No. 3 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Maybe Richmond will be the race Dale Earnhardt Jr. snaps his winless streak. Richmond International Raceway was the site of Earnhardt Jr.'s first win, May 6, 2000, and the site of his last win, May 6, 2006.
Then again, Talladega was supposed to be the track that got Earnhardt Jr. back to his winning ways. It didn't work out quite that way. Kyle Busch won and Earnhardt Jr. finished a strong 10th, good enough to stay in the hunt for the top spot in the Sprint Cup Series standings, but far from winning a race.
Still, Richmond has some good memories for Earnhardt Jr.
"You always remember your first win and hope it's not your last," said Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. "The last time I won was at Richmond seems like forever ago, but I try not to think about it. I don't want to be thinking of how long it's been since a win. Knowing we have a shot at it every week and something or another happens can make it frustrating. We couldn't be doing anything different to prepare -- the team and everyone at Hendrick has been working so hard. It will happen."
The car his team is bringing to Richmond is the same car Earnhardt Jr. raced at Phoenix in April. He finished seventh in that race.
"There is no reason why we shouldn't show up at Richmond this week and run awesome," Earnhardt Jr. said. "Short tracks like Richmond fit my driving style. I was used to running at places like Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway, and I've learned how to get around short tracks."