Joe Gibbs Racing marked Erik Jones’ first NASCAR XFINITY Series victory in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at TMS Friday night without the presence of J.D. Gibbs, team president and son of team founder Joe Gibbs. The team announced in late March that J.D. Gibbs, 46, is undergoing treatment for symptoms impacting brain function, possibly from past head injuries.
Gibbs’ symptoms include speech and processing issues. The eldest son of Joe Gibbs is continuing most of his day-to-day functions at the team’s shop in Huntersville, North Carolina, but his presence at NASCAR tracks will be limited.
“J.D., we talked to him tonight,” Joe Gibbs said during Jones’ post-race news conference. “Erik talked to him and J.D…is special. I talked to him tonight and he said, ‘Man, I wish I could be there.’ So that’s something that…gets to you. He’s doing good.”
Carl Edwards, who is in his first season of driving for JGR, said J.D.’s condition has inspired the entire organization. “For me, it showed me how tough everyone at JGR is,” Edwards said. “Coach Gibbs and J.D., for them to be dealing with something like this and to do it with such strength is amazing and so, yeah, I think for all of us it’s a moment of perspective and something that can rally us to do the best we can to best represent our team and to give Coach something really positive.”
