GODSPEED! COY GIBBS (1972-2022)

We are heart broken to report that Coy Gibbs, the owner and controller of the Joe Gibbs Racing MX team which competed from 2008 through 2020, died in his sleep on the night of Saturday, November 5th. Coy was 49 years old and he had just watch his son, Ty Gibbs, win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship earlier that day in Phoenix.

Official statement from JGR:
“It is with great sorrow that Joe Gibbs Racing confirms that Coy Gibbs 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.”

MX Sports press release:

The youngest son of NFL coaching legend and Pro Football and NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs, Coy followed in his famed father’s footsteps both on the field and on the racetrack. After four years as linebacker for Stanford University, from 1991-1994, he made the move to four wheels and enjoyed a brief stint as a driver in NASCAR’s Truck Series and Xfinity Series from the 2000-2003 seasons. He returned to football in 2004 as an assistant coach under his father with the Washington Commanders and remained through the 2007 season.

Prior to the 2008 racing season Coy parlayed his personal passion for motocross and supercross into an extension of JGR’s highly successful racing pedigree with the establishment of JGRMX. The fledgling program took a unique approach in its operation and was headquartered in North Carolina to leverage the deep engineering and development resources of the team, which worked in tandem in a manufacturer partnership with Yamaha. Over the course of 13 seasons, JGRMX established itself as the sport’s premier satellite program and became an integral entity within the industry. A direct result of Coy’s commitment, passion, and lovable personality. JGRMX captured numerous victories and podiums over the course of its existence, despite missing out on an elusive championship. The names who competed for the team reads as a who’s who of American motocross–Justin Barcia, Justin Bogle, Justin Brayton, Josh Grant, Alex Martin, Davi Millsaps, Chad Reed, Joey Savatgy, James Stewart, Weston Peick, and others.

The JGR MX team at their last motocross race, the 2020 Outdoor National season finale at Fox Raceway in Pala, California. 

“This is a tremendous and tragic loss, not just for the motocross community, but motorsports as a whole. Even though he was one of the quietest individuals in the pits, Coy was a giant in the business of racing,” said Davey Coombs, President, MX Sports Pro Racing. “You’d be hard pressed to find someone more knowledgeable and passionate about what it takes to be successful. He never wavered in his commitment to make his motocross and supercross dreams a reality and, as a result, JGRMX was a perennial underdog who consistently defied the odds throughout its tenure in the sport. Coy was a beloved member of our industry, even after the team was forced to shut its doors, and his untimely passing has sent shockwaves around the racing world. He will be deeply missed and we are eternally grateful for the impact JGRMX left in our corner of motorsports.”

Mere hours before Coy departed us, his oldest son, 19 year old Ty, had cemented the Gibbs family’s distinction as racing royalty by capturing the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. Coy’s passing follows the equally tragic loss of his brother, J.D., in 2019, as the two had established a formidable second generation of leadership within the organization.

Godspeed, Coy.