With Leigh Diffey committed to a long-term contract with NBC that will feature his talents in NASCAR and track & field, the remaining members of NBC Sports’ broadcast booth for the NTT IndyCar Series are hoping to follow the open-wheel championship to its new television partner when FOX takes over in 2025.
No announcements have been made regarding IndyCar on FOX’s booth or pit lane rosters, but the trio leading the remainder of NBC’s IndyCar events say they’d welcome a chance to continue with the series owned by Penske Entertainment.
“I’m freelance, so I’m always available,” Kevin Lee, who took over leading IndyCar broadcasts from Diffey, told RACER. “And even my current deal with NBC could allow me to work for other networks. What I would love to do is to continue IndyCar with FOX and then do the endurance races in IMSA with NBC.”
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A staple in IndyCar television and radio broadcasts for decades, the Indianapolis-based Lee is among the most familiar voices for IndyCar fans. The same is true for driver analyst James Hinchcliffe, whose commentary career began in the 2000s in Champ Car while the Canadian was working his way up the open-wheel ladder.
With his use in IndyCar by NBC and regular presence on Formula 1 broadcasts on behalf of the series, Hinchliffe is in high demand, and like Lee, he’d love to keep the band together.
“It’s safe to say I’ve had an absolute blast commentary IndyCar for the last three years and getting to work with everyone at NBC has been a true privilege,” Hinchcliffe said. “I love IndyCar racing. I’ve always loved IndyCar racing. I would love to still be involved in IndyCar racing. We’ve certainly been in contact with people from FOX, and we hope to continue those conversations and see where things go.”
Hinchcliffe’s fellow driver analyst Townsend Bell echoed his boothmate’s sentiment.
“I love the job and would love an opportunity to continue doing what I’ve been refining for the last 20 years,” Bell said. “I have a lot of respect for the FOX people — I’ve worked with them closely on the Fort Lauderdale and Miami Boat shows over the last few years, which is a passionate side project of mine. I know the folks well and I’ve been in contact with them, but they have a process that they’ve got to work through.
“But I’ve got a lot of respect for what they’ve done, both in motorsports and on the NFL side and everything else they do. I got my broadcasting start with SPEED, aka FOX, way back when in 2004 when David Hobbs had a few conflicts. That’s where it started for me.”