Ron Thornton

NASCAR boring? Say it isn't so. More and more we are seeing opinion pieces that say the product has become a snoozefest, that the racing has become cautious. The big tracks have delivered, as both Daytona and Talladega kept one glued to the screen. Bristol, to my surprise, was not. Fontana? Almost never.

600 miles might be too long a race, but the final 70 of the 400 laps provided some pretty good action. The Coca Cola 600 gave Kasey Kahne his first win as a Hendrick driver, his 13th of his Cup career.

The Southern 500 at Darlington is tradition. Sometimes it is good, such as during the latter portions of the event, and sometimes it is not. Sometimes there are no cautions, sometimes that leaves very few on the lead lap, and sometimes NASCAR has to throw a caution for debris, or too many mosquitos, or whatever they can think of.

There are many experts out there, some who are actually the real deal. When it comes to motorsport racing, I'm no expert but I have been a paid chronicler of events much of my life. An expert observer, one might say.

If you were tuning in to NASCAR as of late for the excitement, for the thrills, and the spills, you would had better results finding all that by trying to barbecue in the nude. For fans who closely follow the sport, it was more than a bunch of guys turning left, but for those who are not...that pretty much sums it up.

There is that old saying that states the more things change, the more they stay the same. There was Kyle Busch winning the spring race at Richmond back in 2009. Then again in 2010. In 2011. Then last Saturday night. Four straight spring race wins at a track he has always done well at.

If you are not a real NASCAR fan, but the kind who doesn't know a Harvick from a Hamlin, who seeks wrecks not racing, who can't tick off the boys who have won a race this season, then Kansas probably was not for you.

Leading the pack? Check. Winning a race and ending a 49 race slump? It was mission accomplished for Greg Biffle Saturday night in Fort Worth when he got by Jimmie Johnson with 30 laps to go and held that lead right to the checkered flag.

25 worthy nominees, only five of whom will be inducted as the NASCAR Hall of Fame's Class of 2013. Of them, I would think three would be rather easy decisions if I had the vote.

He isn't on this list, but after Martinsville just about everyone was a little hot at David Reutimann for his keeping his dying car on the track and forcing a caution rather than hitting the pits.