June 21, 2024, Lexington, Ohio, U.S: WILLIAM SAWALICH 18 is interviewed by Fox Sports Pit Reporter HEATHER DEBEAUX after the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA / ARCA race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.. .WILLIAM SAWALICH 18 won the race. Lexington U.S - ZUMAh127 20240621_zap_h127_014 Copyright: xScottxHassex

Mar 14, 2026, 9:10 PM CUT

Ex-FOX Broadcaster Goes Public with Father's Ailing Health Amid Hectic NASCAR Schedule

NASCAR pit reporter Heather DeBeaux spends most weekends traveling across the country covering races. For more than a decade, she has also been quietly caring for her father after he suffered a stroke.

The former NASCAR on FOX pit reporter, who worked with the network until 2024 and now covers races for the Performance Racing Network, recently spoke about her father’s health for the first time in an interview on March 13 with fellow NASCAR reporter Kaitlyn Vincie.

"My dad had a stroke in 2014 when he was just 54 years old. It’s been a long time now," DeBeaux said. "Since then, I’ve been his primary caregiver and help take care of him during the week.” She added that most people did not know about the situation.

DeBeaux took her father to medical appointments and helped him get in and out of the car. She also stayed with him during those visits. At the same time, she continued working as a reporter.

Her job requires her to travel most weekends from February to November. She covers NASCAR races across the country for the Performance Racing Network.

Working as a pit reporter is demanding. She prepares for interviews, follows race developments, and reports live from pit road during races.

Even with this busy schedule, DeBeaux has managed both her career and her father’s care for years without speaking publicly about it.

Her Father Inspired Her Love for Racing

The stroke not only changed DeBeaux’s daily life. It also changed how she now sees the person who first introduced her to racing.

DeBeaux grew up around racetracks because of her father. He brought her into that world when she was still a young girl, and she always looked up to him.

“He’s a b***** human being,” she said. “I always looked up to him when I was growing up, whether it was racing or the way he was so good at water skiing. He could drive and back up a boat and trailer like nobody I’ve ever seen.”

Because of that, some days are harder now. The person she once saw as strong and capable cannot do many of the things he used to do.

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Pulkit Prabhav