Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Manager Explains Why the Tragic Death of Ty Gibbs’ Father Is a “Blessing” in Disguise & Not a “Curse”

Published 11/10/2022, 1:03 AM EST

Earlier, Ty Gibbs crossed the finish line at Phoenix to win the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity title. However, any joy that he felt quickly came crashing down when news broke of his father, Coy Gibbs, passing away. So, what should have been the best day of his life, quickly turned into a nightmare. Interestingly, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s manager Mike Davis admitted that this entire scenario could be a blessing and not a curse.

He said, “I hope and pray that this weekend at Phoenix, for Ty Gibbs. That he looks back on it as a blessing and at the final hours with his dad, was this enormous elation. Not a curse, where you can’t ever go back and look at the Phoenix championship and think positive thoughts about it. That’s something that will manifest in time.”

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Is it really a blessing for Ty Gibbs?

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What Davis means is that this kind of experience makes Gibbs more human. In a sense, the driver would have truly cherished his time with his father. Furthermore, he gave Coy Gibbs a reason to smile and be proud of him. Ty Gibbs would have definitely needed this, especially on the back of a lot of criticism.

Davis continued, “No telling right now, but I just hope that that 24 hours. If you want to go out, go out with your son, having just won a championship. Whatever celebratory things they might have done, that’s something to be positive about, and I hope that that’s what happens with Ty.”

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Gibbs has garnered a fair bit of negative press over the course of the 2022 season. Last year, he was seen as a young rising star, with a handful of Xfinity Series wins under his belt. However, the driver has annoyed a number of peers with aggressive tactics, and not any have forgotten his brawl with Sam Mayer.

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Written by:

Dhruv George is a senior Motorsports author for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.

Edited by:

Ankit Sharma