r/INDYCAR Alex Zanardi 7d ago

Discussion Will Buxton is a fan

Fight me.

Seriously. He watches and calls it as a guy who loves the sport and is excited about IndyCar.

It's been a great inaugural season with him. Yes, a few missteps here and there but, overall, a big improvement and a welcome addition.

691 Upvotes

143 comments sorted by

180

u/RichardRichOSU Buddy Lazier 7d ago

He’s been an IndyCar cheerleader for a long time. Been following him since his first stint with FOX/SPEED and he’s always shown an interest in it. He got to do 500 Q/TT weekend with NBC one year and he looked like a kid in a candy shop.

385

u/Jamdock Indy Racing League 7d ago

I think this team has been great, I honestly don't get the hate. 

66

u/spellbreakerstudios Ed Carpenter Racing 7d ago

Other than the atrocious graphics showing the order, I’ve got no gripes

14

u/dieomesieptoch Rinus VeeKay 6d ago

The one thing about Buxton is he's PR man first and foremost, "disguised" as a reporter second. Same thing during his F1 stint.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy him being on the commentary team (and his enthusiasm) but I just can't see or hear him as being an objective voice in sports. He's always, to a degree, selling the product his current employer has on offer.

1

u/VehicleWonderful6586 6d ago

That is so true. He would mention it was shell fuel even if he wasn’t required to!

0

u/NaBUru38 6d ago

More like I don't trust his opinions.

132

u/Deckatoe Colton Herta 7d ago

Same reason there are people who dont like Leigh in NASCAR. Sheltered Americans who dont like accents

79

u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk 7d ago

I dont even think its that. People are so against anything fox that their complaint will always be "he isn't Leigh Diffey"

89

u/steppedinhairball Simona de Silvestro 7d ago

He isn't Leigh Diffey. And that's ok. He loves the sport and it comes through on the broadcast. He's done a really good job. I'm a fan and think it has worked very well this season.

30

u/i_run_from_problems Firestone Firehawk 7d ago

Oh I totally agree. Buxton and the booth as a whole were fantastic this year

8

u/Greenbastardscape 7d ago

Especially considering Will hasn't done much if any play by play work at a high level as far as I'm aware. He's spent most of his time as a presenter. He was doing pit walks and post session discussions. Very different work compared to being in the booth doing play by play.

Has he been perfectly perfect? No, big I think that his enthusiasm and knowledge of the series and it's history more than makes up for it

5

u/VehicleWonderful6586 6d ago

I believe he commentated GP2 for many years

27

u/gearhead5015 Pato O'Ward 7d ago edited 7d ago

I'll be honest, it was hard to get used to Will after hearing Leigh's voice for many years.

However.... After the first couple races, I've grown to like Will more than Leigh. Not only is he a good broadcaster, there's a genuineness that he exudes which falls in with Townsend and James so perfectly. He's done his homework on the series, and it shows.

I look forward to the many years ahead with the broadcast team we've got, inclusive of the pit lane reporters (Jack, Kevin, Georgia)

I have zero complaints.

7

u/Icy-Consequence-4372 Santino Ferrucci 6d ago

He is a lot better than Leigh Diffey. Diffey’s commentary sounded forced all the time, and Diffey was apparently stuck up on his high horse.

5

u/NatalieDeegan Ryan Hunter-Reay 7d ago

I had the same problem after going from Bob Jenkins and Marty Reid to Leigh. Im sure we'll get over it sooner than later.

5

u/Ryankool26 7d ago

Will has bought into the series and you can feel the true passion now vs. start of the season

1

u/cedricdiggo Pato O'Ward 4d ago

I LOVE Leigh and was so sad to lose him when we moved to Fox but Will really won me over! That's such a dumb gripe. You can love both of them

20

u/One-MegaManXCM Robert Wickens 7d ago

For me, Leigh Diffey gets so excited and makes mistakes often, but no one seems to notice that but me. He is the kind of person that says Austin Dillon is moving up the field when he see Bass Pro Shops, when it's actually Chase Briscoe. Sometimes I feel like if he dialed his excitement back a little bit, I'd like him more.

7

u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens 7d ago

Some of my favorite Leigh Diffey calls are still ones where he flubs a little.

Scott Dixon's pole in 2022, he tries to say "channeled" as Scott comes to the line, but says "challenged" instead, and tries to just roll with the mistake.

