news-record.com

When David Hill speaks, you listen. Why? Because he controls what you see when you watch NASCAR on Fox Sports.

Hill is the Fox Sports chairman and CEO. The title, though, doesn't muffle his gruffness. Give him a subject and he'll give you an opinion.

Hill did just that in a recent interview with Staff Writer Dustin Long. Here's some of what Hill said:

What did you think about Bruton Smith's idea of blacking out races in local markets if the events are not sold out?

I thought it was total bull &ellipses; It just upset me. The fans have made Bruton a multi-billionaire. What he in effect was saying by blacking out, "Well, I don't want the fans who can't come and pay me money to watch the racing in Charlotte." I thought he had absolutely turned his back on the fans to do that.

There are a lot of people, particularly on the East Coast, who do not like the later starting times, do those later starting times still work for you and Fox?

I would like to see the races later in the day. That's just simply because the later you go, the greater HUT (houses using televisions) levels you have. The greater HUT levels, the greater ratings you're going to get. It stands to reason that at one o'clock on the afternoon that a lot of people are out and about and then as the day gets later and later, obviously more people go in. I would like to see late afternoon starts with the checkered around a quarter till eight (to lead into prime-time programming). I have communicated this on any given number of times to NASCAR, which was fallen on deaf ears. 

The one thing I'm pleased about is that they have changed the schedule. We had this absolutely ridiculous situation where the third week was a bye. The first time that happened I was told it had to do with phases of the moon. I thought, OK. I had never ever heard that before. Now, engineers have told me that sunspots are going to destroy the telecast but I've never heard phases of the moon.

The second year around when I was told that &ellipses; there was a free and frank exchange of views, and I'm pleased to say that the problem with the moon obviously has been rectified because we now don't have that third-week bye. That really impacted us badly. We got off, we had Daytona and then would have the race in Fontana and there would be nothing. Changes like that in NASCAR happen with glacier speed, and I just hope with a little bit of financial uncertainty that the powers-to be at NASCAR realize that if they have to make changes, they make changes.

Are you happy with the racing?

Yes, as a matter of fact. This Car of Tomorrow, obviously Chad Knaus has got it right and a lot of guys don't. So, it's no-good people who haven't got it right saying this car is a piece of (garbage) because they can't drive it. Well, hello, Mr. (Jimmie) Johnson can.

I would like to see some changes to the points table for the Chase because I think everyone has figured out now that you lay in the weeds until the last 20 and then have a crack at it. This is something I talk at length to NASCAR about and it's probably better than I keep that (to myself).

What about your announcing team?

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 ying 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. &ellipses; 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."

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com