Coy Gibbs, the father of NASCAR Driver Ty Gibbs and the son of NFL legend Joe Gibbs, has died. He was 49 years old. According to NASCAR.com, Coy Gibbs died in his sleep on Saturday night, just hours after his son won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. He was the vice chairman and chief operating officer for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“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,” Joe Gibbs Racing said in a statement. “The family appreciates all the thoughts and prayers and asks for privacy at this time.”
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Ty Gibbs was scheduled to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series finale for 23XI Racing, but Daniel Hemric took his place. Coy Gibbs’ death comes three years after his brother, J.D. Gibbs, died from a long battle with degenerative neurologic disease. He was also 49 years old and worked in the front office of Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Racing is a family and the relationships within the entire garage go so much deeper than on-track competition,” David Willison, president of TDR Racing, said in a statement. “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 completed for Joe Gibbs Racing, finishing second in the Xfinity Series’ Rookie of the Year standings in 2003. He made 39 starts in the Xfinity Series and 58 starts in the Truck Series from 2000-2003. His best finish was in second place at a Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway in 2002. Coy was also a standout football player, competing as a linebacker at Stanford University from 1991-1994. He also was an NFL coach as he was Washington’s offensive quality control assistant from 2004-2007, which was when his father was the head coach.
After Ty Gibbs won on Saturday, Coy Gibbs spoke about his son. “Watching it today, yeah, just to see his determination,” he said. “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.”
