NASCAR’s New Commentator Caught in Olympic Controversy

What’s Happening?

Sunday’s Men’s 100M Final at the Paris Olympics had a photo finish for the record books. In a year with close finishes in almost every form of racing, such as NASCAR, many would take comfort knowing that Leigh Diffey, former voice of IndyCar on NBC and soon-to-be the voice of NASCAR on NBC, was on the call. However, the close nature of the finish stirred up drama for the long-time broadcaster.

• To some, the Men’s 100M is considered the premiere event at the Olympics. The close finishes and intensity of the race tends to excite not only sports fans but those who tend to watch just the Olympics. Entering the race, many favored Kishane Thompson of Jamaica to win, with USA runner Noah Lyles a close second.
• With an event like the Olympics, NBC Sports goes all out with coverage. This includes assembling a team of some of the world’s premiere Play-by-Play broadcasters. One member of this team is six-time Olympic broadcaster Leigh Diffey. Diffey, a long-time motorsports announcer in his second stint as the Olympic Track and Field announcer, was on the call for the race.
• After the Olympics conclude, Diffey will soon be the lead Play-by-Play for NASCAR on NBC. After a multi-year run from Rick Allen, this is set to shake up NASCAR’s broadcasting booths before the official start of the sport’s new TV contract.

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Diffey began the race with his typical energy and excitement, setting up the finish to catch the eyes and ears of anyone near a TV. With the race close at the finish, Diffey, like many, thought Kishane Thompson had won. However, the immediate reaction of the runners showed that not even they knew who crossed the line first.

The replays at home and in the stadium showed that Team USA’s Noah Lyles had won the race. After a long pause filled with stadium sound, Diffey recovered the call, exclaiming that Lyles had won.

It had been 20 years since an American had won the Men’s 100M. While many Team USA fans were excited, some took issue with Diffey’s call despite the close visual nature of the finish and the need for High-Speed cameras to see a slight movement that won Lyles the gold.

While some fans, including race fans, took the defensive side for Diffey.

Despite the heat, Diffey has approached the call with the same grace and humility race fans have come to know him for.

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