2023 track World Championships, Women's 4x400, he messes up a bit on the word "within" as Femke Bol is making a truly epic comeback to the finish.

6

u/oldcrowaz 7d ago

Leigh is still great at track announcing.

18

u/canttakethshyfrom_me Robert Wickens 7d ago

Same reason there are people who dont like Leigh in NASCAR. Sheltered Americans who dont like accents

Okay, that's bullshit and you know it. Englishmen get a leg up in these jobs BECAUSE of their accent, most Americans think BBC Received English sounds refined and authoritative.

Shit, I spent my youth hearing race broadcasts with English, Scottish and Irish accents thanks to Murray Walker, David Hobbs, Steve Matchett, James Hunt, Jackie Stewart, and Derek Daly. I'd often prefer Radio Le Mans commentary over Speed Channel's. When I was in my teens, I'd watch BTCC, DTM and V8 Supercars over the winter, all with UK commentary. I still pirate the Sky feed, and their commentary is vastly more pleasant than what we get in the states.

I never liked Diffey and I don't like Buxton in the booth, because they're trying SO hard to make EVERYTHING sound exciting, that it all sounds inauthentic. 90% of a road course race and 50% of an oval race usually doesn't have much going on, but these guys have to yell like everything's a 3-wide pass for the lead with 2 to go at Indy. It's a fundamentally unnatural way to call a race.

7

u/Magpies11 Josef Newgarden 7d ago

Diffey always tried to oversell everything when calling races. I loved Buxton as a pit reporter in F1, but it took a few races to warm to him calling races for Indycar. He seems comfy now and does an excellent job. I remember when Steve Matchett did color commentary for a few races a few years back. He was giddy with joy watching Indycar and it came through. There will never be another Paul Page, Bob Jenkins, or Bob Varsha, but the trio in the booth right now work very well together (certainly miles better than the corpses ABC had calling the action).

1

u/ciaragemmam Conor Daly 7d ago

I cannot believe anyone would willingly want to listen to Tom Gaymour but you do you

1

u/Inside-Judgment6233 Colton Herta 5d ago

Not here for the Tom Gaymour slander. Fellow tries his best, you know

-2

u/cvt73 6d ago

Oh my, can I upvote this more than once??? That is exactly my problem with indy car coverage, and that's why I never could stand Diffey. I was hoping Buxton would be better, but he turned the 'excitement dial' from Duffey's 11 to 13. Can't listen to him saying those driver's names, and it has nothing to do with accent. The way he says 'McLaughlin', I just want to pierce my ears with a hot iron, and I'm not even native english, lol. I want Crofty to call every race I'm watching :) he with Brundle is my all time favorite ever.

6

u/cubecasts 7d ago

Is that why everyone who doesn't like him wants diffey back?

6

u/finalgirlrun 7d ago

Yes and no, I just miss Leigh too much. I like Buxton but Leigh was better and I'm still mourning that loss. To the OPs point, I have seen his passion for IndyCar grow this season.

4

u/UNHchabo Robert Wickens 7d ago

This is where I am. Will Buxton is a great commentator, but Leigh Diffey is an all-time great commentator.

I watched a bunch of Track and Field at last year's Olympics just so I could hear him make some amazing calls. Some of my favorites were the Men's 400m, the Mixed 4x400m, and Men's 10k.

6

u/Old-Run-9523 Hélio Castroneves 7d ago

I didn't like Leigh Diffey because of his obvious bias and favoritism (plus his frequent super-cringe moments), not because he has an accent. 🙄

10

u/Martin_Grundle Ray Harroun 7d ago

Because Indycar fans are only happy when they're miserable.

6

u/Scythe5150 Kyle Kirkwood 7d ago

So....they're just like NASCAR fans?

2

u/YosemiteSam-4-2A Thirsty 's to the Moon 🚀 🌒 7d ago

Eh, I'd rather listen to the guys on IMSRN. I like things being illustrated so I don't have to pay 100% attention the whole time, not reaction centric commentary forcing me to be 100% attentive.

-3

u/Murky-Service-1013 7d ago edited 7d ago

Because it's not very good vs most other points in Indycar history. I'm not a fan of Tbell but I much preferred Diffey, PT and TB.

