You made the right choice picking an Xcel Modified. If you are new the class this year we welcome you and offer some advice on five spots that will cause you heartache if you ignore them. The cars themselves are a marvel of engineering and for the most part if you aren’t crashing you should not have a big job preparing week to week.

Still, they do have moving parts and as such require regular maintenance and checks to raise your percentages on laps completed.

Hope here is to shorten the curve and highlight some of the more frequent (or frustrating) trouble spots you need to be aware of.
Here are our 5 things we recommend you put eyes on weekly or every race in no particular order.

1 Electrical grounding, on/off switch connections

Grounding

An Xcel has ground areas built into three places. One is on the front near the switches, the second is under the fuel safety switch and the third is top mount bar of the fuel cell.

The harness is grounded in the front, motor to the middle and fuel components in the rear.

If you experience any issues with the car running these are the first places to search out and make sure they secure and making proper ground.

Once you have checked your grounds, look for wires that could be grounding out unintentionally. Wires that pass through sheet metal (say for example the transponder wires) may have rubbed the protective outer layer out and be shorting out.

Switch Wire Connections

Those tiny little wires and flat head screws on the switches will be perfectly fine for lap after lap – until they aren’t. It is easy to not include these areas in your checks, but if you are experiencing hiccups or unexpected power losses that little voice should tell you to start looking for loose wires.

Teams should have an electric kit on the ready. Heat shrink connectors and wiring along with fuses and tools for crimping need to be ready at the go so you can fix any suspicious connections and sign off on them as the culprit.

Amazon has inexpensive connectors that heat shrink and solder. We have used these products on our race car, trailer, boat wiring and truck with much success.

It doesn’t hurt to have a small box or drawer in your trailer dedicated to electronics. A test light, some electrical tape and a spare switch could save your race.

Here are a few links to the products mentioned so you won’t have to search all over..

Heat Shrink Connectors | Heat Shrink Fittings | Heat Shrink Tubing | Waterproof Connectors | Sheet Metal Pass Through Connectors

2 Water Penetrations

When you clean your car you should protect your components by covering with plastic and doing all you can to avoid direct spray of water on electronics.

Truth be told factory components are designed to withstand some degree of water just like they would on a motorcycle if you were driving and were caught in a storm, but still protections should be put in place.

If you are power washing your car, make sure you not only cover but prevent those covers from blowing off. It is a great idea to develop a system for protecting the top of the motor, the harness and ECU since you are likely to be back at the same task regularly. Make the effort and then implement it.

One last thing on this subject. Have a method to cover your car in the event of a rain event. Keep a tarp in the trailer to protect your electronics and your driver’s seat. You will be glad you did.

3 Front Suspension: Kingpins and Steering Arm

There is some variation to this depending on the style of front components you have
The older style have a retaining clip that we found weren’t actually being used.

Over time kingpins will work their way out and need to be persuaded back into a seated position. The two bolts on the steering arm can be fusion tight going out and loose coming in.

These arms should not only be checked during your weekly maintenance, but practically every time the car comes back to your pit. While you are looking, check your steering links. Scary going 80mph and the wheel just spontaneously decides to spin.

4 Birdcage Connections

The left side of the car has to spots (Fig. 5 Yellow Highlight) where the panhard bar connects and the rear spring/shock to the suspension via the birdcage. These bolts should be checked and tightened frequently.

The same on the opposing side, but for whatever reason the chain side seems to be more likely to loosen. Teams make adjustments here and it isn’t uncommon to have to replace that panhard bar so thread locking is not always implemented.

A word of advice here: Do make sure the bolt is the correct length. There is not bottom to the threads and a bolt this too long could interfere with the bearings. Cross threading and bolts that are too short should also be a concern and a lot of attention to detail is required here.

5. Proper Chain Tension & Chain Master Links

All of the items listed here can prevent you from finishing and ruin your day, but none as far reaching as having a chain come loose and shred itself in or around your motor, suspension and gearing.

Chains are links and as such it is possible they can bind, stretch and wear out. Unless you are running the same track week in and week out you have to adjust chain lengths for gearing. It is imperative that you have the correct chain tension and are consistent in the way you apply it.

Having the car in different positions can give you a false sense that you have it right and you can be duped into thinking the chain is tight until you realize that rolling the car forward totally changes the tension from what you thought it was.

