Version one of the Xcel Chassis refresh was a welcome update by many of the competitors. Prior to the 2022 season information was pretty much word of mouth and if you were in the close proximity you may have gotten the correct information.
After 10 years of being associated with the Xcel Modifieds, I thought I had an idea of what I wanted to accomplish so I set to it.
Although by most accounts it was an improvement in most every way the development was done in stages and it got a little messy. The sticky widget was quite literally the word press function was separated from the custom dynamic (database) driven points system.
Watching the page hits, listening to your feedback and balancing time invested and the ability for someone else to manage if I someday need to pass this on led me to what the new version two looks like now.
2023 Goals and Accomplished Tasks
Here is the summary of many of the changes that I have implemented.
New format for navigation broken into Xcel Chassis and Xcel Modified Series
Short preview of a function (like say NEXT EVENT) and a button to the rest of the information
Intertwined the database pages into embedded word press pages so the site has one type of navigation and no separation between the two types of pages. (Proud of this one – it was a lot of work)
Simplified Navigation by using the breadcrumb feature and offering navigation just down from the top of the page to get back from where you came.
Weather Status Light right on the front page.
Buttons everywhere for those on mobile so they do not have to try to press a link.
You will see multiple add-ons and changes as I kick the tires during the preseason weeks. Some functionality is still not added, but I figured that it was far enough along to put it out there and let the masses give me feedback.
If you only view it on a phone, please try to see if on a monitor of some size bigger. I realize for quick information we all rely on our phones, but as far as websites go it is beyond my pay grade to maximize so many aspects of this thing for a phone so there has to be some give and take. Isn’t interesting that we call it a phone when anymore the phone part of it is just a fraction of what we do with it. 🙂
On that note, if you see errors or want to comment, please use the contact us link to send me a message. I appreciate any feedback good or bad.
The 2022 Xcel Chassis Tour gave us a host of interesting stats. Below is a summary of the season and some of the interesting aspects.
We hope that you enjoy and perhaps glean something valuable from the stats.
2022 Xcel Tour Champion | Tyler Bartik (85)
Quick Stats
81 different drivers suited up for a tour race.
There were 22 tour races on the schedule
5 drivers competed in every tour race that was run
All of those drivers finished in the top 10 in points
Bartik, Tyler
Hitzler, Richie
Sutton, Geoffrey
Inglin, Korey
Smith Bryce
13 drivers competed in more than 10 of the races
50 different drivers competed in two or more events
31 ran only one tour race
There were 18 tour races that took place (one with no feature)
4 events were rained out
21 cars on average answered the green flag
28 was the biggest field, 10 was the smallest
Over the course of the 18 races, 388 cars were scored
There were 406 laps completed in the tour races this year.
Bryce Smith (7$) was the only driver to complete all of those laps.
Korey Inglin (2B) and Doug Newbigging both had the most DNF’s (5 each) and still finished in the top 10 in points
Korey Inglin – 4th
Doug Newbigging – 10th
The average race temperature this season was around 76 degrees
There were 5 races where the red flag was flown
Lance Garrison (7S) – Lindas Speedway | hit pit entrance wall at speed, ambulance – no transport
Motorcycle driver was injured at Bloomsburg – no Xcel feature
6 cars were flipped in tour features. There were a few during qualifying, but that stat was not kept this year
2 cars Big Diamond on the same night (5S, 61S)
2 cars Action Track
1 Lindas (20K)
There were 6 different winners
5 wins | Tyler Bartik (85)
4 wins | Richie Hitzler (9RGR)
4 wins | Korey Inglin (2B)
1 win | Geoffrey Sutton (5S)
1 win | Justin Schraden (88)
1 win | Brenton Miller (29M)
Tyler Bartik won from furthest back in the field after starting 16th
Three drivers won from the pole (2B Inglin & 9RGR Hitzler & 29M Brenton Miller)
All other features were won from inside the top ten starting spots
Most Position Gained | Season & Single Race
Most positions gained from starting spot. This stat only included where you started vs. where you finished. If you spun, went to the back and came back through, those passes were not part of this stat.
