In Appreciation Of The "Other" Gordon

[Schwartz Fan]

In Appreciation Of The "Other" Gordon
A Blog By 'Diecast Dude'
Posted on Tue Feb 05, 2008 at 09:31:37 AM EST

Sorting the assorted whys and whos surrounding Robby Gordon's last-minute alliance with Gillett Evernham is going to take a while, and frankly would take direct conversation with all parties involved to properly sift through it all. That duly noted, the element not necessarily overlooked but generally being relegated to the back burner is how this irrevocably ends the time of what was NASCAR's founding fundamental: the driver/owner.

So much of what NASCAR is today was created in countless garages and back yards where equally countless jalopies were souped up, taped up, patched up, and hauled to the local track for crazed bumper tag sessions on a Saturday night. It was the Everyman sport, the arena where size and strength were of no consequence. Only ingenuity, the kind not found in textbooks but learned solely through sweat and perseverance, mattered here. Well, that and the surface paradox of fearless caution, a determination to finish first without falling prey to the mindset of coming home carrying either the trophy or your steering wheel since it was all that remained of your car.

The independent's era had no more of a shot at remaining viable than mom and pop stores when the big boxes came to town. The moment NASCAR became a popular commercial venture, it was inevitable more fundamentally sound business practices would come into play. There is strength in numbers when the right numbers are brought together and given proper direction. Romantic nostalgia for days gone by can be fun to a point. However, eventually you need to join the present millennium if you want to be something other than a relic. Even the team/organization model goes only so far if it isn't refreshed from time to time, as evidenced by how Morgan-McClure has quietly slipped into oblivion.

Which brings us to the case of Robby Gordon. Fiercely talented and perpetually abrasive to those whose grain runs opposite to his, Gordon is far more of a throwback than he is generally credited. When measured by extremes of reaction both yea and nay, Gordon is the unchallenged king of NASCAR. Those who dislike him turn into Cerberus at the mere mention of his name, barking with the ferocity of a three-headed hellhound while labeling him public enemy number one with a bullet. Those whose sentiments run counter to the aforementioned loathing adore Gordon above all others for his take no prisoners driving style and stick it to the man vibe off the track. It's also worth noting how even Gordon's most virulent detractors acknowledge that when it comes to another of NASCAR's fundamentals -- take care of the fans who take care of you -- Gordon is unequaled in friendliness and expressing genuine appreciation.

When Gordon bought the #7 team a while back, he said something that struck a responsive chord in the heart of many a fan who's been around a while. He mentioned how proud he was to represent the number the late Alan Kulwicki, my first and always favorite driver, bore en route to his 1992 championship before losing his life in a 1993 plane crash. Good enough for this boy to wish him well in the face of what seemed an impossibility: being a driver/owner at all, let alone a competitive one. The fact he not only persevered but held his own for as long as he did speaks volumes of how sometimes stubborn determination to do things your way no matter what actually works. For a while, anyway.

As noted earlier, the full details of Gordon casting his lot with GEM remain murky. Let's set that aside for a moment and offer a tip of the cap to a man who took on the seemingly impossible, and which eventually did prove impossible. But he gave it a ride. So on behalf of every backyard race car driver/crew chief/head mechanic who ever turned a wrench guided by a dream, thanks Robby. Good luck. And don't smoke the GEM boys too bad.



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