Joe Gibbs would face a tragedy in 2022. He lost his son, Coy Gibbs, the very night the entire Gibbs family was celebrating Ty Gibbs’ 2022 championship title. Despite his grief, Joe Gibbs never gave up on his team and led them without a chink in his armor. Heather Gibbs, co-owner of JGR and wife of the late Coy Gibbs, recently shared how the legacy of her family was a big reason for the team to keep going.

During the Business Motorsports podcast by Dirty Mo Media, Heather Gibbs was discussing how she had to represent Joe Gibbs Racing during the NASCAR antitrust trial. During the trials, she had publicly spoken about her husband’s death for the first time, leaving the entire courtroom in silence.

On the podcast, she talked about how difficult it had been for them to continue after the death of Coy Gibbs. She also talked about the toll it also took on rival team owner Rick Hendrick, who also lost loved ones in a tragic plane crash.

“Does it make sense that Rick Hendrick and Joe Gibbs should pack up and be like, I lost the greatest and closest of my children. And why am I still in this sport? All for what? But we are still here,” she remarked.

For her, the antitrust trial was a personal conflict too. The France family had been one of her closest allies and had been there for her when things were starting to get too difficult after losing her husband.

“It was hard. I mean, I have so much respect for Lisa Kennedy. She is probably one of the first people that I reached out to after losing Coy. Because she went through the same with her husband and Ben was the same age as Ty. And I just had a really close relationship with her early on.”

For Heather, her personal relations mattered. But what mattered more was the legacy that she was shouldering in the courtroom. She testified not just for herself, but for an organization with decades of history. Even though she was unwilling and conflicted, she had to fight for her organization’s rights. After all, by doing so, she kept the honor bestowed upon her by her husband. Heather Gibbs took up a leadership position because of her late husband’s letter. She couldn’t give in to emotions, but at the same time, she couldn’t sully those who helped her when she was grieving over him.

In the end, the lawsuit settlement ensured that NASCAR charters are permanent. And in doing so, they also made JGR one of the most powerful teams in the sport. With a charter being valued at nearly $100M in the Cup Series, JGR wouldn’t have to worry about their value going down someday. The team was able to uphold their legacy of winning and giving to the sport. And by securing their charters, they finally got back from the sport they loved.

“You are flashing the legacy of your family. All that JD put into this sport, all that Coy did,” Gibbs said. “Walking into that building every day, if you didn’t have that charter, financially, it didn’t make sense. We are fans of the sport; we want it to grow; we want to carry on their family legacy through our organization, through our drivers, and our employees. We don’t want to hurt it, and help us just help it make sense.”

“Especially for us, that the charters could not be taken away and that they are permanent and that we have earned that right. In 35 years, we have poured millions into this sport; we have raised so many drivers, and those drivers are now raising their children into this sport. We are all addicted to this thing, and it makes NASCAR such an all-American motorsport.”

And JGR continues to uphold that legacy to this date. They have drivers like Christopher Bell who are setting new examples about tearing through pain in order to bring great results. Drivers like Chris Buescher and Ty Gibbs have ensured that they do not fade away in the shadow of their teammates.

Meanwhile, their star Denny Hamlin, who is the oldest driver on the grid, is leading the Regular Season championship with multiple victories to his name.