NASCAR TV announcers Leigh Diffey and Steve Letarte are storytellers, not star makers.
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When asked during an NBC media call of NASCAR announcers this week whether or how their roles help lift drivers’ stock with fans, in essence making them stars, both announcers said they are merely telling each driver’s story and that whatever they say is simply a reflection of each driver’s achievements.
“That’s a good question with not such a simple answer,” Diffey said. “It’s a challenging objective, but one that we always try to help with and do.
“You just try and highlight for the viewing audience, maybe a little bit — dig a little bit deeper on the star’s personality, the driver’s personality, maybe away from the track.”
Letarte agreed but said the top priority is always what a driver does on-track before attention is given to what the driver may do off-track.
“I think our job is to cover what they’re doing on the racetrack, and when they do amazing things on the racetrack, we have to cover it as such,” the 46-year-old added. “We have to remind the fans and the viewers that what they’re doing is over and above what normal people can do.”
Letarte brings a different approach to the broadcast booth than Diffey, as before he became a TV analyst, Letarte was a very successful crew chief with Hendrick Motorsports.
“I had the ability to cover this race, yet I’ve never driven the car,” Letarte admitted. “I was a crew chief. So that covers the drivers from a slightly different look.”
While Broadcasters Give Background on Drivers, It’s How Those Drivers Perform That Makes Them Stars
In the end, it’s the fans who cheer for and make drivers stars in the sport.
“The fans get to determine who the stars are, and the performance of the athletes determines who the stars are,” Letarte said. “I don’t think the coverage gets to decide who the star is.”
Both Letarte and Diffey then mentioned Ryan Blaney as one of today’s top stars. While Blaney is a third-generation race car driver and is very popular among fans, he’s also achieved things that naturally attract fans to cheer for him, such as when he won the 2023 NASCAR Cup championship.
“One guy who carries himself in a certain way and has that swagger in a superstar way is very much Ryan Blaney,” Diffey said. “We always try the best we can to elevate them any way we can, and it’s a multi-level thing, right?
“It’s what they do on the track. It’s what they do off the track. How many times have they won? Their personality, both on track and off track. It’s all of those contributing factors.”
Letarte agreed with Diffey about Blaney’s star power. It’s something he’s earned because of what he’s done on the racetrack.
“While we all love sports, the excitement of victory and the agony of defeat, and I think the excitement of victory and the continued performance on the track allow Blaney to stand out amongst the fray. I really think it’s our job to highlight what they’re doing that makes them special.”
“I think Leigh does a great job of that, and Jeff (fellow analyst and former Cup driver Jeff Burton), too. I think it’s our job to identify extraordinary performances when we get them.”
Both Broadcasters Agree Ryan Blaney Has Earned His Star Power
Heading into this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte Roval road course, when four of the remaining 12 drivers still in contention for the championship will be eliminated, Blaney is already locked into the next round, the Round of Eight, along with Chase Elliott.
Blaney won the first race of the current Round of 12 at New Hampshire two weeks ago, while Elliott won last Sunday’s race at Kansas.
Both drivers have several similarities:
- Blaney has 16 career Cup wins in 373 starts, while Elliott has 21 in 353 starts.
- Both drivers have Cup championships on their resumes: Blaney in 2023 and Elliott in 2020.
- Both drivers have racing in their blood: Elliott’s father is NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, while Blaney’s father, Dave, is one of the greatest sprint car drivers in history (he also had a lengthy career in NASCAR).
- Elliott has been voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver for the last seven years, while Blaney has been among the top five vote-getters in the fan balloting for the last five years, as well.
