J.D. Gibbs passed away late last week, at the much-too-young
age of 49.
Gibbs, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of Joe Gibbs
Racing and son of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, had battled an
unspecified degenerative neurological disease for the last four years.
J.D. played a major role in
the formation and operation of JGR, and when his father accepted a second stint
as coach of the NFL’s Washington Redskins in 2004, 23-year old J.D. was an obvious
choice to take the competitive helm. As team president, he oversaw a quartet of
championships in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with Bobby Labonte (2000), Tony Stewart (2002 and
2005) and Kyle Busch (2015). He signed Busch and Denny Hamlin – then a
23-year old Virginia Late Model racer – who went on to win 78 premier-series races
for the team, and counting.
He spearheaded JGR’s
transition from General Motors to the Toyota camp, and made the call to shut
down the team’s engine shop and go all-in with TRD power, a decision seen as
pivotal in the current success of both organizations.
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| Gibbs was instrumental in JGR's success |
Perhaps more important than
his on-track results, however, was the personal impact he had on JGR’s drivers,
crewmembers and employees, as well as everyone he contacted within the NASCAR
garage. Literally thousands of condolence messages flooded social media in the
hours following his death, all remembering a man whose ready smile and constant
words of encouragement enriched the lives of all who knew him.
Busch eulogized Gibbs via Twitter,
writing, “Thank you for giving me the
opportunity to succeed and for guiding me along the way. We won together and we
lost together, but you had a way to light up a room and bring peace to all. It
was truly an honor to call you a friend. Love you JD.”
Hamlin wrote, “His car. His number. His signature above
my door. I will always be grateful for what his family did for mine and the
opportunity he gave me 14 years ago. Now more than ever #doitforJD.”
NASCAR
Chairman Jim France said, “We were
privileged to watch J.D. Gibbs grow within the sport, displaying an endearing
personality, a keen eye for talent and the strong business acumen that helped
grow Joe Gibbs Racing into a preeminent NASCAR team.”
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| Hamlin was a J.D. Gibbs find |
Doctors were never able to pinpoint
a specific diagnosis for the disease that ultimately claimed J.D. Gibbs, saying
only that it was caused by “head injuries likely suffered earlier in life."
He played defensive back and
quarterback at the College of William & Mary from 1987 to 1990, competed in
motocross, enjoyed a brief, 30-race career as a NASCAR driver and enjoyed mountain biking and
snowboarding. There were a few hard hits along the way, with Gibbs once
saying of his athletic prowess, “as an athlete, I was one heck of a team
president.”
That kind of self-deprecating
humor was typical of J.D., and just part of what made him one of the NASCAR
garage’s most beloved individuals.
By
late 2015 – less than a year after it had first revealed itself -- J.D.’s disease had impacted his speech, cognition and ability to
process information. His visits to the race track became less frequent, and while
still gregarious and outgoing, he often struggled to remember names. There were
occasional “good days,” when his face would brighten at the recognition of an
old friend, but while those days gave us all hope, they gradually became fewer
and farther between.
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| One more Victory Lane appearance |
J.D.
Gibbs did not so much pass away as slip away; the victim of a terrifying process
that carried him a few inches further away with each passing day. Like two
roads that separate slowly over many miles, J.D. became less and less a part of
our daily lives, until eventually, he was gone.
Gone,
but not forgotten.
Asked
frequently for updates on his son’s condition in recent years, Joe Gibbs would reply
simply, “pray for us,” an admission of the astronomical odds stacked against
his son, tempered by his steadfast belief in the higher power that watches over
us all.
Coach never missed an
opportunity to remind everyone how important his eldest son had been in the
success of his legendary organization.
"I want to make sure that
everybody here (understands) J.D.'s input with our race team,” said Gibbs late
last season. "Lots of times, I get put in a position where I get to
represent our company, but I just want to reflect on everything that J.D. has
done, and the fact that he's not with us (here today)."
Joe
and youngest son Coy will continue to run the race team, as they have for the
last three years. Wife Melissa and their four incredible boys will mourn the
loss of their husband and father, as we will bemoan the loss of our dear friend.
Rest
in Peace, J.D. It won’t be the same without you.
