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

Published 03/13/2024, 1:44 PM EDT

Dale Sr was a true legend in American motorsport. Following in his footsteps, Dale Earnhardt Jr also carved out a place for himself in racing, albeit with added flavor. After snagging the 2014 Cup Series Championship, Dale Jr created a Twitter account for the first time. It was a small step that soon ballooned into a gigantic media empire where he lent his voice and experience to talk about racing.

Dale Jr’s voice also forayed into the broadcasting booth on NASCAR race tracks. His iconic “Slide Job!” commentary at the Chicagoland race in 2019 cemented his stature as an exemplary NBC sports commentator. However, every good thing has an end, as Dale Jr announced his departure from NBC this year. NBC is currently trying to fill up the gaping hole that Dale left in their fold.

NBC trying to adjust after Dale Earnhardt Jr’s exit

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After a legend leaves an organization, things are no longer the same. The same can be inferred from NBC Sport’s current scenario. Operations are undergoing as usual, but the glaring absence is too hard to not take notice of. Dale Earnhardt Jr announced his exit from the media giant early this year. He planned to “take this season off and then resume his broadcasting career in 2025.” He is going to work for “racing newcomers Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.”

However, NBC is gearing up for this year’s coverage nonetheless. There will be a switch in its ranks. Lead announcer Ricky Allen will call only the Cup Series races through the Olympic Games. After that, Leigh Diffey will take over his role and report on the Cup races for the remainder of the 2024 season. Diffey will replace Allen either at the August 18th race in Michigan or the August 24th race at Daytona.

Australian-American Leigh Diffey is a versatile commentator. He has called races across disciplines ranging from NASCAR to F1, MotoGP, Supercross, IMSA, and rallycross in addition to track and field. Diffey has also ventured outside motorsports, having called the Olympics at the 2020 Tokyo Games. His Olympics stint will continue this year as well, taking part in the Summer Games in Paris from July 26th.

Back to the NASCAR world. Dale Earnhardt Jr may have left NBC, but he is still upholding their reputation.

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Dale Jr defies rumors about possible reasons for his NBC exit

Recently, a rumor made the rounds on Reddit. Fans aimed their guns at NBC, which was apparently making Dale Earnhardt Jr broadcast races remotely from their Charlotte studio. Dale Jr was against this idea as he preferred on-track broadcasting, as he said in a recent episode of Dale Jr Download, “I’m gonna react if I see something happening that’s not on the screen. I don’t think that’s a rule that I’m gonna abide by.”

However, Dale Jr laid the rumors to rest by releasing a statement. “This is all untrue,” he tweeted. “NBC is not considering a remote booth and I was never scolded for anything. NBC was amazing and everyone there taught me a ton. I promise that’s the truth. Nothing but respect and love for everyone there that I came in contact with.”

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He may have left NBC, but Dale Earnhardt Jr will take his unmatched personality to whichever media company he joins.

NASCAR Insider Unearths Low-Maintenance Friend Dale Jr’s Contagious Excitement and Influence on People’s Accent

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Written by:

Sumedha Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports who is known for her in-depth track analysis as well as her lifestyle coverage of Cup drivers like Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. Inspired by the Kiwi's journey so far, Sumedha has also written pieces on Shane Van Gisbergen, predicting how the Supercars Champion would do in the new and unfamiliar American setting. Pairing her research skills with her vast experience as a writer, Sumedha creates stories her readers can easily get lost in.

Edited by:

Shreya Singh

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

NBC trying to adjust after Dale Earnhardt Jr’s exit

Dale Jr defies rumors about possible reasons for his NBC exit

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