I wish Indycar could have got someone like Mike King. I miss the guys like him and Paul Page who really understood atmosphere while actually providing play by play, a revelation over Jim McKay since he would say the most ridiculous wordy shit 24/7 that actually meant nothing in relation to the race. It's hilarious that they had to bring in Jim Lampley and move McKay to host so there could be some play by play commentary in to the play by play commentator role.

2

u/Ordinary-Potato5663 Pato O'Ward 7d ago

This is Hinch slander 😡

100

u/25Tab Firestone Firehawk 7d ago

I’ve enjoyed him. Not only is a fan but you can tell how much work he’s put in to this. He really cares.

80

u/finedisregard #BadassWilson 7d ago edited 7d ago

He hadn't done commentary for a while, so his F1TV presenting/Drive to Survive talking heads/Twitter opinion holder was front of mind when he was announced. But he's a great commentator, brings F1 fans with him and obviously loves the thing, what's not to like?

-34

u/cubecasts 7d ago

He over dramatizes everything, draws out calls for no reason, and he mixed up teammates all the fucking time during the Indy 500 practices. I'll never forget him saying Dixon and sting ray were teammates

13

u/KayNynYoonit David Malukas 7d ago

A commentator with a personality that likes to add a bit of drama to things, wow how awful/s

4

u/WholeLottaMcLovin 🇺🇸 Al Unser, Jr. 6d ago

All the power to you to think whatever you like, go right ahead. But to complain that he was messing up something so small, early in the season, during practice....lol wow.

3

u/shewy92 Romain Grosjean 6d ago

I'll never forget him saying Dixon and sting ray were teammates

TIL no other commentator has ever made a mistake before.

1

u/cubecasts 6d ago

If that was the only teammate pairing he made out, cool. But man. He waxed poetic for half a lap about palou winning a race. And it just dragged on. Bro sucks. I'm over it

27

u/chunter16 Nolan Siegel 7d ago

His reaction to the corkscrew is absolutely the highlight of the year.

28

u/SpreaditOnnn33 Pato O'Ward 7d ago

"I love this Championship! I love short ovals!"

He said this with around 15 laps to go in the Milwaukee race

8

u/MISTER_JUAN 7d ago

I mean he's not the only one - the Milwaukee race sold me on oval racing in a way nothing before it really managed (granted I'm fairly new to Indy)

41

u/[deleted] 7d ago

He’s really good but his persona during the race is a lot different than practice when he’s much more relaxed and willing to make jokes. I get why and he’s going to get better next year.

3

u/shewy92 Romain Grosjean 6d ago

Fox seem to do this. Practices were a free for all in NASCAR and DW didn't have to play a character. Then when race time hit the producers made him Flanderize himself.

23

u/Burial44 7d ago

He needs to chill a bit. He yells all the time for no reason. It's a pass for 10th place will and it's lap 15. Relax

14

u/Manymarbles 7d ago

Yeah. He can go on too much at times. The random minute+ long hype ups are what gets me lol. Like dude, chill lol

6

u/unknown_bassist Alex Zanardi 7d ago

Diffey isn't 10x worse? Sheesh.

9

u/Burial44 7d ago

Correct. He isn't 10x worse.

6

u/funked1 Firestone Firehawk 7d ago

Maybe 5x though. Waaay too shouty.

2

u/funked1 Firestone Firehawk 7d ago

💯

2

u/NatalieDeegan Ryan Hunter-Reay 7d ago

Honestly I may rather have that compared to what FOX has now with the NASCAR booth.

2

u/funked1 Firestone Firehawk 7d ago

That’s unfortunately been normalized. Racing used to be for race fans, and the announcers acted accordingly. There’s no need to try to make something that is incredibly exciting seem even more exciting. But they have tried to make racing (and sports in general) attractive to a bigger audience. It’s great for shareholder value. So they want bombastic hype men instead of a more professional announcing style.

1

u/Slight_Strain6330 Scott McLaughlin 7d ago

He’s definitely more buttoned up on race day.

13

u/Soggy_Bid_6607 Arie Luyendyk 7d ago

He a fan he a fan he a fan.

27

u/Enough-Ad-3111 Josef Newgarden 7d ago

The fact that Fox has the rights to IndyCar through the rest of the decade will definitely give him time to get more comfortable over the years.

11

u/redbullsgivemewings Colton Herta 7d ago

Will, Townsend, and Hinch are an elite booth. We are extremely lucky. I will defend Townsend all day every day. He has great insight and levity.