Most gained over the course of the season – top 5
Bryce Smith (7$) | 82 spots
Tyler Bartik (85) | 79 spots
Richie Hitzler (9RGR) | 55 spots
Christian Smith (69) | 53 spots
Ray Gradwell (28) | 51 spots
Most positions gained in a single race
Ray Gradwell | Lindas Speedway, 7/2/22 – Started 25th, finished 6th
Tyler Bartik | Penn Can, 9/17/2 – Started 21st, finished 3rd
Josh Towner | Penn Can, 9/17/22 – Started 26th, finished 10th
Zach Mills | Penn Can, 9/17/22 – Started 29th, finished 13th
Tyler Bartik | Lindas Speedway, 6/17/22 – Started 16, WON the feature
Average Starting Spot | Average Finish – Top 10 in Points
Driver | Average Starting Spot | Average Finishing Spot | Gain/Loss
Bartik | 7 | 3 | +4
Hitzler R. | 6 | 3 | +3
Sutton | 6 | 7 | +1
Inglin | 7 | 9 | -2
Schraden | 6 | 7 | +1
Smith B. | 13 | 9 | +3
Hitzler-Mays | 11 | 10 | +1
Gradwell | 12 | 10 | +2
Smith C. | 16 |14 | +2
Newbiggin | 16 | 14 | +2
Tech Stats
There was only one car that did not pass tech. The 12 of Tommy Nettleship was called for a rear tire being out to far according to the rules. He was not aware of the rule.
(10) Tyler Bartik
(8) Richie Hitzler
(5) Korey Inglin & Geoffrey Sutton
(3) Tommy Nettleship
(1) Justin Schraden [88]
(1) Eric Whitby [12E]
(1) Kenny Harris [Crown 7]
(1) Sam Sciccitano [28S]
(1) Austin Daniels [71D]
(1) Tiffany Mays [8]
(1) Bryce Smith [7$]
(1) Ray Gradwell [28]
(1) Brenton Miller [29M]
(1) Josh Bewley [78]
Races Held vs. Rain Outs
Track
Scheduled
Raced
Hamlin
6
6
Lindas
5
4
Big Diamond
3
3
Penn Can
3
1
Bloomsburg
1
1
Lincoln
1
1
Action Track (Kutztown
1
1
Bridgeport
1
1
BAPS Speedway
1
0
Poker Series Winners
Hamlin – John Martinsky Sr. | Winning Hand – THREE 5’s
Big Diamond – Korey Inglin | Winning Hand – PAIR Aces
Lindas Speedway – Tyler Bartik | Winning Hand – TWO PAIR, Aces and Kings
This completes the stats compiled for the 2022 season. We would like to say thanks and recognize all of the drivers who competed with the Xcel Tour series in 2022. Your participation and being part of the community of Xcel drivers make us all better and we hope that you enjoyed your season and we will see you back in 2023!
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.
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:
Van Horn Sand & Gravel
Penn Jersey Fuels
More Powersports
Bill Griffith Sand & Gravel
Ernest Tomer
Rickline Family
Canal Side Pizza
Riverview Kennel
Postman Farm
Krauss Farm
Dekek Trucking
Spencer Trucking
Uncle Larry!
Faust Fabrication
*if the turnout is substandard, the memorial amounts may be lessened. Please make the effort to get the word out.
You wonder why sometimes you do all that you do. The short answer is because you (and I mean all of you including those who don’t have a wheel in hand) race.
There is excitement in going fast.
The feeling you get when you throttle up and drive down past that flag stand and into that first turn is one that never gets old.
Part of the thrill is speed, but the endless possibility of outcomes is the other element. You have to wait until it plays out. No matter what level of experience – you simply must let it all unfold to find out what is going to be.
