Question: What did you think about Bruton Smith’s idea of blacking out races in local markets if the events are not sold out?
David Hill: I thought it was total bull… It just upset me. The fans have made Bruton a multi-billionaire. What he in effect was saying was, ‘Well, I don’t want the fans who can’t come and pay my money to watch the racing in Charlotte.’ I thought he had absolutely turned his back on the fans to do that.
Question: What about your announcing team?
David Hill: As important as Darrell Waltrip was to the sport when he was a driver, he’s 10 times more important to the sport right now. Darrell’s ability to communicate is very, very rare. He’s a natural teacher, and he’s a natural enthusiast and he’s naturally passionate about it, and he feels sympathy for the drivers. There are a lot of announcers, especially when they quit, who feel jealous of the guys who are still doing it, but Darrell doesn’t do that. When we put the team together, we had no idea they were going to be as potent and as strong as they were.
By putting Larry (McReynolds) and Darrell, you had this wonderful Yin and Yang. You had the story coming from both angles. I do get complaints from English teachers from the Northeast how Larry (mangles) the English language…. I write back, ‘Larry is what Larry is, and I love him, and I’m not going to suggest he does anything in a one degree different from what he’s done.’
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