Leigh Diffey | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | Australian |
Citizenship | United States of America, Australia |
Occupation | American sports commentator |
Years active | 1995–present |
Employer | NBC |
Leigh Diffey (born 3 March 1971) is an Australian-American auto racing commentator. His career began calling motorcycle races in his home country before moving to the United Kingdom to cover other forms of motorsport. Diffey then moved to the United States to join Speed Channel, while simultaneously working for Network Ten in Australia. Since 2013, he has served as a play-by-play announcer and studio host with NBC Sports in the United States.
Diffey grew up in Queensland, Australia where he briefly raced motorcycles with his friend Daryl Beattie, who eventually became a professional motorcycle racer. [1] Diffey worked as a physical education teacher [2] at Ipswich Grammar School. [3] Meanwhile, he began working in motorsports broadcasting; his first job came in 1990 at the age of 19, calling Ipswich Motorcycle Club racing at Tivoli Raceway. In 1995 he left his teacher job to pursue a full-time career in sports television. [4]
Prior to his move to the United States, Diffey commentated on the Superbike World Championship and presented coverage of the World Rally Championship for the BBC in the United Kingdom, [5] working alongside Steve Parrish and Suzi Perry. [6] Additionally, Diffey covered V8 Supercars with Greg Rust, [2] Barry Sheene, Bill Woods and Mark Oastler, [7] as well as Formula One racing, both for Network Ten. [5] He also covered the 12 Hours of Sebring, [8] an event for he would call for a total of ten years. [9]
In 2001, Diffey moved to the US to cover the American-based open-wheel racing CART series, [4] while still working for the BBC. [10] Two years later in 2003, Diffey made a full-time move to the States when he was hired by Speed Channel, which later simply became "Speed". [11] At Speed, Diffey was the play-by-play announcer for the network's coverage of the Speed World Challenge, the American Le Mans Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, [12] the Rolex Grand-Am Cup, [12] the SCCA Trans-Am Series, and a regular anchor of The Speed Report and Speed Center . [12] Diffey occasionally filled in for Speed commentator Bob Varsha during the network's Formula One broadcasts. [12] He also commentated selected rounds of the AMA Superbike and AMA Motocross Championships. [13]
Diffey worked with Speed to call several sports car races during his tenure with the network, including the 24 Hours of Daytona [14] and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. [5] While at Speed, Diffey also occasionally returned to Network Ten in Australia as a regular host for the network's nightly sports wrap, Sports Tonight . [11] He also covered other two other sports for the Australian network: sailing, hosting coverage of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, [15] and golf, [16] which he covered for five years. [17] In 2011 alone, he covered no fewer than sixteen individual divisions of motorsport on Speed. [11]
In November 2012, NBC Sports announced that Diffey would join its network to become the play-by-play announcer for its broadcasts of both Formula One and IndyCar events starting in 2013. [12] [18] Diffey called the day of the announcement "one of the best days of my life. People have been so complimentary." [4] The announcement named David Hobbs and Steve Matchett as the analysts who would work alongside him for the Formula One broadcasts. [19] In December 2015, Diffey, Hobbs and Matchett were given an Honorable Mention in a list of Best Broadcast Teams of the year published on the Sports Illustrated website SI.com. [20]
On two occasions, Diffey covered both series on the same day. On 23 August 2015, he called the Belgian Grand Prix from NBC's base in Stamford, Connecticut, before he and Matchett traveled to Pocono Raceway for the ABC Supply 500. [21] Likewise, on 3 September 2017, Diffey called the Italian Grand Prix in Connecticut and then traveled to Watkins Glen International for the IndyCar Grand Prix at The Glen. [22] Diffey's open-wheel focus shifted solely to IndyCar in 2018 when the US Formula One television rights were transferred to ESPN. [23]
Diffey was one of several recurring co-hosts of NASCAR America , a weekday NBCSN program dedicated to NASCAR. [24] While he had covered NASCAR practice and qualifying sessions with Speed, [11] it was not until his tenure with NBC that he made his NASCAR debut as a play-by-play announcer for a race, covering the Xfinity Series (NXS) at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on 15 August 2015. [21] [25] After calling the race, Diffey spoke of the experience as "a thrill...I've been a NASCAR fan and dabbled in it, and for that to be my first race was something else." [21] He also commentated the Richmond, [26] Dover, [27] and Kansas NXS races. [28]
Diffey made his Sprint Cup Series broadcasting debut alongside Dale Jarrett at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2015, leading NBCSN's "Hot Pass" coverage of NASCAR's championship race, which focused solely on the four drivers still eligible for the series championship. [29] Diffey reprised this role with Parker Kligerman in the 2016 Homestead race, [30] and again with Jarrett in 2017, [31] 2018, [32] and 2019. [33]
In August 2017, Diffey served as the lead announcer for NASCAR on NBC 's primary coverage of the renamed Monster Energy Cup Series for two races (Watkins Glen and Michigan), filling in for regular announcer Rick Allen who was working in London with NBC's coverage of the 2017 IAAF World Championships. [34]
March 13th 2024, It was Announced that Diffey Would replace Rick Allen in the booth.
