Were you confused about the strange word ‘Gapplebees’ you heard at a car meet? If this is the first time you have heard this word, you’re just in the right place. In this article, I’ll discuss Gapplebees’ definition and origin.
You will hear the word “gapplebees” in places where there is a car meet, whether it’s an actual motor race or just an iRacing motorsport simulator. When someone is racing or playing with the driver behind them, just going fast enough to get ahead to save tires, that person is a gapplebees. That person also knows they can quickly open a wider gap if they want to.
Gapplebees was taken from the slang word “gapped.” There are several ways a person can get lost in a car race. One way is being gapped. This term seems to mean a person lost in a car race by a huge margin or a landslide. They use this word usually in bike or car racing.
Read on to learn more about the meaning of “gapplebees” and its origin.
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Gapplebees Definition and Origin
If you happen to hear the new word “gapplebees,” don’t be confused. It’s a relatively new car term that people who go to race events, whether real or computer-simulated, use informally. Those who are constantly moving around in automotive circles say this word casually.
What is the gapplebees meaning? It can refer to a racing person participating in an actual car race or an iRacing motorsport playing around with the driver behind them.
They are just driving their cars fast enough to get ahead of the driver behind. Some think that they do this to save their tires.
At the same time, the gapplebees know that anytime, they can widen the gap or even leave the next driver behind. In actual practice, when the advancing driver can pass over the slower driver to “gapplebees,” their spotter will let out loud, hysterical laughter.
“Gapplebees” is a slang term taken from the word “gapped.” There are several ways car racers can lose a race. One of the ways is for them to lose by a huge margin or a huge gap.
It is akin to a landslide victory but just the opposite. That’s how related the word gapplebees is to car racing.
It can also mean when you say to other drivers that your car is fast, but you know, deep inside, that it is slow. However, its usual connotation is: you are beating another driver in a car race.
The gap you are creating is so wide between you and the driver behind, which, if it continues, will lead you to win over them by a landslide.
When Did the Term ‘Gapplebees’ Become a Semi-popular Term?
You will be surprised if you learn how the word “gapplebees” came to be. Many have assumed that the term was coined in the mid-late ’90s or around that time. Are they right?
If you do a Google search, you will realize that the first person who searched the origin of the word lodged their Google inquiry after 2019. Some say that that year seems to be the right time.
In addition, it seems that the word “gapplebees” has its beginning stages with two groups known to perform highway pulls and are used to discussing it.
These two forum groups are the Focus ST and the Mazdaspeeds online forums.
Some observers believe that it is about this time that these two groups started to use the “gapplebees” term to describe the practice of leaving the car behind just a wee bit, but anytime, you can widen the gap. Then, the word became familiar to those in the automotive circles.
What Does Gapped Mean in Cars?
If a car racer drives so fast that they leave the other racers eating the dust, those left behind are said to be gapped. At the finish line, it would mean that the gap from the first car to the next car will be very considerable.
In contrast, if the first car beats the car immediately behind just one car in length, it would be called a ‘close race.’
However, when the term “gapplebees” is used in everyday lingo, it could also mean that a person was gapped when they were left by the bus or the train for just a few minutes or seconds.
When the other car racer is driving so fast, leaving you far behind, it is already getting you gapped by the other racer.
The gap is meant to emphasize the noticeable gap between the first driver and you, the driver behind. It could also refer to the first vehicle to get past the finish line.
Gapplebees also means you lost the contest by a lot. Some car drivers who are confident about beating you may be bold enough even to say they will take you to gapplebees.
These people can be very confident of their ability and car to beat you to the finish line that they may even give you a piece of gapperoni pizza with some gapsauce.
Gapping can happen on the race track. But it is mainly applied to those who participate in street car races. Some use gapplebees to refer to fighting, especially if a person does it to win a prize. For instance, the kids grappled for a toy or a ball. It could also refer to fighting to the very end.
Where Else Can You See the Word Gapplebees
Some people use the word “gapplebees” as their brand. Some of these people are in a community of video gamers, while some are on Facebook platforms.
One example is a gaming community that calls itself Gapplebees. This is a group of people composed of Honda Civic owners and Nissan 350z cars and trucks owners.
They go around car shows, specific parking spaces, and Applebee locations, usually on weekends, making sure they are known by those interested in joining them.
They offer exclusive VIP online video game content to those interested in the content they publish. These include VIP tracks, VIP-only events, car video gaming, voice chats, and weekly races with paid prizes.
There is also a Facebook group with a social media platform with close to 800 followers. Their Facebook account says that whenever a person “whoops” a rear end in a race and is taken to a gapplebees, they will record the event to show it on their pages.
And some sell stickers, shirts, and hoodies with the gapplebees theme:
This is a gapplebees sticker with a size of 2.75 inches tall and 7 inches wide.
You can use these stickers both indoors and outdoors because they are made of sturdy vinyl material. If this article pricks your interest, you can order a piece or two of this sticker. You can apply them easily to nearly all sturdy surfaces as long as they are clean or semi-curved.
Below is a perfect holiday gift for a sports enthusiast. This gapplebees pullover hoodie is available in different colors:
If you happen to have some questions about this topic in your mind, maybe you will find your answers to the ones listed below:
When you are in a car race, either on a real race track or in an iRacing Motorsports simulator, you, as the leading driver, are playing around with the driver immediately behind you by just driving fast enough so you can stay a little ahead of them. Some say it’s for saving the tires.
The word gapplebees have different meanings. Some of them are the following:
When you say that your car is fast, but in reality, you know deep inside that it is very slow in accelerating and slow in moving forward.
When you are deliberately slowing down your car, knowing that when you need to, your car can go so fast that you can leave the other cars of the other driver eating the dust. You are said to be taking the other drives to “gapplebees.”
It is a slang word lifted from the adjective “gapped.” In car races, there are many ways drivers can lose their races. One way is they will lose by a huge margin or huge gap. It is similar to winning by a landslide victory – for the first driver who reaches the finish line.
The usual meaning of gapplebees is: you are beating or have beaten another driver in a car race. You have created so wide a gap that if you continue your speed, you will win the car race by a landslide.
When and Where Did “Gapplebees” Originate?
The word “gapplebees” seemed to have originated during the mid-late ’90s or anytime. This appears to be the indication because when you conduct a Google search, the start of the search seems to be after 1990.
At that time, there appear to be two groups of people who were known to perform highway pulls, and they used to discuss their activities in this regard. These two groups formed are the Mazdaspeeds and the Focus ST online community forums.
They began to use the word “gapplebees,” their practice of leaving the car behind just a small distance. However, they can, at any time, if they decide to, go faster and leave the trailing car very far behind to widen the gap.
From there, many car racers and video car gamers use the word in their communications.
Why Is the ‘Gap’ Between Two Cars Measured by the Time and Not the Distance or Meters?
The speed of two competing vehicles varies greatly while the race continues. In that sense, the gap provides a more accurate difference and is more reliable in determining the difference between two vehicles.
In Closing: Gapplebees Definition and Origin
You may hear the word “gapplebees” in events or meets involving cars.
It usually refers to a person racing ahead of a person racing behind to save tires. Anytime they like, they can widen the gap between them and the driver behind.
The word “gapplebees” was lifted from the slang term “gapped.” In a car race, there are many ways a person can lose. One way is that of being gapped. It means a person lost a car race by a huge gap or margin. This word is typically used in car and bike racing.
