Group moderator Rich Inacker has come across the following link from Hoosier Tire:
http://www.hoosiertire.com/fmvsshlp.HTM
This link indicates that pending legislation regarding tire safety standards may cause manufacturers of DOT legal soft-compound tires (such as the DOT drag racing and road racing tires that Hoosier, Mickey Thompson, Nitto, Kuhmo, BFG, and other companies make) to have to greatly increase the cost of these tires due to the costs involved being spread across the relatively small number of tires produced in such lines, or stop producing them altogether as a result of the legislation.
While Hoosier supports the legislation for normal street tires, they realize it was not targeted at the specialty markets such as drag and road racing that use DOT-approved tires that are also used for track events and are only produced in small quantities. These tires are already produced to high quality standards, as racers would accept nothing less.
Please consider visiting the link and reading the information presented. If you agree with the stand that Hoosier has presented, they have provided a link on their page for submitting your opinion directly to the US Department of Transportation. Note that the opportunity to comment on this legislation only exists until June 5th, so please act now while you can.
Note that this does not affect only the GN/TType community, but all of the racing community that uses specialty DOT tires. That includes all of the 'street' drag racing community, autocrossers, SCCA stock and street prepared classes, and other forms of racing which use DOT rubber. Please forward this information as you see appropriate. And keep the June 5th deadline in mind.