Somedays you are the hero, somedays you are disappointed, somedays you are angry.. somedays you win! Yes, you can tilt the wheel a little in your favor with skill, preparation and experience, but no one escapes a bad day sooner or later simply because life is a gamble.
Recently, everyone lost. Let me explain..
The entire Xcel tour series towed (at great expense for many) to a track only to miss out on the opportunity to race the feature. It was bad luck of the worst kind. A driver in the other series had a nasty accident and was injured. He was transported to the medical center in the ambulance and the night was called due to the emergency so at the most basic level of explanation – no race for our division.
Frustration was palpable. Out of respect for the injured racer, many wished a speedy recovery, but you could feel the disappointment in the air made even more prominent by the fact that every car was lined up in the staging area and had to turn around and return to the haulers without a green flag lap.
Realize it or not, I am willing to bet some good came out of disappointment.
The last couple of weeks we have been asking teams to chime in on the website with surveys and polls. I want to share some of the responses to set the stage for my argument.
Q: What is your favorite track and why?
No surprise, Lindas Speedway was in position one in our survey. With 58% of the vote. Penn Can, Lincoln, Grandview, Bridgeport (big track), BAPS and Action Track (Kutztown) were all in the mix. Reasons given for the variations were nostalgic, location, size and passing and of course a driver’s winning ways.
Here is a sample of the answers:
Lindas: “It is a perfect mix of what makes great racing. It is small enough to be consider a small track but with the speeds of bigger tracks. It’s a drivers track. And it’s tricky! Multiple lanes to get around the speedway. Is almost always guaranteed to make for a good race.”
Lindas: “2 races 2 wins (bet we can guess who this one is from 😊)”
Action Track: “Multiple grooves. Optimal size track for our cars.”
BAPS: “Because it’s close to home, very fast track and close racing. Just overall a fun track.”
Lincoln: “This track reminds me of my hometown track growing up. Flemington Speedway has a lot of elements that were similar to Lincoln. Love the feel of the place.”
One thing they all have in common.
No matter which tracks you chose they all have one thing in common. They are likely far away. Sure one might be close, but no matter which, the others aren’t right around the corner.
When we were younger a friend told us he was going on the Weichel Tour! (not actually sure how to spell it, but it is pronounced: Y-cull)
His son piloted a slingshot, and this was a tour race for the division. He was as excited as a high school kid fixing up a his first car. He and his son ran the season and travelled hundreds of miles to do so. We latched on the fact that he was given a jacket for his efforts at the season ending banquet and to this day poke fun at all the money spent to ‘get a jacket’.
Thing is that in reality, it was much more than a jacket.
Getting to my point, the time spent IS the thing that actually makes it all worthwhile.
We also asked teams to tell us about how many folks come with them to the races.
As you can guess, answers varied from the guy who goes it alone to some who bring the entire hometown with them. The sweet spot in our survey was somewhere around 7 crew with many over the mark. The real surprise is that some came in at 30 plus adding in spectators! Most were over 20!
Thanks to Kevin Inglin for the images
When we asked about bringing sponsors (actual, not family) a full 2/3rds of you said yes. We also asked if this was some type of special occasion, most said no. A few do have an annual get out to the races day, but most were big numbers at their home track.
Seems you all were up on the wheel when you have a cheering section as almost all responded that they did well when they had large spectator counts.
Quick aside: I myself had one of the biggest cheering sections that we have ever had and crashed backwards into a Yuke tire busting my fuel cell (thankfully no ignition) and ruining my run. Korey won that day. We had people from NJ, NY, MD and NH representing and three generations of Inglin’s in the stands. I believe I won my one and only heat race that day so at least I have that going for me 😊
If you look at the responses to which tracks you have spectators, it appears to be regional. Guessing again, that distance is the primary factor.
Some responded Hamlin, Lindas, Big Diamond while others said Penn Can, Thunder Mountain and 5-Mile.
Here are some of the comments:
“We have a big crew and spectators. We have at least 4 guys per car not including driver 90% of the time. Crew job per person includes mud removal, tires, gear changes, check car over, fuel, and my daughter does the helmet.”
