Joe Gibbs will forever be known by Washington Commanders fans as the franchise's beloved three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and widely considered one of the greatest NFL bench bosses of all time.
Elsewhere in sports, he is the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, which competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The organization has won 229 races and five championships at stock car racing's highest level, and has fielded cars for legends such as Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Bobby Labonte.
The coach's 23-year-old grandson, Ty Gibbs, is currently a rising star for the team, which Commanders owner Josh Harris holds a minority stake in. And on Sunday, the fourth-year driver scored his first career Cup Series win at Bristol Motor Speedway.
From the gridiron to the asphalt, Ty Gibbs carries on his family's legacy
Gibbs, who is naturally a lifelong Commanders supporter, led the final 25 laps of Sunday's Food City 500. He had driven up to second place in the late stages and took the lead when his team decided not to stop for fresh tires under a late caution flag. He then held off a hard-charging Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson, the two dominant cars of the afternoon.
The victory has been a long time coming for Gibbs, who was the 2022 champion of NASCAR's developmental O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, but did not acclimate to Cup as quickly as many expected. In three full seasons, his best finish in the final points standings is 15th, and as a result, he has come under heavy pressure to prove he deserves his opportunity with his family team.
It was always a matter of when, rather than if, Gibbs would overcome his obstacles. NASCAR isn't the NFL, where rookies are routinely impactful from Day 1. Plenty of future Cup Series superstars have taken a few years to find their groove, and he is no different.
Gibbs' breakthrough victory also carries an emotional significance for himself and his family, after both of the coach's sons, J.D. and Coy (the latter of whom was Ty's father), passed away in recent years. Both of them had briefly dabbled in NASCAR's lower ranks themselves during the early 2000s.
It was clear from a young age that the next Gibbs behind the wheel was going to make it big. Now, the legendary coach's family legacy includes a NASCAR Cup Series race winner.
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