Amidst the massive developments in NASCAR, the commentary booth is also set to undergo major changes. First, it was Dale Earnhardt Jr who got the community talking when he decided to join Amazon Prime Video’s and Warner Bros. Discovery’s broadcasts in 2025, leaving NBC and taking some off-time in 2024.

Now, merely weeks after the veteran’s switch, another popular NASCAR voice from the NBC side of things is preparing for his departure as the organization’s broadcasting partner plans to switch things up by roping in Leigh Diffey as lead announcer.

Why was Dale Earnhardt Jr’s former partner sidelined from the Cup Series?

NASCAR made a path-breaking $7.7 billion media rights deal that will come into effect from the next season on. Now, Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery join the party, taking five races from the mid-season, leaving the rest to Fox and NBC. But what separates the two are their commentary teams. While Fox brought in the retired Kevin Harvick, adding a new layer of excitement, NBC’s selling point was the renowned four-man commentary team that included Dale Jr, Steve Letarte, Rick Allen, and Jeff Burton.

It was a perfect combination, one that fans loved. Dale Earnhardt Jr brought in the enthusiasm and passion fans craved, while Letarte, along with Burton, dissected the technicalities of races, and Allen displayed his uniqueness as a presenter, calling the shots like the consummate professional he is. However, as new reports come in, after Dale Earnhardt Jr, Rick Allen is the latest one to be released from the Comcast-owned media company as they rope in Leigh Diffey as his replacement.

SportsBusinessJournal reported that Rick Allen will just call the Cup Series races through the Olympic Games. At some point in the weeks after, the plan is for Leigh Diffey to take over as lead announcer for Cup races and continue through the duration of the 2024 season.

While the number and exact race that Diffey will start at with NASCAR after the Games is not yet clear, Rick Allen will continue to call the shots in the Xfinity Series through the year. With such developments, fans and analysts anticipate a move from Allen, possibly him joining Dale Earnhardt Jr on the other side.

Who is Leigh Diffey?

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For five years, from 2013 to 2018, NBC used the four-man commentary team, while Leigh Diffey joined the company back in 2013. With the stock car racing giant welcoming new partners, starting next year, NBC will only air 14 races a year, dropping from the current 20. And roping in the Australian-American Leigh Diffey is a sort of harbinger move before newcomers join the broadcasts.

Leigh Diffey is one of the most diverse commentators in motorsports, with a solid track record of calling races across disciplines ranging from NASCAR to F1, MotoGP, Supercross, IMSA, and rallycross. Diffey has in fact called NASCAR races before, with his first Cup event coming in 2017 at Wakins Glen.

In addition to that, he also called the Olympics at the 2020 Tokyo Games and is slated to be a part of NBC’s talent lineup again at this year’s Summer Games in Paris. With such a big name coming to NBC, things will certainly shake up; however, Rick Allen joining Dale Earnhardt Jr at Amazon and WBD is also not an impossibility.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Non-American Replacement at NBC Not Well Received by the NASCAR Community