Leaving Paris and traveling to Daytona Beach, Florida, might not seem like the most luxurious travel plans. But for Leigh Diffey, who will be leading NBC Sports’ NASCAR Cup Series coverage starting with Saturday night’s race at Daytona International Speedway, it is a journey he is looking forward to.
This week, Diffey becomes a member of the NBC NASCAR team. Diffey called track and field for the network during the recently concluded Olympics in Paris. The native of Brisbane, Australia, is really enthusiastic about this move and has shown this excitement several times in an interview with The Athletic. Diffey will be covering racing again, something he has done extensively during his career, even on American television.
Rick Allen, who will call Xfinity Series races for NBC Sports and the CW Network for the balance of the season, is replaced by Diffey.
Diffey talked with The Athletic about a range of subjects, such as his coverage of the Olympics in Paris, his recent employment with NBC, and his approach to calling two different but somewhat related sports.
(This interview was edited for length and clarity.)
The last time we spoke, you had just returned from your first Olympics as NBC’s lead play-by-play commentator for track and field in Tokyo, which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and had no fans in attendance. How did you find the Olympic experience in Paris as opposed to Tokyo?
Simply wonderful. I have had the good fortune to cover world championships, national titles, Diamond League games, and so on, but nothing compares to this experience of seeing an approximately 70,000-seat stadium filled to capacity, with both morning and night sessions and an incredible atmosphere. My teammate Ato Boldon looked at me after our first practice and stated, “I have not seen anything like this since London 2012.” I am giddy with anticipation for you to witness this.
Thus, it was incredible. I believe that everyone will remember the Olympics in Paris as the ones that kind of made them fall in love with them all over again and rekindled their excitement and curiosity.
Is there a motorsports event that has the same intensity and mood as being inside a stadium filled with 70,000 people watching a major Olympic event that is about to begin?
Since there are no motorbikes or vehicles to contend with, there is not one as intense. Perhaps Supercross in Anaheim; the season’s opening race, A1, is similar. However, once more, the sound of the bike is present, but in track and field, the supporters’ unadulterated, unfiltered outpouring of passion takes its place. Particularly when there were French competitors competing, if just in a few of the preliminary events rather than in a medal race. The volume and the sense of nationalistic pride were truly remarkable.
How difficult is it to interpret what is happening at the 100-meter finish when everything is moving so quickly and so closely together?
You have to have faith in yourself and follow your gut. Additionally, I have had success in the past when I have trusted my eyes, instincts, and myself. I simply followed my usual course of action. As it happened, it proved to be the most thrilling conclusion in Olympic history. I made the public statement that I was five thousandths of a second off. I could have chosen the cautious path and declared it too close to call, but in all honesty, Ato Boldon and I believed that Jamaican Kishane Thompson had prevailed. The Jamaican was shown on the global broadcast, and it was clear that Noah Lyles had prevailed.
I did not feel well about it afterwards, but I just carried out my usual protocol, and evidently things did not work out that way. It is quite fast. Throughout the remainder of the Games, I had a few more close calls, but I do not believe I made any different decisions in those situations. I did not call it because there was a close one in the women’s 100-meter hurdles and I could not see anything clear. However, there were other close races, like the men’s 400 finish, where I did predict it. That confidence, that trust, in oneself is what you must possess. And I have been lucky enough to get it right most of the time; the one time I was incorrect.
We talked about how this was a huge opportunity for you to be named NBC’s lead play-by-play announcer for track and field in 2021 because motorsports announcers are sometimes a little too pigeonholed. You have truly transcended that preconceived notion. How does it feel to be able to go past this misconception and gain acceptance outside of the motorsports industry?
Anytime you are forced to do something new, in my opinion, it challenges you and helps you develop. It aids in your personal development. aids in your broadcasting development. It causes you to think in a slightly different way. Simultaneously, I remain, so to speak, within my racing lane.
However, I am incredibly appreciative and thankful that NBC has provided me with these possibilities. After a decade and a half, the corporation has thrown a variety of curveballs at me. I believe I also mentioned in 2021 that while commentating on motorsports has improved me as a commentator, commentating on track and field has improved me as a commentator on motorsports. I therefore enjoy the crossover. I believe that track and field can benefit from my slight motorsports background, and vice versa. And I find that to be extremely enjoyable. Being able to advance into the track and field position is something I like. And on both sides, I have fantastic teammates. There is
Have you pulled anything from track and field and incorporated it into how you call a race on the motorsports side?
The plan is what unites them all. It is that tactical strategy that is similar to some of the most seasoned middle and distance runners, who may not be at the front straightaway but instead may stay in the back and gradually make their way forward and demonstrate their experience, whether it is an IndyCar, sports car, or NASCAR race. It goes something like this: “Leave the panic behind us and let us become settled.” When an athlete, driver, or rider is playing the long game, you are drawn to them by that kind of moment. Therefore, I believe that for me, sometimes when I find myself in one of those motorsports-related scenarios, I would reflect on what happened on the track.
Leigh Diffey, already part of NBC’s IndyCar broadcast team, now steps into the play-by-play role in their NASCAR Cup Series booth. (Jonathan Tenca / Cal Sport Media via AP Images)
You are in for a fresh challenge this week: You will take over as the primary play-by-play commentator for NBC’s NASCAR Cup Series coverage beginning at Daytona. Before starting this new task, how do you feel?
thrilled. It excites me beyond belief. Over the years, I have participated in a number of NASCAR events. In the early years of my career, I believe I competed in the Australian version of NASCAR, back when there was just one banked oval in Australia. Then, while I was employed by Speed Channel in the United States, I would conduct some practice and qualifying shows. After that, I spent a considerable amount of time hosting NASCAR America (a studio show on NBC), where I had the opportunity to cover several Xfinity races in Mid-Ohio, Dover, Kansas, and other locations. Then, in 2017, I called two Watkins Cup races.
That felt to me like just dipping my toe into the water between then and now. But those wonderful recollections also fill me with great anticipation for my comeback at Daytona. I am truly excited to rely on those memories.
Is this something you expect to continue full-time next year?
I definitely have more opportunities to do NASCAR now that IndyCar is relocating (to a new location) next year. Furthermore, working with Supercross, IMSA, and the other brands I oversee for the network, it is evident that I believe the future is bright.
Although you have called races for NBC before, the following twelve weeks will bring you a lot of new experiences. Is there anything specific you are eager to experience for the first time that will soon be happening on the NASCAR schedule?
Darlington (on September first). I had not visited Darlington before. I am excited to contribute that freshness, myself. And perhaps my voice will come across as new and fresh. Even though I have had the good fortune to live, work, and travel to many various countries in addition to North America, it is still quite thrilling for me to be experiencing something new at this point in my career.
My list of firsts is long, but I am excited by that.
You are aware that you must have a Martinsville hot dog as this is your first visit, do not you? It is customary that way.
I am happy to wear that rookie stripe and do all the things you have to as a rookie. (Laughs.)
You’re probably going to regret it.
We’re going to find out.
(Top photo of Leigh Diffey at the 2024 U.S. Olympic track and field trials in June: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
