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Fans are worried about the health of legendary NASCAR announcer Larry McReynolds after concerning on-air signs prior to Sunday’s race at Phoenix.
McReynolds, 67, broke into the sport in the 1980s and won 23 races as a crew chief, including a pair of victories in the Daytona 500, the second of which came with Dale Earnhardt in 1998.
In 2001, McReynolds took over as a color commentator for Fox’s NASCAR coverage. He served in that role until 2015 before switching over to become the network’s rules analyst, which he continues to do today.
NASCAR Fans Worry Larry McReynolds May Have Had A Stroke
Prior to Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway, won by Ryan Blaney, McReynolds made an on-air appearance that concerned fans.
I had a stroke in August. I’ve been very candid about how trying it’s been.
On Sunday at Phoenix, fans understandably expressed concern when something looked noticeably off with @LarryMac28 in the Fox broadcast booth, including some suggesting he had a stroke. pic.twitter.com/EWntT5tfPf
— Kyle Dalton (@kdsportswriter) March 9, 2026
Notably, he appeared to show drooping on one side of his face, a common sign of a stroke. Those concerns were only accentuated when McReynolds did not appear at any point later in the broadcast.
Motorsports jouralist Kyle Daulton, who himself suffered a stroke in August, attempted to clear up the situation on his personal website.
“The concern was genuine and understandable. Facial drooping on one side is one of the textbook warning signs of a stroke — the kind of symptom that emergency responders train people to recognize immediately,” Dalton wrote. “…But cooler heads — and Reddit’s crowdsourced medical knowledge — quickly offered a more likely explanation: Bell’s Palsy.”
Now, without knowing McReynolds’ medical history or him clarifying the situation, we don’t know what his actual diagnosis is.
However, Bell’s Palsy is a relatively common condition, and it displays itself as temporary paralysis or weakness of one side of the face. It’s often caused by an inflamed nerve that can be triggered by a viral infection. The condition typically clears up in a matter of weeks and is not fatal.
McReynolds was back active on X on Monday morning and didn’t address the matter. So he either feels it’s unnecessary or didn’t feel comfortable doing so. The good news is that whatever the issue was doesn’t appear to be overly concerning to his long-term health.