Diffey returned to sports car racing in 2019 as the lead announcer for NBC Sports' coverage of IMSA's WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, beginning with the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona. [35]
Diffey began calling the AMA Supercross Championship in 2020, working play-by-play for NBC for the series along with Ralph Sheheen. [36] Diffey took over the lead commentating role replacing Sheheen starting the 2021 season with Ricky Carmichael, Daniel Blair, and Will Christien. He also served as a studio host for the network's MotoGP and Moto2 coverage. [37]
Diffey has worked on NBC's coverage of the Olympic Games, covering luge, skeleton, and bobsled at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. [38] NBC executive Sam Flood had expressed interest in having him serve as an announcer outside of motorsports while negotiating his contract with the network, [39] and he prepared Diffey for the Olympics by having him host the Penn Relays and the Luge World Cup. [39] Diffey remarked of serving in the Olympics: "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this is where my career would take me. Just working for NBC, that alone made my life. Now going to the Olympics for NBC? I just pinch myself as if to wonder is this really happening?" [39] He returned to the Olympics to cover rowing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, [12] and also called the same events he had in Sochi at the 2018 Winter Games in Pyongchang. [40] [41]
Beyond the Olympics, Diffey has covered rugby, anchoring studio coverage of Premiership Rugby and doing play-by-play for the Collegiate Rugby Championship. [42] He also covered the Prefontaine Classic in 2018, [43] as well as the 2019 World Athletics Championships. [44]
In 2021, Diffey took over as the NBC track and field commentator, covering both the US Olympic trials [45] and the 2020 Summer Olympics. [46]
Diffey obtained his United States citizenship in 2011, [4] [47] explaining, "This country has given me so much, and I felt I needed to give back. That's why I accepted US citizenship. I'm Australian and I'm also American." [1] A former resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, [5] he currently resides in Connecticut with his wife and two children. [12]
Speed was an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television network that was owned by the Fox Sports Media Group division of 21st Century Fox. The network was dedicated to motorsports programming, including auto racing, as well as automotive-focused programs.
Robert August "Bob" Varsha is an American broadcast journalist who specializes in covering motorsports. He is best known for being the lap-by-lap commentator for Formula 1 and CART series races for ESPN, ABC Sports, and Speed Channel among others.
Samuel Felton Posey is an American former racing driver and sports broadcast journalist.
NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its dedicated national sports cable channels. Formerly operating as "a service of NBC News", it broadcasts a diverse array of sports events, including the French Open, the Premier League, the IndyCar Series, NASCAR, the National Football League (NFL), Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football, the Olympic Games, professional golf, the Tour de France and Thoroughbred racing, among others. Other programming from outside producers – such as coverage of the Ironman Triathlon – is also presented on the network through NBC Sports. With Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2011, its own cable sports networks were aligned with NBC Sports into a part of the division known as the NBC Sports Group.
Townsend Bell is an American professional motor racing driver competing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and also as a motorsports commentator for NBC Sports’ IndyCar Series coverage.
