Tragedy has hit the family of Joe Gibbs once again. Coy Gibbs, the 49-year-old son of team owner Joe Gibbs and the vice chairman of Joe Gibbs Racing, has died.
He is the second of the legendary NFL coach’s sons to die at an early age. Gibbs’ eldest son, J.D., died when he was also 49 on Jan. 11, 2019, after a four-year battle with a disease that affected brain function.
The team confirmed Gibbs’ death in a statement prior to the start of Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway.
“It is with great sorrow that Joe Gibbs Racing confirms that Coy Gibbs (co-owner) went to be with the Lord in his sleep last night. The family appreciates all the thoughts and prayers and asks for privacy at this time,” the statement said.”
Longtime Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin also confirmed the tragedy on Twitter.
“Today we will do what we don’t want to do, but we will unite as a family and race for the name on our chests,” Hamlin wrote.
Jim France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO also released a statement.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Coy Gibbs. On behalf of the France Family and all of NASCAR, I extend my deepest condolences to Joe, Pat, Heather, the Gibbs family and everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing on the loss of Coy, a true friend and racer.”
TRD President David Wilson spoke after the news.
“Racing is a family and the relationships within the entire garage go so much deeper than on-track competition,” Wilson said. “Today, we lost a dear part of our family. The loss of Coy Gibbs is devastating to everyone at Toyota and TRD. Our deepest condolences and prayers are with Joe, Pat, Heather, Ty, Case, Jett and Elle and the entire Gibbs family and Joe Gibbs Racing family.”
Coy Gibbs was a Huntersville, N.C., resident and had witnessed his 20-year-old son, Ty Gibbs, win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Champions Race at Phoenix Raceway Saturday night. It was the culmination of a turmoil-filled week after young Gibbs intentionally crashed JGR teammate Brandon Jones in the last lap of the Oct. 29 race at Martinsville Speedway.
Ty Gibbs was scheduled to compete in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race but left the track early Sunday because of “a family emergency.” He will be replaced in the 23XIRacing No. 23 by Daniel Hemric.
Just 12 hours earlier, Coy Gibbs was in the media center talking about the difficult week that his family had dealt with and how his son was able to rally back and win the Xfinity Series Championship.
“Yeah, it’s definitely been a tough week for sure,” Coy Gibbs said. “When you start this day, I just want to get this day over with. That was my mindset because I want to move on and get past it.
“I’ve been through this before in multiple sports. Ty hasn’t. So it was more watching him and seeing how he’s going to react during the day. I think he’s just doubled down and did his job after making a huge mistake last week.
“It was fun to watch that.
“I’m definitely proud of him. I’ve always got his back as his father.
“Obviously it’s heartbreaking to go through tough stuff and watch — it’s actually more heartbreaking to watch him go through it. I don’t give a rip; I’m old and don’t care. In fact, I’ve been racing with Chris Gayle (crew chief) since we were like 23 or something, so I’ve known him forever. We’ve kind of gone through a bunch of stuff in our life.
“But to see a kid hurting — and he knows he screwed up; and to go through all that, it’s tough. It’s tough as a parent for sure.
“Watching it today, yeah, just to see his determination. I think he’s got skills and he’s determined. It definitely made me proud. I think it made my wife — we were both proud, just because he just hammered down and did his job. If he wants to do this for a living, he’s going to learn how to do that.”
Little did anyone know at the time the joy of winning a championship would send the entire Gibbs family into a deep state of grief.