NBC Sports confirmed this week that Diffey would be its lead play-by-play announcer for the remainder of this year’s NASCAR Cup Series.
Even before the announcement, it was expected Diffey would switch series. However, there was no swansong for Diffey at Iowa Speedway where he called his final IndyCar race.
Following confirmation of his series switch, some of the most high-profile IndyCar personalities have paid tribute to the Australian commentator.
“I was glad I was a part of his tenure in IndyCar,” Diffey told Racer.
“He called my last race win at Iowa, which was his last race, which is really cool.
“And I actually thought of that before that race: ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if I won the race? Leigh’s last race he did. That’ll be a nice memory for me there of Leigh.’
“I’m gonna miss that voice. He used to call races at Echo Valley in Toowoomba, where I’m from. Two guys from little racing circles in Australia that made it here in America. It’s pretty cool.
“We’re gonna miss him.”
Scott McLaughlin, who moved to the United States in 2022 to pursue an IndyCar career with Team Penske, said Diffey was a familiar face for the Kiwi when he moved.
“When I first started dating my wife, when she was in New York and I’d come across from Down Under, I would see her, but I’d actually always try and catch up at dinner with Leigh and a guy named David White in town in New York,” said McLaughlin.
“And it was funny; we talked about back then, like, 2017, 2018, 2019, about me coming to IndyCar or coming to America. And then for it to happen and then for him to be a part of the start of my American journey is amazing.
“He’s a dear friend of mine and a great announcer. For sure, we’re going to miss him, but I’m very excited for him. The NASCAR opportunity is unreal.”
Diffey will call his first NASCAR Cup Series race of 2024 at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday. That race gets underway at 9:30am AEST.
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