With all due respect Terry, when you use terms like the racers presenting their "demands" to the sanctioning body, that draws an adversarial picture, and that's the last thing that's needed right now. These two entities need to be on the same team.
Secondly, still no mention of the number 1 customer here, that being the fans. You're right when you say that PRO can put a lot of pressure on the NHRA, but what will that ultimately gain? If the money isn't there, it isn't there, period. When you consider the climate these professional teams have been operating in for several years (sponsorships being sparse), it strongly suggests the financial structure of the sport itself is off. Otherwise the sponsorship hunt wouldn't be as trying as it is. The sport doesn't have the viewership to demand the kind of corporate money that many of these professional teams need to operate at the highest level. That's why you see so many well-to-do folks, Freeman included, continue racing........because they can, almost regardless of corporate involvement.
I may be wrong, but Freeman's interview tells me everything I need to know about the level of communication between the racers and the NHRA, and it's far from thorough.....
Sean D