"Sorry to disappoint you": NASCAR veteran broadcaster shuts down fan questioning his American status with 'proud' reply

NASCAR's play-by-play announcer on NBC, Leigh Diffey, made a pointed reply when a fan on social media questioned his American status. He is a well‑known voice in motorsports broadcasting, who began his career in Australia as a physical education teacher.

Diffey turned to commentary at age 19 and moved to the United States in 2003 to work for Speed Channel. He got US citizenship in 2011 and joined NBC in 2013 when it acquired Formula One rights.

Diffey responded to criticism after a fan commented on his post:

"Hey Lee, any chance NBC fires you and we get an American back in the booth? To me this is a bigger issue than the playoff debate. Big fan plz reply," a user wrote on X (now deleted).

"Proudly been a US citizen for 14 years mate … sorry to disappoint you," Diffey wrote.

Screenshot via X (@leighdiffey)

Diffey's debut as a NASCAR commentator came in 2015. He covered Xfinity Series races and then made his Cup Series Hot Pass debut at Homestead‑Miami. Since then, he has served as NBC's lead play‑by‑play announcer for NASCAR.

Criticism has followed Diffey in recent years. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he hastily declared Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson the winner of the men's 100m dash, only for photo‑finish review to award the gold to American Noah Lyles.

Similarly, when Diffey was confirmed as NBC's Cup Series lead commentator last year, some NASCAR fans were disappointed at the broadcasting network for replacing Rick Allen after the 2024 Summer Olympics.

"I feel very fortunate to have this accidental career": Leigh Diffey talks about his shift to NASCAR commentary

Leigh Diffey's commentary career was born out of his local motorcycle club. During a recent episode of Bring the Heat with Trey Lyle, he explained that he raced motorcycles from about age six until he was sixteen. He did not even dream of broadcasting and studied education to become a PE teacher.

A local club asked him to do public address commentary because he knew the riders, which led to more opportunities, and he eventually switched his career to broadcasting.

"I went down the the commentary road, but I didn't grow up dreaming of that," Leigh Diffey said.

"When I was still at college, the local motorcycle club just asked me if I wanted to do some public address commentary cuz I knew all the competitors, that was everybody I grew up with. And, so I fell into it and it just, kind of, it just grew from there. And, so I feel very fortunate to have this accidental career and still be going all these years later," he added.

Diffey will return to the booth for the 23rd NASCAR Cup Series race of the season at Iowa Speedway this weekend.