Seven months before he passed away, Coy Gibbs wrote a note to his wife Heather, providing the inspiration for her to step into a leadership role at Joe Gibbs Racing and the vision to carry the organization forward.
It was like a blessing to have that, to go back and read it, Heather Gibbs told NBC Sports. He believed in me in that area.
Coy wrote the note as part of the life planning the couple did at the time. He was 49 years old, the same age his brother J.D. was when J.D. died in 2019 due to a degenerative neurological disease. After his brothers passing, Coy moved into an executive role with his fathers race team and was set to lead the organization whenever Joe Gibbs stepped away.
Coys death on Nov. 6, 2022, just hours after son Ty Gibbs won the NASCAR Xfinity championship, created a void in the familys succession plan for the race team.
We have great leadership, but its got to make it through the second generation before it can go to the third (generation), and weve lost the second generation, Heather said.
Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup teams ahead of Nashville race
Kyle Larson has not finished outside the top five in three races at Nashville Superspeedway.
Dustin Long,
Dustin Long,
Heather first stepped into the public spotlight in April 2023 when she represented JGR after Christopher Bells victory in the Bristol Dirt Race. Since then, the co-owner of Joe Gibbs Racing has been involved various aspects of the team, including competition meetings. Heather also serves on the board of the Race Team Alliance and has been a part of NASCAR meetings with team ownership, including charter discussions.
She certainly helps with us in making decisions, Joe Gibbs, 83, told NBC Sports. Shes strong. When we have a meeting and we bring up stuff, shes not sitting back. I love that because I think thats really helped us.
Heather Gibbs, a mother of four who also remains a realtor, began to focus on the race team shortly after her husbands death.
It was an easy transition through a really, really hard time, she said. It was very, almost therapeutic, to be here and be around these people.
Many there witnessed Ty grow. Homeschooled since the fifth grade, he often was at the shop with his dad. When there, he could be found in the simulator in the engine department or with team members on the shop floor.
Such memories and those of Coy in the building made it more inviting for Heather to become involved in the team.
In my heart of hearts, I wanted to be here, she said.
Heather said she finds comfort working at Joe Gibbs Racing and doing what Coy did.
We love talking about Coy, she said. We love talking about what would dad say? Or can you imagine if this happened, what would dad do? I love talking about him. My kids love talking about him.
We dont want to memorialize him. So thats been one thing that weve kind of guarded ourselves. Were not ready for a plaque and a salute video or a memorial book. Its more like in the present day time period.
New No. 1 emerges in NBC Sports NASCAR Power Rankings after New Hampshire
Christopher Bell takes over the top spot after his New Hampshire win.
Dustin Long,
Dustin Long,
Heather said that her experience as a realtor and selling multi-million dollar homes provides a good foundation for her role with Joe Gibbs Racing.
With real estate, youre dealing with people, its really emotional, high stress, she said. Its like one of the top stressors, getting married, buying a house, having a kid, so youre dealing with people that sometimes are emotional. So its being business minded through the entire thing, not bringing in any emotion. You get back to the deal.
When youre dealing with like drivers, crisis, bringing sponsors, finding sponsors, losing them, its the same thing that you have a thick skin.
Heather Gibbs also recognizes what it means to be among the few females in an ownership position in the sport.
I thought that was really important and valuable because there arent, she said. The first meeting, Im looking around going, Ok, Im the only female in the room going to most of the ownership meetings. And then Im like OK, youre going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable really quickly.’
I remember going to my first competition meeting, its all our crew chiefs and drivers and theyre like its usually the guys and Im like, Well, its OK. If I sit here the first time, then the second time or third time it wont be as big of a deal. So now youre in there and I love going because you can learn so much about what happened on the track and everything else.
Sundays race at Nashville Superspeedway (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC) was to have been Corey Heims Cup debut. That changed when he drove two races for an injured Erik Jones earlier this season.
But this weekend marks the first time in a 23XI Racing car for the 21-year-old who has been dominant in the Craftsman Truck Series this season.
The Toyota development driver has a series-high four Truck wins this season and ranks second in the series in points.
Heim calls this weekend a higher pressure situation.
I put a lot of pressure on myself on a normal basis, but I think with a big opportunity like that, obviously dont want to go out and rip the fenders off of it by overdriving it, but, at the same time, I want to prove myself and my worth in the Cup Series, he said.
NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Truck weekend schedule at Nashville Superspeedway
USA Network and NBC have coverage from Nashville this weekend.
NBC Sports Staff,
NBC Sports Staff,
Heim has shown what he can do in the Truck and Xfinity Series. Hes won three of the last five Truck races heading into tonights event at Nashville. In the Xfinity Series, he finished third at Iowa two weeks ago and 10th at New Hampshire last weekend for Sam Hunt Racing.
David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development, said Thursday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he believes in Heim.
Corey Heim has a long, long tenure and career with Toyota, Wilson said. Irrespective of what team or car, hes going to be racing with our company for a long time to come. We are very high on him.
Corey is a special talent. He takes care of his cars. He finishes races. He runs laps, and right now that is the goal is to get those reps and as many pit stops under his belt and to put him in difficult situations and see how he responds. Im super excited for him this weekend.
In the last month, Chase Briscoe has found out that Stewart-Haas Racing would cease operations after this season, leaving him without a job, signed with Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the No. 19 car next year, moved into a playoff spot, fallen out of a playoff spot and been as far back as 44 points below the playoff cutline.
His runner-up finish last weekend at New Hampshire moved him to 25 points from the playoff cutline with eight races left in the regular season.
Its mind-blowing to me that were even 25 points out with how bad weve ran, said Briscoe, whose runner-up finish is his only top-15 result in the last five races. We have ran so bad, especially the last five or six weeks, and even being in contention still, I think, says a lot about where weve kind of came from over the last 12 months.
Joe Gibbs Racing tabs Chase Briscoe for No. 19 car starting next season
Chase Briscoe will take over the ride Martin Truex Jr. will vacate after this season.
Dustin Long,
Dustin Long,
With the team going away after this season, Briscoe fears that if they dont make the playoffs, some resources and information may be cut and likely impact performance in the final weeks of the year. Thats provided extra incentive to make the playoffs.
We have to make the playoffs, truthfully, (or) I feel like our team will completely shut off, Briscoe said. I was talking to (crew chief Richard) Boswell about it (this week). Right now the garden hose (of information) is fully open, but if we dont make the playoffs, our tools, the manufacturer side, everythings just going to keep getting shut off.
If we dont make the playoffs, theyre not going to want that information going out to people that they obviously know are going to new teams. So, if were in the mix and were in the playoffs and were in the hunt and battling, then I dont see how they could shut our tools off.
Eight races remain in the regular season and neither Richard Childress Racing car is in a playoff spot.
Kyle Busch is 45 points below the cutline and teammate Austin Dillon is 197 points below the cutline. Dillon will need a win to make the playoffs. Busch likely needs a win to make the playoffs. Busch enters this weekend on a career-long 39-race winless drought.
This week, RCR announced that Andy Petree, who had overseen the competition department, was retiring immediately. Former crew chief Keith Rodden is serving as interim competition director.
Competition executive Andy Petree announces retirement from Richard Childress Racing
Keith Rodden will serve as interim competition director at Richard Childress Racing.
Dustin Long,
Dustin Long,
Dr. Eric Warren, executive director, global motorsports competition for General Motors, said he has confidence in RCR making the playoffs. Warren was at RCR from 2012-20. He was the teams chief technology officer before joining Chevrolet.
One thing about our Chevy camp, we all work pretty close together, so theres a lot of idea sharing and the way that NASCAR is, theres still a lot of races left for the playoffs, Warren told NBC Sports. If you look at the past two years, both (2023 champion Ryan) Blaney and (2022 champion Joey) Logano maybe werent as strong and they built momentum toward the end, even Chase (Elliott) in 20.
I think theres been flashes of performance (for RCR). Kyle almost won Atlanta and Austin really ran well at a couple of tracks. We see some of the performance. I still feel confident we can get RCR in the playoffs and once you do its a whole new ballgame. We obviously know the cars are close and we know how to make them close. Its just getting the right combination with the tracks coming up.
1 Lap out of 5,108 run this year that Chase Elliott has not completed.
2.7 Ross Chastains average finish in three races at Nashville Superspeedway.
9 Drivers who won a race last year but have yet to win a points race this season: Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Ross Chastain, AJ Allmendinger, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Shane van Gisbergen.
26.0 Percentage of laps Christopher Bell has led in the last five points races.
26.5 Kyle Buschs average finish in the last six points races.