coy gibbs death. According to a report by Zach Sturniolo of NASCAR.com, a memorial service was held for Coy Gibbs at Joe Gibbs Racing on Wednesday, a month after his death. Coy followed in his famous father’s footsteps by making an impact in both football and auto racing. It was reported that Gibbs, 49, passed away in his sleep on November 6th, just hours after celebrating his son Ty Gibbs’s NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
At the time of his death, Gibbs was the Chief Operating Officer for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he had a varied sports career that included stints as a linebacker at Stanford, a driver in the NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series, and a member of his father’s NFL coaching staff in Washington. Members of Gibbs’s family and close friends spoke fondly of him, recalling his “merciless sarcasm, tough exterior, but tenderhearted and generous nature” in their eulogies.
Hundreds of people, including former and current Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, attended the memorial service.
Gibbs played linebacker at Stanford University from 1991 to 1994, following in his father’s footsteps. He was the team leader in tackles as a senior. He then switched to stock car racing, rising through the ranks from the late 1990s until his 2000 Truck Series debut. From 2001 to 2002, Gibbs competed full-time in the Truck Series. During that time, he recorded six top-five finishes, 21 top-ten finishes, a career-best second-place finish at Texas in 2002, and a tenth-place point finish in both seasons.
Gibbs then moved on to the NASCAR Busch Series in 2003, where he had two top 10 finishes, the best of which was ninth at Talladega, and finished second in the rookie standings. After retiring from driving, Gibbs worked as an offensive quality control assistant for the franchise that would eventually become the Washington Commanders. He later moved into the business side of Joe Gibbs Racing while also coaching Pop Warner football and guiding the racing career of his son, Ty.