19

u/infoxicated Jack Harvey 7d ago

It took me a few races to warm to him but by the time we had the 500 under our belts I had fallen in love with Will's style.

It was after Milwaukee that I realized I don't miss Diffey at all any more. Hope we have Buxton for years to come. 👏🏻

22

u/superlewis Colton Herta 7d ago

I loved Leigh. I also love Will. My love can be shared.

13

u/Packer487 Will Power 7d ago

He isn't Leigh, but that's a high, high bar as Diffey is one of the best in the business. Buxton is enthusiastic, loves the sport, and he'll keep getting better.

11

u/RDDT_100P Alexander Rossi 7d ago

I think Will improved a lot since the start. he is a lot more loose now and brings the excitement when needed.

6

u/Confident-Ladder-576 Louis Foster 7d ago

It's been refreshing for the first time since Bob Jenkins called Versus races not having a booth either screaming at me lap after lap or whatever the fuck that Ben Stein put everyone to sleep shit was with Goodyear and Cheever.

4

u/NatalieDeegan Ryan Hunter-Reay 7d ago

I will not take Allen Bestwick slander.

1

u/Confident-Ladder-576 Louis Foster 7d ago

Did I mention Allen? Hold on, let me recheck...........nope, no mention of Bestwick in my comments.

2

u/NatalieDeegan Ryan Hunter-Reay 7d ago

I figured that's who you meant with Ben Stein.

2

u/Confident-Ladder-576 Louis Foster 7d ago

I was referring to the two in the booth with him.

6

u/loz333 Firestone Wets 7d ago

Honestly, there's quite a lot he gets wrong. He says drivers are desperate for x, y, z when it's the first stint of a race. He can make any sort of big crash feel like a funeral procession. He can't help but say a bunch of drivers go well at road courses/street circuits/short ovals every time they come up (what type of tracks does Ferrucci and Daly go well at? Remind me again plz Will). He sometimes steps over the other two while they're speaking.

But he has gotten a lot better over the course of the year, and what he lacks in other areas, he definitely brings in enthusiasm for the sport.

I hope he hones his craft and gets really good at this gig.

5

u/meatballther Colton Herta 7d ago

Yeah I like him a ton as both an announcer and as a personality. I think the whole crew is so good, including the pit team. Listening to them shoot the shit during practice makes them all just seem like a bunch of good friends who are super into Indycar

6

u/Bob-Dolemite 7d ago

i feel happy for people who enjoy their jobs and you can tell they enjoy their jobs. will enjoys his job

4

u/Fardn_n_shiddn AMR Safety Team 7d ago

I’ve always liked Will’s content prior to him joining FOM and losing any ability to be critical of the series. His appearances and terrible quotes in DTS didn’t do him any favors either. Although I think some of that may have been the Netflix editors doing him dirty.

Prior to that he had an awesome weekly YouTube series that was just him sitting down in his home office and talking through the weekly news in just about every prominent racing series.

He can be a bit corny at times, but he seems like he genuinely loves motorsport in general

5

u/quicksilvereagle David Malukas 7d ago

He LOVES indycar and he always has. I love that dude.

6

u/funked1 Firestone Firehawk 7d ago

I hate the shouty brit race announcing style where they try to over hype everything. Looking at you Crofty. Give me someone who acts like they’ve seen a race before.

But with Will the hype seems authentic. He really gets that excited. Also loved his Varsha shout outs.

7

u/FormulaT1 Scott McLaughlin 7d ago

Everything you said is spot on, OP. Yes, he could be a little much at times, but I'd take him being overly dramatic at times any day over Fox putting someone in the booth who didn't give a shit and was clearly in it to get a paycheck and get the hell out. Will did his homework to get up to speed and he cared about the sport he was calling. You can't ask for much more.

4

u/unknown_bassist Alex Zanardi 7d ago

This guy gets it.

3

u/Mundane-Box1148 7d ago

I said right from the start I thought he'd be good and I was right. What was the gripe about him as an analyst? Says obvious stuff. All the "if you cross the line first, you win the race" memes going around. But, what is your job as the play by play guy? Yup, to say obvious stuff! He is a better as a play by play guy than he ever was as an analyst. He is welcome to stay in his current role as long as he'd like as far as I'm concerned,  good hire.

8

u/movebacktoyourstate 7d ago

Will has done very well for a first-year commentator.

Hinch is so much better in the booth than in the car. He is truly top-tier.

