New NASCAR announcer to make debut at Daytona

Earlier this year it was revealed that longtime IndyCar broadcaster Leigh Diffey would take over the role as the NASCAR on NBC lead announcer . However, we didn’t quite know where or when that might occur. Now we finally have our answer, Diffey will take the baton from Rick Allen this week at Daytona for the Coke Zero Sugar 400, as announced by NBC on Tuesday morning.

It’s a huge spot for NBC to make the change as the summer primetime Daytona race is one of the marquee events on the NASCAR calendar. That’s followed by a crown jewel event in the Southern 500 and then the NASCAR playoffs. Hopefully Diffey has got some rest after calling Track & Field at the 2024 Paris Olympics because he’s going to pick up the NASCAR season in a full sprint. Kevin Lee will pick up Diffey’s work in IndyCar for the rest of the season on NBC.

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NBC Sports has announced that veteran motorsports commentator Leigh Diffey will serve as the lead play-by-play voice for its NASCAR Cup Series coverage, beginning with this weekend’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, August 24, in primetime on NBC and Peacock, and continuing through the playoffs and season championship at Phoenix on November 10.

Diffey, who most recently served as NBC Sports’ lead track & field play-by-play commentator at the Paris Olympics, is one of the most prolific voices in motorsports. He has served as NBC Sports’ lead INDYCAR commentator for more than a decade, including all six of NBC Sports’ Indianapolis 500 broadcasts, and has handled play-by-play for nearly every major motorsport series, including NASCAR, Formula One, IMSA, Supercross, and MotoGP.

With Diffey assuming NBC Sports’ NASCAR Cup Series play-by-play duties, long-time INDYCAR commentator Kevin Lee will handle play-by-play for the remainder of NBC Sports’ 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series coverage. Lee, whose play-by-play work extends for more than 30 years, has been a host, pit reporter and play-by-play commentator for NBC Sports’ NTT INDYCAR SERIES coverage since 2009, and has handled play-by-play for a number of INDYCAR races this season.

In a separate interview with The Athletic , Diffey opened up about his excitement in taking on the role.

Excited. I’m really, really excited by it. I’ve done a variety of NASCAR races over the years; way back, in my former life in Australia, there’s only one banked oval in Australia, and way back at the beginning of my career, in ’95, ’96 I want to say, I did the Australian version of NASCAR. Then here in the States, when I was with Speed Channel, I would do some practice and qualifying shows. And then when I joined NBC for a long time I would be one of the hosts rotating on NASCAR America (studio show), and I got to do some Xfinity races at Mid-Ohio, Dover and Kansas and a variety of places. Then in 2017, I called two Cup races at Watkins Glen and Michigan.

For me, that was kind of like a toe in the water in between then and now. But I’m really excited to rely on the memories of that, but those great memories also make me super excited about making my return at Daytona.

While Diffey didn’t confirm that he would be staying in the role next season with NBC, he sounded optimistic about his chances.

Given the fact that IndyCar is moving to a new home (next year), that certainly opens up the opportunity for me to do more NASCAR. And, obviously, 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.

Rick Allen has been NBC’s NASCAR announcer ever since they got the rights back for America’s top racing series in 2015. It’s an unusual circumstance given Allen’s longevity and seniority in the NASCAR booth that NBC would bump him to the Xfinity Series, especially mid-season just before the playoffs begin. You can probably count on one hand the number of times that has happened for broadcast networks and major sports leagues. But this is likely more of a bet on Diffey than anything else. NBC loses IndyCar to Fox Sports beginning next season , and with new NASCAR deals on the horizon, they are clearly positioning the native Australian as their top voice of motorsports.

Leigh Diffey is one of the finest race announcers in the world without question. If you’re a fan of motorsports, you’ve likely been captivated by his electric calls of the Indy 500 in recent years, as well as IMSA and a number of other races at NBC. He’s also emerged as the voice of Track & Field at the Olympics, which is a huge role. Even though there was his infamous mistake in the 100 meter gold medal race , his other calls throughout the Olympics were spectacular , bringing his trademark excitement and energy. His work in NASCAR should be no different.

[ NBC / The Athletic ]

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