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Long time NASCAR lead announcer for NBC Rick Allen could be on his way out of the Cup Series broadcasting booth in the second half of the 2024 season.
Rick Allen joined the NASCAR booth in 2015. Previously a Truck Series announcer for Fox Sports, Allen made the big move nearly a decade ago, joining the NBC team of Jeff Burton and Brad Daugherty. Ever since, the 54-year-old has been a staple of NBC's broadcasting team.
However, according to a latest report from Sports Business Journal (SBJ), Allen could be stepping out of NBC's Cup Series booth following the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The move could be an attempt on NBC's behalf to shuffle things up when they take over broadcasting rights from Fox later this season.
According to Fox Sports and NBC's 50/50 deal with NASCAR, both networks get broadcasting rights for the Cup, Xfinity and Truck races for half the season each. With Fox currently airing the first half of the season, NBC are set to take over with 20 races remaining.
It has been reported by SBJ that Rick Allen could be replaced by former play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey following the conclusion of the Summer Olympics.
Rick Allen to continue calling Xfinity Series races for NBC
It is to be noted that while NBC plans to shuffle things up with its Cup Series booth, no plans have yet been put forth for Allen to be replaced in NASCAR's secondary competition, the Xfinity Series.
Looking ahead to NBC's plans beyond 2024, details remain unclear. While Allen is certain to remain a part of the team's Xfinity booth, a certainty around its Cup Series broadcasting team is absent at the time of writing.
Despite NBC's long-term deal with NASCAR, spanning from 2025 to 2031, NBC is in no rush to finalize their broadcast booth arrangements. This could be attributed to the fact that their involvement in the 2025 season is still over a year away, courtesy of NASCAR's 50/50 deal with both Fox Sports and NBC.
It is to be noted that Rick Allen's ties with Leigh Diffey run deep. Allen, a relatively new face within the NBC booth back in 2016, joined the IndyCar Series on NBC's broadcast team for select Verizon IndyCar Series events. During this time, Allen filled in for regular IndyCar play-by-play announcer Diffey, who was occupied with NBC's Formula One coverage.