Xcel Chassis has a video on the YouTube Channel detailing how to properly adjust tension.

Some teams have done away with master links. A chain link tool is inexpensive. The one in the image is under $15. It will allow you to change chain length as well as make a permanent riveted connection.

Teams make chains to fit the tracks they run and then switch each week to the length for the gearing they want to employ. Properly created chains take away the problem of a master link failure which does happen.

If you do stick with master links, be attentive they direction they are facing when you put the chain on.

Summing up our list and final thoughts.

The list above may be subject to opinion, but many will agree that a setback that could have been avoided is the worst possible thing to a team who has a great car and doesn’t finish the race. The would have, could have, should have make for a real long ride home.

You may be quite honestly the only person who read this article. If not hope is that teams will post what they see as important in the comments at the bottom. I hope other do so.

How far are you willing to go? Thread lock and other measures can be taken. Teams could enclose electronics like a battery in a box if you will (be mindful of heat if you do this) to protect from water exposure.

Are your water/fuel hoses rubbing the outer protections or against sharp body panels?

Replacing every grade bolt on the suspension isn’t a bad idea once a season and the list goes on and on.

The 2023 tour races added up to right around 310 feature laps. That doesn’t take into account practice, qualifying and any weekly races. It is fair to say that you could potentially be running over 500 laps on what is almost certainly a challenging racing surface.

It is easy to imagine that many of these cars have thousands of laps. Statistically speaking something is going to loosen or wear out. It is up to you to catch it.

Introduction

If you are asking yourself (in that little voice in your head) why would I ask someone to sponsor me that knows nothing about an Xcel modified and how could racing an hour plus away possibly give them value/exposure..?, you are not alone. What is exactly the value of sponsoring one of our cars?

Sponsorship is one of those things that inevitably is a part of racing. If this is your first year or you have been racing for many seasons, all of us eventually arrive at the unpleasant task of trying to find funding for our pursuit. I want to open the discussion and present ideas that will get the ball rolling and hopefully motivate your quest.

To tackle that goal, I hope to address each segment and offer suggestions on how you could develop a solution to the problems that are commonly identified with sponsorship on both sides of the table.

Sponsorship is part of the racing world. If you look at the big leagues, the entire thing is based on some logo being seeing for ‘x’ amount of time.

Brand recognition is key because customers want to know that they are buying a product or service that has been vetted and the outcome of the purchase comes with less risk because of a reputation.

Already you are asking.. what?
Read on and let me explain how it applies to an Xcel Modified.

Brand loyalty, brand recognition

I am going to stay away from the obvious loyalty about pickup truck brands, but slide on over to a similar comparison of the reputation affiliated with tractors. Likely that you have some knowledge that there are brands and most are associated with a color and a slogan. Country songs will bolster that ‘nothing runs like a deere’. Taking a ride on my big green tractor immediately tells me what brand the singer is associated with.

I personally own a Kubota. Why? Because if you drive around my part of New Jersey, there are multiple orange tractors so I figure – one, there has to be a reason so many are here and – two, it is going to be possible to find someone to service the thing should I need help beyond what I can do on my own.
After many years of owning it – I can confidently say I was right.

Reputation and a feeling of security about my purchase led me to choose orange over green. Each of us does this every day when we choose the things we buy.

Don’t squander an opportunity. If you are taking your Kubota to the dealer for service and the bill is $1500 – be bold and ask them if they would consider the sponsorship of your team. My car mechanic gave me a check for the racing season while I was paying my bill. Giel’s Automotive has been my car mechanic for 30+ year and Ronnie and Bill follow us all the time and know what we are accomplishing.

What do you have to offer

Back to the opening question:
If you are asking yourself (in that little voice in your head) why would I ask someone to sponsor me that knows nothing about an Xcel modified and how could racing an hour plus away possibly give them value/exposure..?, you are not alone. What is exactly the value of sponsoring one of our cars?

ANSWER: YOU… you are the value.

You, your story, your team, your family and the network of people who are your racing circle. You may have to convince yourself of that, but it is true if you make it true. The more you believe that you have something valuable to offer, the more other will believe it when you tell them.

