There was a fresh voice in NBC’s NASCAR booth starting this weekend at Daytona. If you haven’t heard already, that voice belongs to Leigh Diffey, the network’s lead play-by-play announcer, who’s been at the helm of their F1 and IndyCar coverage for over a decade. But that’s not all. From covering World Rally Championship races for the BBC to broadcasting the Olympics for NBC, and now diving into NASCAR racing full time, this Australian-American media personality has experienced the entire spectrum of motorsport and beyond.
Born in Brisbane, Australia, Diffey brings quite a unique flair to the trio that once were Rick Allen, Steve Letarte, and Jeff Burton. On March 13th earlier this year, NBC announced he would take over the lead commentator duties from Allen in the Cup Series, beginning with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in August. Sure, some traditionalists may grumble about having a relative ‘outsider’ call the action for their home viewing experiences. But do not doubt his abilities one bit. This guy is a lot more than just another voice for NASCAR racing.
Leigh Diffey is not new to NASCAR
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In 2001, then 30-year-old, Diffey moved to the United States to cover Champ cars for the BBC. Soon he would transition to the FOX Sports-owned Speed Channel, where he commented on different racing disciplines, including the Trans-Am Series, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Diffey is famous for covering sixteen individual motorsport divisions on Speed in 2011. He worked with the network until 2013. That’s when FOX shut it down to make way for the FS1 revamp.
Polls of the day Poll 1 of 4 Is Leigh Diffey the right choice for NBC’s NASCAR coverage? Absolutely No way Could be better Don’t care Have an interesting take? Join Debate Do you think Shane van Gisbergen’s sarcastic comment about Kaulig Racing was justified? Absolutely Not at all Partially I need more context Have an interesting take? Join Debate Who do you think is most to blame for Kaulig Racing’s double disappointment at Daytona? Shane van Gisbergen Team Strategy Mechanical Issues Driver Errors Have an interesting take? Join Debate Do you think NASCAR’s penalties are too harsh on drivers? Yes, they are unfair No, they are justified Depends on the situation I don’t follow NASCAR penalties Have an interesting take? Join Debate
This was the year Leigh Diffey found his perfect workplace match on NBC Sports. The media giants brought him on to voice the Formula One and IndyCar broadcasts. Two years later, in 2015, he, David Hobbs, and Steve Matchett, the analysts working on NBC’s F1 coverage, received a mention in a list of the ‘Best Broadcast Teams of the Year’ by Sports Illustrated. That same year, Diffey would announce his first NASCAR race on August 15th. It was an Xfinity Series race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He called three more second-tier races that season for NBC.
Starting in 2015, Diffey also joined the Sprint Cup Series broadcast on the NASCAR “Hot Pass” segment at the championship finale. that only covered the four drivers competing for the ultimate prize. In 2017, as Rick Allen was required to work in London for NBC’s coverage of the IAAF World Championships that year, Diffey called his first-ever Cup race at Watkins Glen in August. The following week, he had the honor of calling Kyle Larson’s third Cup career win at the 2017 Pure Michigan 400.
His return to the NASCAR broadcast booth on August 24th will mark his return from a seven-year hiatus to the world’s premier form of stock car racing. His addition may not be as impactful as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s exit has been on the NBC team. But with time and patience, Leigh Diffey can show his doubters exactly how far his pedigree reaches as one of the world’s best play-by-play announcers. Agreed his accent and announcing style might produce some differences in opinion during the initial days of this brand-new association. But the fact remains the same. Leigh Diffey knows racing like few do in the current spectrum of things.
In his absence, long-time broadcaster Kevin Lee will take over his IndyCar headset. Rick Allen will now lead the Xfinity Series coverage for NBC. But the big question is, why did Leigh Diffey make this switch right about now?
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From Brisbane to the big leagues
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Stock car racing is gearing up for big changes in the next few years. The same goes for open-wheel racing, especially the IndyCar series, which will jump ship from NBC to FOX starting in 2025. This warranted some thinking by Diffey, who recently admitted to The Athletic: “Given the fact that IndyCar is moving to a new home, that certainly opens up the opportunity for me to do more NASCAR.”
Apart from his NASCAR duties, the man from down under also voices the play-by-play for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the AMA Supercross Series for NBC. “In collaboration with Supercross and IMSA and the other properties that I work on at the network, I think it looks optimistic for the future, for sure,” he told Jordan Bianchi.
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A reduced NASCAR broadcast schedule on the network, thanks to a new $7.7B broadcast deal bringing in more broadcast partners along for the ride, may have influenced his drive to cover multiple racing disciplines on a single network. And it seems NASCAR is about to be at the forefront of his 2025 ventures, although it is still uncertain if he will lead the TV coverage team next year.
It will be interesting to witness him develop his due chemistry with the ever-experienced Steve Letarte and ‘The Mayor,’ Jeff Burton in Dale Jr. and Rick Allen’s absence. That said, are you looking forward to this new addition set to grace the 2024 NASCAR season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.