Ty Gibbs grabbed his first win in the NASCAR Cup Series on April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway. This was not just a landmark moment for the driver but for his entire family. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's father was not there to relish the moment, something his mother recently shed light on.

Heather Gibbs, the mother of the JGR driver, was at the Bristol racetrack when he won the race. Along with her, Joe Gibbs, the co-owner of the team and Ty's grandfather, was also there as they witnessed the Gibbs name atop the podium.

Recalling that moment on Thursday's episode of the "Dale Jr Download" podcast, Heather said:

"I was up there for a while, just trying to just wishing so bad, being so proud of Ty, but wishing so badly that Coy was there. It was just kind of the happiest and the saddest, and that emotion just was overwhelming."

Coy Gibbs, the father of Ty Gibbs and the husband of Heather Gibbs, passed away in his sleep on November 6, 2022, at the age of 49, hours after Ty Gibbs won the 2022 Xfinity Series championship.

Elaborating on the emotional time on pit road after Ty's Bristol win, Mrs. Gibbs further added:

"And finally, when I got over there, he (Ty) jumped over the wall and gave me the flag. And it was just for everybody. And, watching all of our pit crews, like, you know, the guys in the 20 car and the 19 come running down and all of them celebrating. It was just, it was like, it was a family win."

The first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol meant a lot for Gibbs and his family. The win came on his 131st start and in his fifth year in the Cup Series. Even though he had several runners-up, third places, and winning chances, it wasn't meant to be before Bristol.

Having started from fifth place, Gibbs fell back to 13th place at the end of Stage 1. However, he improved significantly in Stage 2 (7th) before going on to take the victory by 0.055 seconds over Ryan Blaney.

What Coy Gibbs' absence meant for Ty and Joe Gibbs

Moments after his win, an emotional Ty Gibbs shared his thoughts in an interview and remembered his late father.

"I’d love for my father to have seen this," he said via NASCAR.com. "I knew he knew it was going to happen and expected it as well."

JGR owner Joe Gibbs, the father of Coy Gibbs, also remembered his late son in that moment, saying:

"When I think about Coy, he brought Ty up the entire time. I know he’s probably watching."

Coy Gibbs has made Ty Gibbs what he is today. From his young days in karting and dirt to the NASCAR Xfinity, the No. 54 driver for JGR always had his dad beside him as a guiding light.

Besides the family connection, Coy, a former NASCAR driver, also served as the vice chairman of Joe Gibbs Racing. His sudden demise in 2022 deeply shocked the Gibbs family and the NASCAR fraternity.

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Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Yash Kotak