Action on your behalf brings recognition to that sponsor and people hear the name and recognize it even if it isn’t for what they actually do. It only works if you can get them that recognition. You will have to make every effort to live up to your part of the sponsorship you have been entrusted with.

At the very least your sponsorship shows maturity in the growth of the sponsor. If they have enough capital to put the name on a race car, they must be doing something right. Clearly it should demonstrate that the business is established enough to earn trust in what they do. Sponsorship gives them street credit on the business stage (and perhaps a tax write off to boot).

Ideas to make that sponsorship worthy of their investment in your race team

• Learn about your sponsors.
  • What are the owners names?
  • How long have they been at whatever it is they do.
  • Where physically is the location(s)
  • Are they hosting a special event – when does it happen?
• Gift them a decent image of the car with their name prominently displayed. One that they can post out where they engage customers if they choose. Maybe go all out and put it in a frame for them.
• Social media
  • Shameless plug: Register your Xcel on THIS SITE and list your sponsors!
    • Create a racing page and invite your family, friends, coworkers and anyone else to see and follow your racing.
      • Only positive – I don’t care if you crashed or someone took you out, phrase bad news posts as something of a learning experience. Do not argue or talk bad about things on your social media page
      • Mention your sponsors often – do it in a way that is more sincere than just listing them
      • Tag them in your posts
      • If you use their business or product, demonstrate on your racing page that you are. Show images even if it isn’t related to the race track.
    • Post on local social media (for example, we have a page dedicated to Holland Township the municipality where I live.) tell the local folks ‘they deserve your support’. Do it enthusiastically.
    • If it is a racing sponsorship, post on racing social media sites.
• Talk about them to your racing community when you are at the track. No matter how far away they are, someone somewhere has an uncle who could benefit from hearing the name. How many phone calls have you gotten asking you what was the name of…?
• Show your car and put their products with a sign on it
  • Community day
  • Parade
  • Town car show
  • In front of your house on a Saturday
  • In front of their business
  • At the local fair – or the county fair – or the state fair
  • If you are (insert thing here). Their fundraising event.
    • Member of the Elks? At the pancake breakfast
• List your sponsors on your trailer
• Make a shirt and put your sponsors on it. Make them inexpensive to multiple people can walk around and advertise your sponsors. Save a few of them and give them to the sponsors.
• Buy and use their products/services
  • Give them a review
  • Tag yourself if you are visiting their location
  • Create a giveaway with something they offer
• Ask if you can hand out samples for them
• Carry some of their business cards in your race trailer
• BE AN AMBASSSADOR

Quite sure if you are creative enough to race a car, you can come up with things beyond the ideas listed here. When you do, share them with other people. It isn’t a competition off the track. If you are going to speak it may be a great idea to bring one of your crew with you. Practice confirming points with that person and let them show how you work together just like you would with the sponsor you are courting.

Sponsors want to be a part of a family. In this case a racing family. You should recognize your accomplishments. Be prepared to talk a little about what you have learned and any achievements that you brag about. It helps them to understand that there is a goal to all of this and they are investing in helping you reach those milestones.

The art of the deal

How can I ask the sponsor and what type of money do I suggest.

I am going to post what Doug Borger offered on this one. He and I were discussing this topic and he immediately offered a method of communication.

Summary is that you figure out your expenses, list them and after telling someone what you have in mind to help them promote via your race team – offer them a list and ask them to pick what costs they would be willing to offset. Clearly you cannot ask the local empanada shop to offer 10K, so you should tailor your talk to reasonable expectations. You could reverse the list from high to low if you feel that is the approach that will keep the interest as you list the expenses.

Hypothetically speaking you could list items you need or want. Instead of saying can you give me two thousand, you could show them the list and tailor your conversation to steer them towards the goal you are hoping to achieve.

Sponsor Suggestion Sheet

Your team, your list. Doug suggested you create a list that makes as if you are spending quite a bit to race and that could lead to them appreciating that racing doesn’t exactly fit the mold of most people’s perceptions and it is in fact a little high class to own a race team.
Depending how well you know the person you are communicating with is how you change the approach to what your ability to fund this endeavor you allow them to see.

After the deal

If you are offered something toward your racing program, be mindful on how that offering is going to occur. Generally, it is best for both parties to understand what the actually terms are. Perhaps you can offer to write up something and list the terms for them. That way what was said and what happens will likely be a better outcome.