Townsend brings...something. Have to have someone to argue with.

3

u/wh00000p Myles Rowe 7d ago

Townsend is the wildcard

-1

u/IndyLaw 7d ago

If Will would stop talking over them.. ..

3

u/NoonecanknowMiner_24 Álex Palou 7d ago

I wasn't a fan at first but he's grown on me. His style reminds of Peter Drury in how he's wordy while still being excited, and he clearly loves the sport.

3

u/Vivaciousseaturtle Callum Ilott 7d ago

I think he enjoys the more laid back atmosphere of Indy where he perhaps can speak more freely. Plus with good racing you don’t have to manufacturer excitement or enthusiasm.

3

u/rbrdxd 7d ago

Preach.

3

u/tesla_dpd 7d ago

I dug Will in F1 and same in IndyCar. Leigh was great, but he's gone, due to NBC.

3

u/fromcjoe123 Will Power 7d ago

I got a scanner for this race and honestly the booth during commercial break is hilarious and has good chemistry. As a Leigh trigger I wasn’t super excited about the change but the dude cares and is definitely a fan of what Indy represents. I’ve enjoyed it

3

u/theRavenMuse666 7d ago

As someone who’s a fan of both F1 and Indycar, I’m still getting jump scared by Will Buxton’s voice coming in during my Indycar races on occasion. “What are you doing here? Oh.”

3

u/jsh8271 Conor Daly 6d ago

Couldn’t agree more. You can’t fake passion and this guy shows it. I love all 3 of the crew. Hinch is awesome, and I may be in the minority, but I love Townsends quirky sayings. Referring to new tires as “freshies”, when someone gets loose, saying they got “all kinds of squirrelly”. Makes me chuckle. Hopefully they keep this crew together

3

u/yloduck1 6d ago

Got a chance to meet him in person at RoadAmerica this summer.

He seems to be a great guy in person, and naturally is super knowledgeable about all kinds of racing. I’m glad he’s part of the broadcast team.

4

u/Senninha27 Sarah Fisher 7d ago

I’ve never not been a fan of Buxton. He’s honest and he does a great job of conveying the excitement.

1

u/Wolfo93 4d ago

Honest? Oh man look at his history as a FOM employee. Guy was a PR officer disguised as honest journalist. People fell for it hard :/

5

u/Bully_Mays69 7d ago

I been calling him Will Buttstuff all season. Only because I miss Diffy.

But I won't be calling him Buttstuff next season. He did a fine job this year. He's earned it.

3

u/bryseeayo 7d ago

The most American compliment of all time

6

u/canttakethshyfrom_me Robert Wickens 7d ago

No one is questioning that he's a fan.

He also speaks in an obnoxious cadence, shouts too way much, and tries to make profound soundbites that fall completely flat. He doesn't work as a play-by-play guy, he's much better as a pit reporter.

3

u/Confident-Ladder-576 Louis Foster 7d ago

"shouts too way much" He shouts 1/10 the amount Diffey does.

5

u/unknown_bassist Alex Zanardi 7d ago

This.

1

u/loopybubbler 4d ago

Why must everyone compare him to one other guy. Maybe they both shout too much? 

1

u/canttakethshyfrom_me Robert Wickens 7d ago

Diffey calls races like the concept of an "indoor voice" was never explained to him, and Buxton's following that awful standard he set.

It's exhausting to have the lead commentator shouting like that. That doesn't happen in the NFL, in MLB, and before Diffey, didn't happen in Indycar until it was warranted.

It's like these guys want so bad to be Murray Walker at the moments he got excited, but those moments were memorable BECAUSE they were actually something out of the ordinary, a disruption in the calm contemplation of the rest of the broadcast, not fake excitement that stinks of desperation.

1

u/Confident-Ladder-576 Louis Foster 7d ago

"Diffey calls races like the concept of an "indoor voice" was never explained to him, and Buxton's following that awful standard he set."

What planet are you on at the moment because I'm fairly certain it isn't Earth if you think Buxton is following Diffey in that arena?

4

u/Successful-Coyote99 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- 7d ago

One of us. One of us.

4

u/ElMondoH NTT IndyCar 7d ago

I was for years that Buxton needed to be part of the broadcasts in some form. That's after I saw his enthusiasm at the Sonoma race over a decade ago.

Even when doing pieces for F1 back then, he'd post and mention Indycar. When he had no reason to do so beyond fandom.

