NBC Sports play-by-play announcer Leigh Diffey got back into the Cup Series booth on a long-term basis earlier this season. At 53 years of age, he has earned a strong reputation working in multiple racing series such as IndyCar and Formula 1. His impressive and diverse resume makes him a worthy figure to note how NASCAR is different from its racing counterparts.
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He was asked to do the same in a recent interview on WCNC. He responded, “Well, the number of cars are on the track and, you know, it’s very close to a fixed number every week. The different tracks, the nature of the tracks, and the history. There’s so many intriguing elements to NASCAR and it is unique unto itself just because of the very nature of it based on oval racing.”
Diffey continued to note that the integration of road and street courses makes things even more interesting for him. The individual stories of each driver are also something that he finds intriguing. He continued to note how amazed he was with the history of the sport, beginning from Daytona Beach to now racing through the streets of Chicago.
He has done a splendid job behind the mic this season and impressed many with his commentary. He revealed in the interview that his favorite moment to call so far has been the victory of Harrison Burton in Daytona.
Harrison’s father, Jeff Burton, is a colleague of Diffey’s in the booth and was with him when the race was won. Their close association made things mean more to him.
Diffey stays true to his unwavering commitment to NASCAR
After making his 2024 debut in the Coke Zero Sugar 400, Diffey said on Dale Jr. Download Reloaded that he wanted the fanbase to know how seriously he was taking his job.
He added, “There’s not a single broadcaster on the planet who’s going to please everybody but my message would be that the NASCAR fanbase is a sacred group of people and I have the utmost respect for it.”
He has satisfied this group of people with his work thus far. Burton and Steve Letarte shoulder him in the booth to form an impressive trio for NBC Sports.
Many including veteran driver Denny Hamlin have been calling for Diffey to announce all 36 races in the season. Such is his caliber. Hopefully, the association will continue through more interesting years in the premier tier of stock car racing.
