Junior's performance and four more things we learned at Richmond

Five things we learned at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night:

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is getting closer to Victory Lane.

For a few minutes late on Saturday evening, it looked like Little E would finally end his two-year winless streak. With 18 laps left in the race, he seized the lead when Denny Hamlin, who had the dominant car of the night, ran over debris and suffered a cut tire. Earnhardt was still in front with four laps remaining when he and Kyle Busch made contact as they dove into Turn 3. The dustup caused Little E to spin and hit the wall, allowing Clint Bowyer to claim the lead. Bowyer went on to win while Earnhardt finished 15th.

The late-race turn of events didn't sit well with the Earnhardt fans in the crowd, many of whom showed their displeasure by hurling objects onto the track. And Little E wasn't too happy either. "We've never had any problems," Earnhardt of Busch. "It's just what happened. The worst part of it is I've been running good all year, and I was in position to win again. ... I ran hard and got wrecked."

Earnhardt is right: He has been running in front all season, which is why it seems he'll soon end a winless streak that is now at 72 races. He should be fast again next Saturday night in Darlington, where he's finished eighth or better in his last three starts.

2. Bobby Labonte isn't going anywhere.

With the market for free agents heating up, there had been speculation in the garage over the last few weeks that Labonte, who drives for Petty Enterprises, would move to Richard Childress Racing next season. The RCR team is adding a fourth car in 2009, and Labonte, the 2000 season champ, looked like he'd be a good fit there.

Well, apparently not. According to an AP report, Labonte has agreed to a contract extension with Petty, which is a significant move for the struggling operation. At 43, Labonte isn't the elite driver he once was, but he's still a top talent. He hasn't won a race since moving in 2006 into the legendary No. 43 car that Richard Petty piloted to seven championships, but he's the kind of driver who excels at taking a car that's, say, 25th best in the field and finishing 10th. Given that Petty Enterprises simply doesn't have the resources to compete with the likes of Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing, Labonte is exactly the kind of driver Petty needs.

3. Denny Hamlin is on a roll.

A day after winning the Nationwide event at Richmond, which is Hamlin's home track, he led a record 381 of the 400 laps on Saturday night. If not for the cut tire late in the race, Hamlin would have breezed to Victory Lane. As it stands, he has one victory this season, but could easily have three. Mark it down: A quarter of the way through the season, Hamlin is one of five drivers with a legitimate shot at winning the championship. The other four: Earnhardt, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson.

4. Kyle Busch may be hated, but he's also the points leader.

There's no question that Busch is one of the most aggressive drivers in the series. But he's also displaying the kind of consistency that it takes to win a championship. He won last week on the superspeedway of Talladega and on Saturday he finished second on the short track of Richmond. He's still not as fast as Edwards on the intermediate tracks -- no one on the circuit is -- but Busch has quickly emerged as the lead driver of Joe Gibbs Racing, supplanting Tony Stewart.

5. Jeff Gordon isn't the force he was in 2007.

All season long Gordon has struggled whenever he's been caught in traffic. This was a persistent problem for the No. 24 team in 2006, but last year it wasn't an issue, as Gordon won six races, had a career-high 30 top-10s and finished second in the final points standings. Currently 13th in the points, Gordon will be in danger of missing the Chase if he and crew chief Steve Letarte don't solve their traffic woes soon.