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RICHMOND--Things would be so much easier on Coy Gibbs if he was seeing some improvement, some sign that this was all worth it.
Maybe a top-five finish or a trip down victory lane. Something to show Gibbs that he has this pesky Busch Series figured out.
The 30-year-old enters the FUNAI 250 at Richmond International Raceway next weekend, however, looking for an answer.
Last year he got a handle on the Craftsman Truck Series, rolling off 12 top-10 finishes and placing 10th in the season standings for the second time.
He added five Busch events to his plate as well, his best finish being 14th at Pikes Peak.
Going full-time on the Busch Series this season, Gibbs expected to see steady progress. That hasn't happened.
He currently sits 16th in the standings with 2,422 points. Of drivers who have competed in all 25 races, Gibbs leads only Mike Harmon and Larry Gunselman.
"We're definitely struggling," Gibbs said. "It's been a long year. We're almost where we want to be in the points, 15th or 16th. As far as performance, we're way off."
Gibbs, however, deserves some slack. He didn't exactly grow up around racing.
The son of former Washington Redskins coach and current Winston Cup car owner Joe Gibbs, football was in Coy's blood.
After moving around the country due to his father's various coaching changes, the Gibbs family settled in the Washington area when Joe was hired by the Redskins in 1982.
The family had a house in Lake of the Woods, and Coy fondly recalls nights jet skiing on the lake and sipping milkshakes at Carl's in Fredericksburg.
A standout linebacker in high school, Coy received a full scholarship to Stanford University.
During the summer after his freshman year, he traveled to Concord, N.H., to watch his brother, J.D., race go-karts.
"I had no idea what he was talking about," Coy said. "I was like, 'OK, this is going to be a joke.' But they were flying. It was awesome and I knew I wanted to be a part of it right then."
The first time he got behind the wheel, he wrecked, but he loved it.
Coy had mild success on the gridiron with the Cardinal, leading the team in tackles during his senior season. Struggling with knee problems and being undersized, though, Coy realized the NFL would be a reach.
So after graduating from Stanford, he started helping J.D. with his car and then got into drag racing. He initially worked as a lower assembly specialist in the NHRA Funny Car driven by Cruz Pedregon.
"That was a change for me," Coy said. "There were 200 and something days on the road that year."
He raced dwarf and legend cars in Charlotte, N.C., then progressed to limited late model and late model stock cars.
In 1999, Gibbs joined the Slim-Jim All-pro series, his first touring circuit.
After driving trucks for three years, Gibbs joined his father's Busch Series team full-time this season, and the adjustment has been difficult.
"The short wheel base is a big, big difference," Gibbs said. "It reacts quicker. It's just on the edge almost all the time. The trucks are completely the opposite, like to drive off the right front, they're always tight. It's been a big change for me. We still haven't made it right yet."
Gibbs' teammate, Mike Bliss, has a background in open-wheel racing, so Gibbs hasn't gotten much benefit from notes or setups. And Gibbs says Gibbs Racing's Winston Cup drivers, Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, are busy with their own schedules.
"You've kind of got to make it on your own," Coy said. "That's what I found out in the truck series. No one can help you. You've got to make it on your own or get the heck out of there."
RIR would be a great place for Gibbs to get it all rolling.
"Richmond's been a tough place in the past for me," he said. "Wide-open tracks are more for me. Richmond is one of those places you've got to go to a lot. Once you get the hang of it, it's great. I was just getting the hang of it with the trucks, and now I'm off in the Busch Series."
When times are tough and Coy needs advice, he usually goes to J.D. rather than his father.
"Fathers are fathers," Coy said. "I tend to go with my brother because he's going to shoot straight with me. Dad's are always more encouraging."
If the whole driving deal fails to work out, Gibbs says he will be involved in racing somehow. Eventually he would like to be a car owner like his dad. Joe Gibbs would be a tough act to follow, as his drivers have won two of the last three Winston Cup titles.
First, though, Coy would like to grace the sport's most glamorous stage.
"It's hard to make money in this business if you aren't running Winston Cup," Gibbs said. "That would be my dream. I don't know if it's in the cards for me or not. It keeps you going, that's for sure."
To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH: 540/374-5442 ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com