The most popular NASCAR Cup driver for 15 straight years, Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined NBC in 2018. He has now decided to move to Warner Bros. and Amazon beginning in 2025. While Dale Jr.’s replacement has not yet been declared, NBC’s contract with Rick Allen has expired. Allen has been the NASCAR lead announcer since 2015. Starting from Coke Zero Sugar 400, the remainder of the 2024 NASCAR season is being covered by Leigh Diffey in his place. Diffey has previously filled in for NASCAR on various occasions.

Interestingly enough, both Rick Allen and Leigh Diffey gave the same audition at TNT before joining NBC, and neither got selected. Diffey joined NBC in 2013 and echoed his words in the motorsports world. He has vast experience covering Formula 1 and IndyCar over the past decade. Although his first choice was NASCAR, he could not get into that booth at the time.

Why was Leigh Diffey not chosen for NASCAR back in time?

The Australian commentator, Leigh Diffey, did not begin his announcing career in the USA. He had been reporting motorsports for almost a decade before, even coming to America. Diffey used to report on track in a part-time capacity until he switched to full-time in 1996. Before establishing himself in the US, he performed at various gigs in Australia and the UK.

Diffey’s first reporting gig in the US in 2003 was with Speed Channel covering the MotoGP and Rolex series, while also filling in for F1. Before switching over to NBC, he had the opportunity to audition for NASCAR play-by-play on TNT, (formerly known as Turner Sports), in 2010. When James Hinchcliffe from Off Track asked Leigh Diffey about the audition, Diffey shared, “I learned many years later, that, how do I say this politely, I think that I did get the job but ultimately, I didn’t get the job because the big, big boss at Turner didn’t prefer to have an accent calling the Cup races.”

So, Diffey continued with his work at Speed, and later, when there was an NBC opening, he made that transition. “Wally was a big champion of mine. And when he heard that NBC wanted to get somebody for both IndyCar and Formula 1, he put a bug in Sam Flood’s ear. And he was ultimately the conduit to bring me to Sam Flood, and it’s a much longer story than that, but that’s, you know, I owe a lot to both Wally and Jeff Behnke for the NBC opportunity happening,” added Diffey.

Wally Dallenbach, a former driver, introduced Diffey at both Turner and NBC. Jeff Behnke was the Executive Producer at Turner when Diffey auditioned. In 2013, Behnke transitioned to NBC, although as the VP for NASCAR production. Now, both TNT and NBC will be covering NASCAR starting in 2025.

What is NASCAR’s new media deal going forward?

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NASCAR has been trying to promote its live broadcast through partners for many years by striking different deals. It has not been able to attract a large viewership, leading it to even experiment with late-race starts to capitalize on peak viewing time. However, there have been various roadblocks in its media coverage journey.

To strike harmony, NASCAR has onboarded four broadcasters and signed a 7-year deal for a combined valuation of $7.7 billion. The media panel will see the return of NBC and FOX, while two new media giants have been included, namely TNT (owned by Warner Bros.) and Amazon Prime.

This deal marks a 40% increase in revenue for NASCAR each year. It’s a win-win for NASCAR as it will get the dedicated slots across channels. FOX will cover the first 14 races, the next 5 by Amazon, the next 5 by Warner Bros., and the last 14 by NBC.

So, Diffey will most likely cover NBC, which has the entire playoffs in its lineup. This will add another feather to his decorated hat.