Michael Kinsey Joy is an American TV sports announcer and businessman who currently serves as the lap-by-lap voice of Fox Sports' coverage of NASCAR. His color analysts are Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick. Counting 2024, Joy has been part of the live broadcast of 45 Daytona 500s. He also serves as expert analyst for A&E Networks History Channel and FYI live TV coverage of collector car auctions.
NASCAR on NBC is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races that are produced by NBC Sports, and televised on several NBCUniversal-owned television networks, including the NBC broadcast network in the United States. The network originally aired races, typically during the second half of the season, from 1999 to 2006.
Motor Racing Network (MRN) is a U.S. radio network that syndicates broadcasts of auto racing events, particularly NASCAR. MRN was founded in 1970 by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. and broadcaster Ken Squier, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of NASCAR. Its first broadcast was the 1970 Daytona 500.
Brian Till, is a racecar driver who formerly competed in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1992–1995 seasons with 20 career starts.
Robert Francis Jenkins was an American television and radio sports announcer, primarily calling Indy car and NASCAR telecasts for ESPN/ABC and later Versus/NBCSN. Jenkins was the radio "Voice of the Indianapolis 500" on the IMS Radio Network from 1990 to 1998, then held the same role on ABC Sports television from 1999 to 2001.
NASCAR on USA is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races that are produced by NBC Sports and televised on several NBCUniversal-owned television networks, including USA Network in the United States. The network originally aired races, typically during the half of the season, from 1982 to 1985.
ESPN SpeedWorld is a former television series broadcast on ESPN from 1979 to 2006. The program that was based primarily based around NASCAR, CART, IMSA, Formula One, NHRA, and IHRA. The theme music is based on the piano interlude from "18th Avenue " by Cat Stevens.
NBCSN was an American sports television channel owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It originally launched on July 1, 1995, as the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), which was dedicated to programming primarily involving fishing, hunting, outdoor adventure programs, and outdoor sports. By the turn of the 21st century, OLN became better known for its extensive coverage of the Tour de France but eventually began covering more "mainstream" sporting events, resulting in its relaunch as Versus in September 2006.
IndyCar Series on NBC is the blanket title used for telecasts of IndyCar Series racing produced by NBC Sports.
Rick Allen Schwieger, is an American television personality, play-by-play announcer, and voice-over artist. He currently is at NBC Sports as the play-by-play commentator for NASCAR's Cup Series and Xfinity Series, on an interim basis for the International Motor Sports Association, and for NBC Sports coverage of track & field. He previously had done play-by-play broadcasting for Fox Sports's coverage of NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series.
The 2017 Ford EcoBoost 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on November 19, 2017, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and was also the final race for the Chevrolet SS which debuted at the 2013 Daytona 500, as its replacement for 2018 would be the Camaro ZL1.
Todd Harris is an American sports announcer and reporter for NBC Sports and NBCSN, with current duties focused in Olympic and extreme sports. A graduate of Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in communications and broadcast journalism, Harris' sports media career began in 1991 with ESPN. While employed there through 2007, his workload mainly consisted of college football, the X Games, and IndyCar, which included the role of lap-by-lap announcer for ABC's coverage of the 2005 Indianapolis 500. In the past, he has also contributed to Turner Sports' coverage of the NBA playoffs and the 1998 Winter Olympics.
The 2018 Ford EcoBoost 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on November 18, 2018, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, and was also the last race for the Ford Fusion, as it will be replaced for the 2019 season by the Mustang GT. This race was the final start for Furniture Row Racing and BK Racing.
On December 7, 2005, NASCAR signed a new eight-year broadcast deal effective with the 2007 season, and valued at $4.48 billion, with Fox and Speed Channel, which would also share event rights with Disney-owned ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, as well as TNT. The rights would be divided as follows:
The 2019 Ford EcoBoost 400 was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on November 17, 2019, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
My services were requested upon the completion of play at the Channel 10 commentary box where host, Leigh Diffey, spent 15 minutes asking me all about my dramatic day.