If there is an agreement, live up to it. Include what happens if things go south two races into the season and for financial or personal reasons you cannot afford to continue. What happens if your towning vehicle blows a motor and you have no way to get the car there for the remainder of the season?
Have a conversation with them on what failure (on your part) would look like.

If they offer you a sum of money – budget it!

Smaller fish feed the ocean

While all of that sounds great in theory, you may not find it hasn’t worked out to find a bigger sponsor. Never stop trying!

One of life’s little rules is to stop and buy lemonade or iced tea from kids who set up a stand along the road in your neighborhood. You would do well to pretend your race team is that lemonade stand and you are worthy of them stopping, not because they need lemonade, but because they are ‘helping kids’ in the proverbial sense and it is the right thing to do. A little bit of small talk goes a long way toward socially relaying that message without costing you a thing but a conversation.

If all else fails, time to get creative. Sell a one-line sponsorship on your car panel for $10. Ask the multitude of people you know if they could sign up for a simple one-line sponsorship. Most people will open their wallet and hand you $10 without any reservations. It is a simple way for them to be a part of your accomplishments and each time they see the car, it will remind them the part they played. Remember them like they bought the car each time you see them. Saying thanks for the umpteenth time and sharing how your season is playing out. Include something you wish would make you faster.. costs you nothing and you become know for having a racing team. They may even share your details with others. All the better to generate more interest. Networking in its simplest form.

The following year you can ask them again and offer them the opportunity to see if they know anyone who would like to experience the satisfaction they experienced by offering a bigger sponsorship.

The Hammer Logo

You may be wondering why that logo on this article. I did a job working building the LG headquarters in Edgewood NJ. I was foreman for that 150,000 plus block job and had to call the block yard every time I needed a truck of block. I ordered block from Reuthers Materials. They are a full service masonry company in north and central jersey. I highly recommend them. The dispatcher for that company owned the trucks that delivered the block and this is the logo on those trucks.

After speaking with Rich (the owner) and telling him about our race program I asked if he would send the logo to me for our race car. We didn’t discuss money. My intention was to put the logo on the car and send him the image. I would guess that based on our multi-month relationship he would have sent me a few dollars had I asked him to. My company spend a huge sum of money and I was partly in control of where the materials were sources from. One hand washes the other if you will… again networking at its best.
Turns out that the opportunity with our race program didn’t afford me the chance to do it (yet), so I thought that I would recognize our potential sponsor here in this article.

See what I did there – find a way to tie it in – even if you cannot see the full image.

Conclusion

I would like to finish the way I started. This was not written by any expert. Agree or disagree with the content, the only way you are going to obtain sponsorship is if you put yourself out there.

I wonder if you all would like to offer comments, suggestions and thoughts on this. I have no idea just who or what participates in these offerings, but suspect there is the makings of a follow-up article on this topic since it is so important to what we do.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to reach out to me at keith@xcelchassis.net if you would like to offer.

Best of luck to your search. If any of these ideas pan out – would love to hear that too!

I had the opportunity to speak with Tim Van Horn and just asked: “Tell me about your dad and let’s tell the racers who are racing in his memory a little of what he was about and why an Xcel race would carry his name.

We talked for the better part of an hour telling stories and relating not just who he was, but what he was like and why this is a fitting tribute to remember him.

The shortest reason is, Sr. is a person through happenstance stumbled upon the Xcel series, drove a race car for the first time and it left a lasting impression – which is something this author can relate to.

Tim Sr. was surrounded by racing his entire life. Working in a trucking business he worked hard, and driving a race car was a late love in his life.

He lost his father at the early age of 50 and when he turned 41 he also suffered a cardiac emergency. Coupled with a diagnosis of diabetes, he was pragmatic about his time on this planet.

A fellow racer named Kyle Gardner introduced the Xcel class to Tim Sr. and he purchased his Xcel in 2008.

For a few years, he raced when time permitted and while never a winning car, he was competitive and loved the series. He was lucky enough to have help from the Mady’s and Geezer. They talked setups and tweaks like many of us do mutually benefitting by collaboration.

He didn’t just love Xcel racing, it was remarked, that if you did not know where he was, you might find him at the food stand enjoying a hot dog and holding a coke. He was that type of guy.

