“Foreign voice,” as he calls it, Leigh Diffey is an iconic personality in the motorsports. The man came to the US 14 years back and, despite being different, is only moving upward. Recently, it was announced that Diffey will move to NASCAR from Indycar. He gave a lot of credit to NBC for the move and said that the transition was made easy by the fact that he had friends in NASCAR, from Jim France to Steve Phelps and Steve O’Donnell.

And the fans are loving it, despite some resistance to the Aussie, his tone, and his accent.

Leigh Diffey has proven his mettle as a motorsports commentator over the past year. He has covered IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona and Indy 500 to the Summer Olympics in Paris, and he has done it all. And, as of now, he is the play-by-play voice for NBC Sports, covering NASCAR playoffs. he started with Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona last year. Recently, on X, when a fan asked Diffey, “Are you back for @NASCARonNBC this year?” He replied, “Yes mate … later in the season when @NBCSports takes over the Cup coverage for the final 14 races. ” And, truth be told, he had most people at “yes, mate”.

Diffey brings about a decade of commentary experience with NBC Sports’ INDYCAR, having covered all six broadcasts of the Indianapolis 500. He has also reported on major motorsport events, including Formula One, Supercross, and MotoGP.

While Diffey agrees that not the whole NASCAR universe likes him, he has received immense love and respect from most. he told Speedcafe TV, “It’s quite obvious that I am a foreign voice. Of course, there is going to be a percentage that’s not happy because I don’t speak the way that they speak or I wasn’t born and raised in this country. But, for the majority, it was really well received, And I couldn’t be more thankful to them. I met a lot of fans at the racetrack. I was very cautious and respectful, and I could not have been more blown away by their hospitality.”

In providing commentary for NASCAR, he has set a new milestone by becoming the first foreign voice in the sport in 76 years. While Sir Jackie Stewart and David Hobbs contributed their insights as analysts during the ABC and CBS broadcasts, this marks a distinct achievement in the realm of play-by-play announcing.

Truth be told, from Denny Hamlin to what looks like the whole of Reddit is only thrilled by Diffey’s work. Haters seem fewer than usual.

Fans thankful for Diffey’s return

Fans are flooding Reddit with their love for Leigh Diffey and his style of commentary. In fact, some users are uplifting others with their humor thanks to the news. One fan said, “I’m glad Leigh is back doing the Cup races! I’m also looking forward to hearing how Leigh cites my favorite driver’s name, “Kyle Laaaawson.” 😆” directing attention to Diffey’s Aussie accent. Although Diffey himself admitted his foreign accent has been something that has put off fans, it looks like it’s started to grow on fans. What is even more incredible is Diffey is NASCAR’s first foreign voice in its 76 years of existence.

Another fan said, “Awesome news. He was my favorite announcer last year.” Leigh Diffey covered NASCAR from August to November 2024. In a similar vein, a fan said, “Yay!! He had some of the best calls from last year, especially the last lap of the Homestead,” something more people asserted on the thread. Ever since Diffey joined the commentary panel back in August 2024, during the Coke Zero 400 at the Daytona Speedway, he became a favorite of fans until the end of the season at Phoenix.

One fan noted, “Diffey made NASCAR fun to watch last year. Enthusiasm, knowledge of the sport and drivers, and already gave us some legendary calls.” Diffey believes that people appreciate him because he does his homework, as he shared with Speedcafe TV. It’s no surprise Diffey’s commentary is impressing fans. It’s not just NASCAR he’s commented on, but other motorsports such as IndyCar, Formula 1, Supercross, as well as MotoGP.

No wonder, fans are saying that Leigh Diffey should’ve earned a “10-year contract” after that “call of Harrison’s win.” The fan said that Diffey is the “best play-by-play guy in NASCAR right now.” Leigh Diffey’s iconic call of Harrison Burton’s win at the 2024 Daytona 500 was “Your little boy has done it!” It’s not just the fans who are loving Diffey’s commentary. Even Denny Hamlin chimed in a little while ago, regarding Diffey’s play-by-play commentary of the Busch-Burton clash. “I mean, it had me standing up in my chair the last lap and I didn’t have a dog in the Harrison Burton/Kyle Busch fight.”

How do you feel about Diffey’s commentary?