“Sometimes challenging to get folks out when we are so far away from many tracks. It takes planning for us and logistics for travelling. Also, hard when the nights end so far away at the wee hours of the morning. Still people are supportive and impressed with the speed of it all when they come. Many come back more than once We post our week coming up on our Facebook page and let our people know the what’s and where’s”.
One big victory lane celebration!
Often we are the last class to take the track. It is impressive to say the least that fans are still in the stands at the late hour of the night. Sure, many of them are ours, but race fans love our class and the action so they stay.
Going back to title of this article, WINNING WITHOUT A RACE let’s offer a summary. If you are lucky enough to have people supporting your racing endeavors and.. you get to go fast you are winning – even if you had a right front flat 3 laps into the feature or a race is cancelled before it is started.
The sum total in life experiences when you get older and are looking back more than forward will bring to life the realization that these are the times that you will fondly recall.
Brother Dave Tweaking Idle Screws
Some of you know that recently I lost my dad at the age of 86. He lived every day right up to the end in a way that we would all be jealous of. The week he passed, he was quite literally replacing a leaf spring suspension with coil-overs on his t-bucket project. He was able to get a guy down the road to fabricate new mounts, chopped the length on the front and when us siblings went down to settle his affairs he had completed the welding and mounting of the front axle. It needed to be painted, but he was happy with how it turned out. A little sad he wasn’t able to ‘tear down the road’ with the thing, but tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone so we live for today.
I want to close out with a personal summary of winning off the track. We were on our way to Lincoln and had this little video. My dad happened to be in the tow vehicle that day and was a part of the conversation about the impending weather. It is a typical exchange of all of us in the truck. Priceless, funny and part of the reason why even though we didn’t race (151 miles towing each way from home) that day it was still a win.
The video is only 1 minute long, but it is a great summary of why racing is not just what happens on the track. We were indeed rained out, but often found our way to Mission BBQ (not sure about this trip if we did) and that alone makes the travelling worth it.
Hope that you are enjoying the articles and appreciate you being part of our Xcel community.
Betting you have your own stories, I hope reading this brings them into a conversation.. don’t be afraid to share them with your racing friends and thank your crew chief for all the effort, even if it is your dad.
Towed out to Bloomsburg speedway and unfortunately as the Xcel Modified feature was lining up a terrific crash occurred in the motorcycles division, and it pushed the event past the curfew.
The day was speckled with goods and bads. Mother nature had a big say in the first laps of qualifying. Hot daytime temps led to a dry dusty track and sun glare was a big factor coming off turn two leaving teams to point the car in the right direction and like Days of Thunder ‘hope you were going to come out of the smoke on the other side’.
For all intents and purposes, the track appears symmetrical, but tire placement and laps will tell you it doesn’t race like that. Big sweeping turns and a sharp entry to the front make it feel as if the track has two different sweeps. Big and fast it has a lot of room for movement. Most teams worked up a sweat after warmups tweaking gears and setups.
Our division did have a good look on the track. Doug commented that the fair staff in the booth said we put on some of the more competitive racing they have seen. Despite the severe lack of vision, the qualifying was done without any major incidents and there was passing and a couple of side-by-side races before the (considerable amount of) dust settled. Want to give a nod to the 20K team who was running a strong heat race right out front when the motor expired all the way down the front straight. You know they say that a motor runs best right before it goes, and that car was flying. It was a strong run and hope they can get back on track and recover quickly from that big setback. Going from excitement of leading to disappointment in a blink of an eye is something we all have to deal with in racing, but watching the family (sitting in front of us) made us all feel for them when things went south.
Back to the feature curfew. Like a school room exercise where you pass the story and it changes, we heard multiple versions. Summary is that there was an unusual motorcycle crash, multiple bikes, possibly a catch fence involved, and one driver suffered some broken bones and was unconscious at first. The safety crew was on the track for a considerable period at the end of the night and the driver was transported. Our race team camped for the night and walked the track in the morning. The accident scene played out like a crime scene with indentations in the tracks, marks on the wall and you could almost reconstruct the carnage.