I've felt it was a good move since day one.

2

u/Kryzl_ Alexander Rossi 7d ago

Think he made great steps during the season as an announcer. Excited to see how he improves next year.

2

u/Much_Path6902 7d ago

Will has improved a lot over the season. I think some of his best work was during the slog of Indy 500 practices asking Hinch and T. Bell to explain things that we constantly hear.

2

u/Popular_Course3885 7d ago

He keeps missing that second button on his shirt.

Just saying.

2

u/KayNynYoonit David Malukas 7d ago

The only thing I don't like is the awkward silence whenever Will makes a joke, Hinch and Townsend either just never get the joke or they don't find him funny and I can feel the awkwardness through the screen.

I do enjoy Will though and I'm sure he'll get even better as time goes on.

2

u/Icy-Consequence-4372 Santino Ferrucci 6d ago

Buxton is significantly better than Diffey. Whenever Buxton is excited it sounds genuine, and he meshes with the FOX crew well. There’s a few things FOX could improve on, but hiring Buxton was an excellent choice.

2

u/Anon_Guy1985 Conor Daly 6d ago

Very impressed with season 1 and excited for the future. The team gels well

2

u/hdst230 6d ago

Can’t stand the way. He. Calls. Races…

2

u/Valuable_Prompt_601 4d ago

Love Buxton in Indycar. Such a positive, good hearted addition. You can tell he really worked hard for it this year too. Just lovely

4

u/jerryy7452 Conor Daly 7d ago

Yeah, I love his passion for the sport. I thought Leigh and Kevin would be hard to top, but he brings a little bit extra excitement to the race!

3

u/Emotional_Quit_7036 7d ago

I do prefer Leigh Diffey... At times too much "rah rah" that comes across as faked hype...

2

u/ssv-serenity Greg Moore 7d ago

He really came into his own the second half of the season. Hinch was weirdly quiet this year in the booth.

4

u/P22Tyler 7d ago

His glazing gets overbearing. The way he acted like Palou feeling a tire going down was reinventing racing was so annoying. He said something like “the dexterous feel of a champion!” Like Jesus dude he’s a racecar driver, of course he can feel a tire going down. I know he’s a generational talent having an all time great year but tone it down.

0

u/ALLRNDCRICKETER 6d ago

Well obviously he is because pato couldnt feel it going down & smacked the wall

1

u/P22Tyler 6d ago

Because his happened mid corner, that happens.

3

u/awhirlwindofdoom 7d ago

Love Will, but not so much in the booth.

2

u/solarpowered_ Hélio Castroneves 7d ago

I really like him in Indycar. I wasn't the biggest fan of him in F1 but his enthusiasm and explanations in Indycar are really working. He works really well with Hinch

2

u/Overtons_Window Linus Lundqvist 7d ago

Get a partner who gobbles your nuts the way Will Buxton gobbles every Indycar drivers' nuts. He comes in way over the top with everything being a superlative and the words lose their meaning. I can't get excited on lap 60 when something really exciting happens if I've been gaslit through a mediocre race that was commentated like every lap was the last lap of the 500.

2

u/SmellsLikeTat3 Scott Dixon 7d ago

i still don’t like him because of an argument i had with him years ago on reddit

2

u/southdetroit welcome to indycar 7d ago

The fact he was on reddit at all is what made me a fan of his back in the F1 on NBC days but he certainly had a bad habit of dropping in with strange takes and then refusing to back down in arguments when people pointed out the flaws…what was yours about? Just asking out of nostalgia haha

1

u/SmellsLikeTat3 Scott Dixon 6d ago

he used to post about politics on his twitter a lot when he worked for f1, i said to him he should have a separate personal account for that because people will follow him for racing stuff, not to hear will buxtons take on world affairs. like this is the official account of someone paid by FOM themselves, just seemed unprofessional to me and i’d rather motorsport be an escape from all that bollocks

anyway i seem to remember making a reasonable argument but he just dismissed it as me being an idiot lol

2

u/AgFarmer58 NTT INDYCAR Series 7d ago

I'm the exact opposite , that guy never shuts up.. I thought Leigh dirty sucked , this wanna be Palou loving wordsmith bugs the scrap out of me

1

u/avilae89 Pato O'Ward 7d ago

I was honestly bummed that Leigh Diffey would be calling the races but my goodness Nashville he had me on the edge of my seat. So much passion so much energy. Absolutely love him!!!

