Richard Freeman has been steady in his support of the need to get more cars out to race Pro Stock. This weekend he's returned to driving even though he prefers to watch the drag races from behind the car as a team owner.

Freeman is driving for V. Gaines, one of the former Pro Srock regulars who decided to park his operation back in 2016.

"V Gaines and I have been talking and he’s got some business stuff to take care of," Freeman explained.  "We need to get him back out here, that’s the main thing. He gave me an opportunity to drive his car so we’re going to go out here and have some fun and see what we can do."

Just like a Geico commercial would read, "if you are Richard Freeman, you go the extra mile for Pro Stock, it's what you do."

"I think we’ve definitely done our part, my entire group, but we love Pro Stock and we want to keep rolling," Freeman added.

Freeman believes Pro Stock has turned a corner to get out of the hot seat, posting full fields in every event this season. 

"I’m sitting over here at the table with Matt Hartford and they’re talking about wanting to go to more," Freeman said. "I’ve got several phone calls in the past two or three months of people talking about wanting to do something and we just need to make it available to them. I can tell you that all my guys at Elite Motorsports and RJ Racecars, Quartermax, everybody that’s involved with our program were dedicated to that.

"I think Pro Stock is fine. I think it is as fine as anything else is out there and really what it comes down to is that it doesn’t matter what NHRA does, it doesn’t matter what you do. What matters is the people that are involved doing their part and if we can all hang in there and stick together I think it’s going to be just fine."

Freeman believes Pro Stock has gotten past the point where everyone has an idea of how to fix it, and instead are taking notice motorsports in general needs to adjust its course.

"It costs money to do this stuff," Freeman said. "I think Pro Stock kind of takes the rap because of what the people that have run Pro Stock for so many years have made it and it was kind of just a club of ‘if you didn’t have your own engine program, if you didn’t have this, if you didn’t have that."

"I think my program speaks volumes about that. Somebody can rent. Matt Hartford comes and races a couple of races and won one. Right now we have probably 12 to 14 cars at every event that can qualify on the pole and win the race or they can be number 14th qualifier. It’s unbelievable racing, just as tough as it’s ever been if not tougher."

Last fall, NHRA made an announcement they were planning to cut the Pro Stock cars to eight-car fields at nine events. NHRA abandoned the plan when the Pro Stock teams agreed to a pay cut.

Freeman believes had this plan come to fruition, it would have been detrimental to Pro Stock's future. He believed then and still believes NHRA should have cut the schedule for 18-races. In the end, Freeman believes a shorter schedule would support drag racing better.

"There’s just not that many sponsors out there," Freeman said. "Everybody talks about sponsor money and this and that, we can talk for hours about that. Times have changed, social media, the internet. People don’t need a rolling billboard.

"That’s what you had to sell back when Kenny Bernstein sold his deal to Budweiser. If anyone has ever heard that story. He showed up at their place and had his truck and trailer and had all the stuff … it’s not needed. They can reach way more people without that so it’s about building relationships between companies and B to B relationships. If you have more time to work on that then you have more money to go race.

"When you’re racing 24 events a year that cuts down on your time. I can go on and on. I don’t run NHRA nor would I want to, those guys have a very tough job. I’m going to do what I can for the class that I love and we’ll just see where it goes.

Given his druthers, Freeman is happy living vicariously though others.

"I am very content outside of the car because to me to be a professional you have to be a professional and people like Jeg and Erica, they solidify that," Freeman admitted. "I’m nothing like them. I can get the car from A to B but I can’t drive like they can drive nor would I say I can and that goes for everyone that races under our banner. It takes a lot, a lot of time, a lot of runs. I’ve made two runs in three years so I’m sure it’ll be a fun show.

"Do I enjoy it? Yes, I like it but I don’t need to do it. I would like V Gaines to be in his car and stand behind him and be proud of what all of the guys that are part of our program do."