Takes guts to get in one of our cars with a 5-point harness and roll cage, but these motorcycle racers have some serious crazy to do what they do. It was fun to watch them on the track and a profound respect for the talent it takes to go like that.
A speedy recovery to the driver. As much as it sucked to not race, best wishes to him.
The night ended in a kind of haze as to what happened. Most had no idea there was a curfew. The final takeaway was a sense of let down that the feature was cancelled and the feeling that ‘the track has potential’. Most feel it would have been a barn burner of a race.
Despite and outcome of money spent and nothing to show we still want to thank all the people who worked hard to negotiate and put this deal together. There was a sense of that on the sleeve of the person doing the drivers meeting at the Xcel trailer and we appreciate that even though there were some reservations about our class, they took the chance. Thanks for that.
It resulted in our first laps on this new surface and hopefully an appetite for returning to see what it could be. With wetter track prep, cooler nighttime temps and maybe seeing if the tires could be moved in a bit, comments were that this would be some racing venue for us.
The place has copious amounts of room on the grounds and if you have a three year old – A TANK!!!
Talk of future races includes a possible fair date THIS YEAR.
The fair runs from Sept 23rd to Oct 1st. It was mentioned that it would be a mid-week race. Right now, that is only an idea. If it becomes more, it will be communicated. There was also speculation that it would be a monthly deal for our division possibly in the future on perhaps on Saturday nights. So you don’t have to go look it up, Xcel schedule says Grandview Sept. 24th (non-tour, exhibition race) and Lincoln on Oct. 1st. Doug mentioned Tuesday during the fair, but again all speculative at the moment, just a pencil and no pen for this one.
On a personal note, thanks to our crew chief for letting us share in his trial run of the ‘new to him’ motor home. Oh that air conditioner was nice!
“The Holiday Inn Express” Bounty Hunter
Racing Add-On – Bloomsburg Fair Speedway Style
We took a 3 year old to Knoebles right down the road both Saturday and Sunday. He got a taste of his first ever amusement park rides. The helicopter ride was his favorite followed by the ferris wheel, then the log flume.
Ran into the entire Pauch family enjoying the same experience. We know them, as they live in our neck of the woods. It was great to see them enjoying some family time in the shade trees of kiddie land. A little race track talk and we were both on our separate ways to explore. Racing, family and friends, nice way to spend a weekend.
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.
Racing is important to all of us and that is what this article is going to focus on.
This week the Xcel Touring Series is heading to Big Diamond Speedway in Pottsville PA.
Even if you are new to the series, you have to recognize that every track we race at presents an opportunity to take it all in. Each track has a spot that is unique.
The entry to the pit area in Big Diamond has that iconic hill with a view from the end of the race track after a drive up the hill that opens up.
Here is the thing, we need to be a part of this and all tracks that we attend. Our participation is not guaranteed at any venue, but some behind the scenes negotiations have made our return to Big Diamond possible and we want to ask that you do everything you can to get ALL of our cars to return.
Here is a communication from Ray Gradwell (driver #28)
To all Xcel drivers. We return to Big Diamond this Friday and it is very important to see great car count there. There was a lot of phone calls and messages among myself, Doug, and Jake (promotor Big Diamond). It was a lot of work to just get us back. I would love to see counts up and some great racing . I know we can all do it. Was proven time and time again if we use our heads. Doug has even said he start more cars for feature if we at certain number. So come on guys come out this Friday. Let’s show the number of cars and how great racing we can do. In reality our returning does depend on it. Thank you all. Ray
So there is it in a nutshell. If you were on the fence about this track here is your appeal to attend.
