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21 years ago, almost all of us had a phone on our wall or on an end table. Email was something guys with thick glasses and pocket protectors used. On demand TV? Wasn't that what happened when you yanked the remote control out of your kid brother's hand? If Rip Van Winkle were awakening today from a 20-year snooze, he'd find the world has changed a lot since that November day in 1992 when Jeffrey Michael Gordon made his NASCAR Winston Cup debut.

NASCAR has seen more than its share of change. For better or for worse, the cars are different, and the tracks are too. The sport evolved further from being a sport of largely regional interest to the national stage, to even developing a little bit of an international following. The drivers and fans have changed a great deal too. NASCAR has gone from a sport populated with the good ol' boys to a day where now there are drivers hailing from all four corners of the country. Now, instead of a sport consisting of blue collar, fresh from the garage types, you have drivers who make an easier transition from the track to the television screen.

Jeff Gordon has had something to do with it. A great deal.

The 2013 Sprint Cup season isn’t even one-third of the way complete, but odds makers clearly have a Fave Four. 

A David pushes a David to score a win for one of NASCAR’s “little guys.” How many people here get Front Row mixed up with Furniture Row? You mean David Ragan is still racing? Who’s that’s “Gilligan” guy that’s his teammate? And just who the heck is Bob Jenkins?

NASCAR Nation, meet Front Row Motorsports! Ok, they're not quite THAT obscure, but thanks to their thrilling victory at Talladega, this week we have a fresh batch of story lines, and we learn some sweet stuff about a bunch of racers and a race owner who get far less attention than they should. To my friend who chastised me for saying people would forget David Gilliland just days after he scolded Danica Patrick and told her to shut up and race: this is how you get remembered. You win. Gilliland may not have received the champion’s trophy for the Aaron’s 499, but you better believe Ragan’s fans won’t forget him, and neither will all the fans who cheer for the underdog.

NASCAR’s biggest track is NASCAR’s biggest crapshoot. 

Kurt Busch is most definitely good for NASCAR. Right now, you’re either thinking I’ve been smoking Oregon’s number one cash crop, or I am being as honest as Ol’ Slick Willie about Ms. Lewinski. Like him or not (and for the record, I am not saying I’m a fan), Kurt Busch is a needed presence in the sport.

Why? First of all, Kurt races to win. One need look no further than Saturday night. His dash for cash contained no animus for anyone in his path, he had a race to win and traffic was in his way. This is no “we had a good points night” kind of guy. If the hardcore fan is being honest, there are fans of other drivers who wished their guy had a little more of Kurt’s hunger.