ASA in the late 90s and fell in love with the track. I hadn’t been on an oval that scared me like being here. It’s kind of a mixed bad of emotions of the exhilaration of running a lap here combined with confidence and success that I’ve always enjoyed.”

Johnson, though, admits that the situation has changed a great deal in his first appearance at Dover Motor Speedway since 2020.

Since returning to the NASCAR Cup Series on a limited basis last season, the 48-year-old driver said he’s still adjusting to driving the Next Gen car.

Johnson qualified 27th this afternoon for Sunday’s Wurth 400, which is scheduled for 2 p.m. (FS1).

This will be just the third race of the season for the NASCAR Hall of Famer. He finished 29th at Texas two weeks ago and 28th in the Daytona 500 to start the season.

Johnson’s career stats on the Monster Mile are pretty remarkable.

He’s led 3,110 laps at Dover — 307 more than anyone else — with a 9.92 average finish in his 36 career starts. The last of his record 11 Dover victories came in the spring 2017 race.

So much has changed since then, however.

“It’s just so different,” said Johnson. “I realized that quickly at Texas. I have a few wins at Texas and that didn’t carry in

“It’s really on me. It’s just such a different environment as a driver. And to spot this garage a two-year headstart — and these drivers a two-year headstart — on the little nuances that you need on the prep side on a Tuesday all the way through completion on Monday ... it’s just a lot of distance to make up.

“First and foremost, I need to do my part and get in tune with this car. I think during this stretch, I’ll be able to do so.”

Johnson seemed fairly satisfied after getting reacquainted with the Monster Mile during practice and qualifying today.

“I feel like I left some time out there on the track,” he said.