Inevitably, his health concerns stopped him from participating and he turned the franchise over to his son Timmy in 2012.
Though not actively driving, he remained part of the series well after his helmet was on the shelf. He often was just behind the scenes helping without the fanfare. Along with supporting the team and the relief driver, he was active in the Xcel community and a frequent communicator with Doug during his time as a non-driver.

Fora time, one of the teams had a side-by-side and it was trailered to tour events as sort of an unofficial Xcel tow/push truck. When there was an appeal to help fund flashing safety lights, Van Horn Sr. was instrumental in the purchase of that equipment.

He was known to care about safety and some of the improvements in our series can directly be accredited to his insight.

There was a team in the chase for the championship who like many were down on their luck nearing the end of the season. Tim Sr. agreed that if the need was there, they could use his equipment to chase the title. Turned out they didn’t end up calling on him, but his selfless manner and willingness to help would have been offered and that is the reason so many people looked up to him.

He was only 58 years old when he passed has left behind three children including Tim Van Horn whom you have met at the track.

The man had a big heart, drove a truck and loved racing.

A great story that most of us can directly relate to.

Another driver who was a part of our Xcel family both as a driver and supporter.

We are sure you can appreciate the tremendous fundraising that has taken place to make this a marquee event, now you have some understand of the why it was done and the actual person behind the name.

God Speed to Tim Van Horn Sr. and thanks to all of the people who have made this memorial possible.

See you at the track!

September 24th, 2022 | Grandview Speedway

Editors Note: Please stop back on this article for any changes. If there are updates to the format, they will be posted here along with a social media message asking you to preview this page again for updates.

There is a rain date of either October 15th or October 16th. Decided if there is a need, we will update.

First off, let’s recognize just what the ‘memorial’ part of this race stands for.

Tim Van Horn has gotten together a group of people who have been associated with dirt racing going back as far as anyone can remember. He has pulled at the strings of the some of the strongest supporters of our sport and put together a race that will be quite honestly bigger in many ways than anything that has been contested to date.

We would like you to talk a moment and realize that names listed below are family when it comes to dirt racing.

Tim and Doug have met multiple times and discussed the format and as of right now, here is the formula.

Tim Van Horn Sr. Memorial Format:

• Pill Draw and a Heads Up Start
• Top 30 qualifiers will answer the green flag
• Cars who leave the track will not be able to return to competition for any reason.
• Tour race norms will be followed. For example; If there are multiple cautions, the officials may elect to start the race single file.
• Note: This will NOT be an Xcel Tour Points Race. Only races announced on the originally set schedule are tour points races.

The purse* will look like something that has never been done in our division:

• $2,000 dollars prize money to the feature winner & Tim is working on a jacket for the winner.
• $An additional 2,000 dollars purse money for the rest of the field
• All drivers who time trail will be renumerated – even if not qualified for the feature
• There will be an additional $500 in lap leader money
• There will be even more money for lap leaders based on lap sponsors and other factors.
• The redraw challenge is in effect should someone decide this is the race adding potentially another huge payout if the challenger could do it from the 30th spot.

To be clear, all competitors will have to abide by Xcel Chassis rules and are subject to inspection by Xcel official(s). Any competitor found to be illegal will be DQ’d forfeiting any right to points or money.

The Tim Van Horn Sr. Memorial would like to recognize the following contributors:

*if the turnout is substandard, the memorial amounts may be lessened. Please make the effort to get the word out.

This week we are offering a shorter video talking about Xcel Chassis parts.

The Xcel Slogan: You can spend more money in a different series, but you won’t have more fun for it.

Doug and Keith have a frank discussion on parts and the benefits for having the right fit for the car.
Parts for Xcel cars are created through partnerships that keep costs down and allow for a better experience that considers what is unique to this chassis. Keeping it in the family (Xcel Family) is helping the series to thrive and all of us to have a viable option that is cost conscience and manageable compared to having an all-out custom motor program and chassis competing for the same (or less!) amount of winnings.

The video gives a glimpse into the thinking behind decisions. If you research parts, you will find that Xcel is competitive or better on most of what people use.

Prices have increased, but that isn’t specific to Xcel, it is all competitive racing products.

It is fun to hear the logic and get the sense of what is going on, especially if you do not have the opportunity to have these types of discussions one on one with Doug himself.