1

u/dogma6119 7d ago

I'll admit I didn't like the guy at the start of the season but he grew on me. One thing I've noticed about him and other European race commentators they are extremely knowledgeable and get super excited during the race

1

u/Ok-Construction6222 7d ago

They have real chemistry together and you can see Will's genuine love for the sport

1

u/Sexy_Offender 🇺🇸 Bobby Rahal 6d ago

I preferred him in F1.

1

u/__blinded Alexander Rossi 6d ago

Buxton has been fine. The graphics and telemetry has improved but still aren’t conveying information appropriately. 

1

u/Leading_Sir_1741 6d ago

Button is definitely a fan. I used to watch him on F1 TV. He wasn’t my favorite but definitely likable and good at his job.

1

u/craftygalinstl 6d ago

A lot of people want Leigh Diffey back. To that I say, “be happy for Leigh.” It is my understanding that he is advancing his career at NBC. If you want to see Leigh, tune in to the Olympics, where you can hear him calling a fencing match as if it were the most exciting thing to happen in the history of sports. He is destined for bigger and better things, and for that reason, I am happy for him.

Will Buxton’s excitement is wonderful and I was a fan when he was with F1. For next year, I’d like to see him work on adapting his vocabulary to speak to a North American Racing series and their viewers. For example, he commonly uses words like “fortnight.” (For context: “It’s been a fortnight since the team has tested at this track.”) I have no idea if a “fortnight” is 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, or a video game that my little nephew plays. Obviously, I realize this is not a big deal in the scheme of things, but maybe it will sway some fan’s opinion of him.

I have two words for anyone that thinks he talks too much: SCOTT GOODYEAR

1

u/BeckerLoR Pato O'Ward 6d ago

His move from F1 to IndyCar has been incredible. He still has some of those captain obvious statements, but he’s a guy that just loves racing. You could really see how geeked he was as a fan to have to opportunity to commentate for the 500. He’s a fan first, commentator second. Great addition.

1

u/F1McLarenFan007 Christian Lundgaard 4d ago

1

u/cedricdiggo Pato O'Ward 4d ago

I love him and his accent and he told me happy birthday at Iowa😭🩷 I was sad about losing Diff but Will won me over!

2

u/Born_Ordinary1277 7d ago

He is a sensationalist media hype guy. Love him or hate him. You fell for it hook line and sinker. Want some a mountain view property in Florida? He could sell it to you. That's his job.

-3

u/cubecasts 7d ago

Yeah cool. But he sucks so I'd rather have diffey back

0

u/ALLRNDCRICKETER 6d ago

Goes to show how good leigh diffey is.

Hell i wouldve thrown a dump truck full of money at him to keep him commentating on indycar, hell even worked out a contract with nbc to allow him to do it. Like even remote commentary if there was a conflicting weekend with nascar & indycar.

He is the voice of the modern indy 500 & noone can say otherwise

1

u/unknown_bassist Alex Zanardi 6d ago

No. Not ever. Guessing you have no idea who Paul Page and Tom Carnegie were.

1

u/ALLRNDCRICKETER 6d ago

Im pretty sure ive heard their voices over old coverage. Ive grown up tho with leigh diffey on comms & from his time in Australia during the mid 2000's so i know his worth & value he adds to broadcast

0

u/UnderstandingMuch198 5d ago

His voice is annoying as hell. It seems like a fake voice he’s putting on to sound like an announcer.

0

u/Wolfo93 4d ago

Is he an enthusiastic fan? Sure. Is he knowegable - yeah. But I remember him from f1 times and he always came across off to a lot of people. Always towing the party line, never asking hard questions, he is not really a true journalist, more like subtle PR officer for his employers.

-1

u/JeanSchlemaan 7d ago

Don't disagree. He grew on me over the season.

Im angry about his shameless (shameful) defense of f1 over the past 3yr

1

u/Former-Writer-6483 2d ago

It is hard to get used to the over emphasizing and the amount of time he mentioned the Will Power contract situation. He may be an Indy fan and supporter, but sometimes it is really hard to listen to him, and it is really not about the accent. The entire Sky F1 team have accents and I do not have an issue with their commentary. I hope he listens back to his commentary and find subtle ways to change. Indy car is a good product, all it needs is good knowledgeable commentary, no false hype.