Joe Gibbs gives update on son, calls him his hero

JOLIET, IL - SEPTEMBER 14 2013: Joe Gibbs, team owner of JGR, looks on in the garage during practcie for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 14, 2012 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
JOLIET, IL - SEPTEMBER 14 2013:  Joe Gibbs, team owner of JGR, looks on in the garage during practcie for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 14, 2012 in Joliet, Illinois.  (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)
JOLIET, IL – SEPTEMBER 14 2013: Joe Gibbs, team owner of JGR, looks on in the garage during practcie for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on September 14, 2012 in Joliet, Illinois. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Joe Gibbs met with the media Sunday morning prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway and gave an update on his son, Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs.  Last Wednesday the team announced that the 46-year-old has started treatment for symptoms impacting areas of brain function. The team said Gibbs has undergone a series of tests after experiencing a gradual onset of symptoms that includes speech and processing issues.

Sunday Gibbs said in a statement to the media, that J.D. made his announcement in the weekly team meeting.  Sunday Gibbs took no questions.

“He got up and basically he said, ‘I know God has a plan and God puts us through things for a reason.’ I think J.D. gains his strength from the fact that he has a personal relationship with the Lord and I have to tell you that he’s my hero,” Gibbs said. MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.