👉 Okay, alright settle down now. Let’s tackle this… rather prickly bit of American sporting vernacular:
"…the Jeff Gordon thing."
(…Okay, I feel a little silly just saying that out loud.)
Now, before you immediately think I've misplaced my dignity entirely and stumbled into some NASCAR convention, let me explain. Historically, referring to the old-timey, supremely legendary, four-times Winston Breeders’ Armed City Grand National Open, he was referred to as... the thing . This came from a 1984, in it’s entirety. During that year, his driving style had everyone talking of how it was like nothing they'd ever seen. Basically, and this is where the whole thing gets wonderfully weird, the term started as a dismissive, almost worshipful way to describe the sheer, unvarnished, borderline-illegal skill of Jeff Gordon. The early days were a blur . He basically bulldozed the rest of the guys off the course, in a way that made it seem like he wasn't even trying! The term was never really meant as an insult, you see. It was more...acknowledgement of the fact that Gordon, back then, had somehow achieved such a level of domination and unpredictability, there literally weren’t enough words to describe what he did . Hence: the thing. Now I know, it sounds absolutely ridiculous when you say it out