PLEASE do your best to get to this track this Friday night. If you grew up going to Flemington, Nazareth, East Windsor, Reading, Harmony or any of these other tracks within distance of this track you can appreciate that racing is so important to life, but not fully appreciated until it is missed. Let’s not miss out on this opportunity to show the fans at Big Diamond that the Xcel Modified Tour is worthy of being on the docket.
To lessen the caution flag, Xcel features will be counting caution flag laps starting immediately.
The feature this week at Hamlin will be extended to 30 laps (from the originally set length of 20 laps) and the caution flag laps will count toward the 30 lap event.
There will be an Xcel Drivers meeting for all race teams and you will have the opportunity to comment on the policy change.
The Long Version
The Issue:
There is one problem that has been a consistent damper on the series – a lack of green flag racing.
The series promotors are aware, the race teams are aware and, in the stands, if you sit next to the fans of racing who are not families of Xcel teams you will notice that they are aware as well.
This has led to tracks being a little sour on the series and Xcel Chassis owner Doug Borger has been taking corrective actions incrementally in an attempt to remedy the problem.
Some of those steps to date include working with people who are spinning frequently by communicating, single file restarts when there are multiple cautions, changing the area where the start zone is and having a three-spin rule when needed.
Without specifically saying, one of the tracks made it clear that it is a problem and will be going forward if not solved. It has been a factor in tracks adding us to the schedule and generally not a favorable look for what is otherwise a terrific series with talented drivers and some great racing.
Case in point: Last tour race at Hamlin was cut short after a series of yellows elongated our feature over 20 minutes and it was just half way.
Spin rules, single flag restarts are helping, but still there are nights when the class is just not on par and caution after caution fly.
The Next Step:
After some careful consideration, here is where this is leading..
The races at the AMA sanctioned events on our calendar this year will see our division racing alongside motorcycles. It is a fit that is beneficial to both classes. We get to be a part of the venue and they gain the advantage of our division running in the track in places giving them an opportunity to have more racing lines. Racing at the Bloomsburg Fair and BAPS are alongside the AMA.
When Xcel attends those events – caution flag laps will count. This is already part of the program and was/is a condition of our involvement.
Starting this week at Hamlin, caution laps are going to count.
To soften the down side of this, Xcel is going to elongate the feature from 20 laps to 30 laps. If the race is green all the way you will have 10 extra laps, but if it goes the direction it did last week, caution laps will count and a total of 30 ‘competition’ laps is all that will determine the contest.
At the descretion of the race directors, if there is an incident that requires time to clean up, cars may come to a stop on the front and the lap counting will stop.
There is going to be an Xcel Drivers meeting at the trailer this week and YOU will have the opportunity to comment on this at that time.
Goals for Implementation:
Be clear that no one wants this. Xcel included, but it is going to be tried on the idea that it will help the series become a healthy thiving class that race tracks want to see drive into the pits.
Some of the stated goals include:
Preventing drivers who could have continued from bringing out the caution to help their individual cause
Prompting teams that are seasoned in the class to help those struggling in a mentorship way with setup and driving tips
Implementing a two-spin rule on occasion if someone is having a bad night and needs some help retiring from the show
Putting more focus on clean passes and less on winning from the first turn type of driving
Understandable, this is often a learner’s class in some respects no matter how you implement rules there are still going to be incidents. There have been times in the past when there were ‘rookie’ class races, AND that has been discussed with it being too much of a time factor so it was shot down.
Again, it isn’t a first-choice solution, but the time has come and this is not intended to be a permanent change.
Earlier this year we talked about a video series to bring some variety. While picking up a new gear for the bent up racer, I took the opportunity to get Mr. 365 (always in the shop – practically every day of the year) Doug Borger to stop a bit and discuss many things Xcel.
In this video:
Registration discussion
Season Winners including tour and weekly
Transponders and seals including non-sealable motors
Hamlin caution vs green flag laps discussion including great car count
Drivers meeting scheduled for Xcel Drivers
Schedule details
Linda’s 50-Lap race has some new information that involves a racing legend family and possibly the biggest purse the Xcel has ever seen!
