Leigh Diffey has called his final IndyCar race. The Australian, who moved to America more than 20 years ago to accept a new opportunity to call Champ Car races, became a staple as the host and leader of NBC’s IndyCar commentary team, the modern era’s defining voice.
And with the series’ upcoming move to FOX and Diffey’s re-assignment to lead NBC’s NASCAR broadcasts confirmed earlier this week, the IndyCar paddock — his longtime home — took time on Friday in Portland to speak with RACER about their friend.
Roger Penske: “We want to thank Leigh Diffey for his passion, his preparation and his professionalism over the course of more than two decades calling IndyCar races. Leigh has done an amazing job over the years as the voice of our sport and his knowledge, his wit and his colorful commentary have helped bring fans closer to the action. While we will certainly miss seeing Leigh around the paddock, he will always be a part of the IndyCar family and we wish him all the best for the future.”
Alex Palou: “He came with, ‘Hello Palou!’ He’s a great voice. He’s one of those people that makes IndyCar feel like a family. He’ll be missed, but hopefully he’ll be back calling our races.”
David Malukas: “Pretty early on, when I was fresh in the paddock, Leigh was actually one of the first to come talk to me. He said some really good, nice words to me and welcomed me to the paddock. And anytime I watch the replays, he was always a little bit on my side, which made me feel really good. And then in Iowa, his last IndyCar race, I met up with him and had a little bit of a ‘bro’ moment, hugged each other. It was really nice. It’s gonna be sad not having him here. That voice is ingrained in my brain.”
Josef Newgarden: “I think Leigh’s world class, as most I think do. He’s really excellent at what he does, and what I like is Leigh’s passion. You can tell he really loves sport and he loves the moment. You’ve always seen the energy in Leigh’s voice when big things are happening, and I think it’s very authentic for Leigh. I don’t think he’s putting that on, kind of like Helio Castroneves, where it’s not an act. That’s Helio. That’s how I feel about Leigh. And he’s just been one of the best that I’ve seen do it. It’s really cool to have been around in his time so far in IndyCar. I hope it’s not the last. And I’m always impressed by his…I’ve heard stories about Leigh, and it seems like he’s able to, regardless of the night before or whatever’s happening at any party, he can just show up and crush his job, which is a unique skill set.”
Alexander Rossi: “In my time, he’s been by far the best announcer that we had in the series, and he’ll be missed. It obviously makes sense with IndyCar changing networks; he’s been the NBC guy for forever, but I’ll miss him not calling our races. I think what he does, and everything he does, is 10 out of 10. It’s a shame that he’s the loss in all this.”
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Colton Herta: “Leigh’s been amazing. And I have a little bit of a weird thing with Leigh; where he lives in Connecticut, he lives right next door to and goes into my girlfriend’s mom’s brother’s running shop all the time. So they know each other. My family knows him from that and I know him from IndyCar. So it’s a little bit of a weird thing, but it’s awesome, and he’s been amazing to IndyCar and to watch him, listen to him on the Olympics and in all sorts of different racing, I feel like every time I turn the TV on for sports, I hear him talking. We’re gonna miss him dearly. I hope at some point that he can come back, because I think he does an awesome job for us.”
Scott McLaughlin: “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. 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.”
Graham Rahal: “When I think about Leigh, all I think about is he’s a first-class dude. The second is he’s super passionate about IndyCar racing. He cares about this sport to a level that perhaps nobody else did. For everything that he’s done, he’s a great voice who, for people, is synonymous with IndyCar racing. But I’m not going to sit and say it’s the last either, because I always believe that somehow things can change. We’re going off to FOX, and he’s an NBC boy today, but you don’t know what the future has in store, right?”
Will Power: “I was glad I was a part of his tenure in IndyCar. 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.’ 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.”