My look ahead to Saturday night's race at Richmond will be short and sweet, just like the track itself. In plain English, Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs to win a race ASAP, as it's been an unbelievable two full years since he last visited Victory Lane. Now that he is in a strong Hendrick car, he has no excuse if he can't pull out a win or two this year. Richmond has always been a great track for him, so it's up to him to make it happen.

He has the talent. He has the car. He has run up front all year and is doing very well in the standings.

But that's not enough in modern-day NASCAR, especially if your last name is Earnhardt.

He needs to start winning, because eventually even his extremely loyal fans may begin to place their allegiances elsewhere if he can't do that.