Big news dropped in February 2024: Dale Earnhardt Jr decided to leave NBC to join Amazon and TNT in 2025. It looks like he’s sitting out the 2024 NASCAR season from the commentary box when he has been calling the shots from NBC’s booth since hanging up his racing gloves in 2017.

He spilled the beans on his podcast, mentioning his contract with NBC was wrapping up, and The Athletic got the inside scoop on his exit. However, losing Dale Earnhardt Jr is definitely a major blow for NBC since he’s the star of their analyst lineup. But even with NBC bringing in Leigh Diffey to try and fill those big shoes, fans aren’t exactly jumping for joy.

A major shift in the dynamics of the NBC booth after Dale Earnhardt Jr’s exit

After Dale Jr decided to leave NBC, it seems big changes are hitting the NASCAR on NBC booth this summer. Leigh Diffey is stepping in to take over the main Cup Series announcer gig from Rick Allen once NBC picks up the NASCAR coverage again after the Olympic break. The switcheroo is kicking off midseason on June 30 with the Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.

Rick Allen’s going to be behind the mic for the Cup Series races up until the Olympics roll around. Then, Leigh Diffey will jump in to call the shots for the Cup races for the back half of the 2024 season. It looks like Diffey will start either at the race in Michigan on August 18 or at Daytona on August 24.

Rick Allen has been the voice behind NBC’s Cup and Xfinity races since 2015, but there’s a change in the air. Diffey’s not new to this rodeo; he’s stepped in for Allen before, like that time in 2017 at Watkins Glen when Allen was off covering the World Athletics Championships.

And Diffey’s no stranger to the thrill of motorsports as well, having lent his voice to everything from MotoGP and Supercross to IMSA and rallycross across NBC’s platforms. While NBC kept mum when Sports Business Journal reached out for the scoop, NASCAR fans sure didn’t hold back on sharing their two cents about the switch-up.

The unacceptable new change for fans in the NBC booth

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As soon as the word got out about NBC shaking things up in their broadcast booth, NASCAR fans didn’t hold back their opinions online. Reactions spanned from the mild “Am I the only one that doesn’t like this?” to more critical takes like “Oh my, will there be whining,” and “Damn, was Dale the only reason Rick Allen had a job for as long as he did? Makes you wonder if he’s moving to Amazon/TNT as well.”

One fan was straight-up about the new unwanted vibe in NASCAR’s booth, saying, “Diff in the booth for NASCAR would be great too!” while another couldn’t hide their disappointment, saying, “Oh no… Never imagined NBC would attempt to outduel FOX for the worst broadcast coverage but here we are… I miss Dale Jr. already.” 

And there were those who weren’t keen on adjusting to Diffey’s accent, commenting, “Another broadcaster we can’t understand with his accent That’s why it can squire and the others are Australians are not doing American NASCAR races or anything with American speaking people.”

Without Dale Jr, NBC Posed for a Major NASCAR Broadcast Booth Shuffle After the Olympics

Someone even joked about possibly Dale Jr’s reaction, “Jr has to be laughing his b*tt off.” Critiques of NBC’s lineup included jabs like, “NBC really did assemble a booth with the most annoying voices lol,” “not a fan of this change @NBCSports,” and “Who? Losing @DaleJr takes them from being the top of the mountain to not even on the hill… trash.”

One fan bluntly stated, “Don’t like NBC doing NASCAR.” So, what’s your take on Leigh Diffey stepping into the spotlight? Keen to give him a listen, or are you missing the old crew already?