News & Information - Page 3 of 3

Weather App Comes to Xcel

March 10, 2022

by Keith Inglin From Xcel Chassis News & Information

One of the primary things Xcel is focusing on is being able to communicate with the masses in a quick, painless method that will let everyone see the same thing at the same time.

When it comes to that day where there are forecast thunderstorms, we all look to the sky and wonder if the night is work out.

The truth is no one is going to answer that question, it could literally be raining (or snowing) in turn 3 and the rest of the track is fine.

Nothing makes a weather cancellation good, but now at least there is potential to know as soon as someone of authority does.

The app (if that is what you want to call it) is browser displayed, but designed to work on all size screens including a mobile device.

To view it, visit THIS LINK

Couple things to know, there are some lights that may not be obvious.

Green = All good to go, no weather
Red = Cancelled – Though there might be message below it about makeup
Yellow = We are watching the forecast because of potential for bad weather
Red/Yellow = Some type of weather happened, awaiting word on outcome

The address is simple to remember: weather.xcelchassis.net, but we suggest you use your browser on you mobile device to put an icon directly on you home screen somewhere for easy access.

A couple YouTube videos will show you how to do that for both types of phone. They are located at the bottom of the page.

Xcel Chassis wants this area to be a place where Xcel Modified Teams can come and get information directly from the source. As this area is realized, we hope to make it the place for us to put out information, notices and official responses to anything Xcel.
That doesn’t mean that we will stop on Facebook or other social media, but that this is intended to be the place (especially for those who aren’t on social media) for everyone to get the message the way it was intended. Please tell people about this area – Thanks in advance!

Dirt Track Heroes Show

March 6, 2022

by Keith Inglin News & Information

Took a nostalgic ride to the Dirt Track Heroes Show now being held at the Palmer Park Mall not far from (and on the way to) the long-shuttered Nazareth racetracks.
My older brother used to race at the famed aforementioned small track and as kids us twins piled in the back of the ’72 pickup along with all the tires and toolboxes in a common practice to what would surely be frowned upon these days. Boy some nights we froze on the way home!

Along the way there were the familiar landmarks that told us how we were progressing:

It was a pleasant sunny day and the ride was uneventful. Pulled into the mall and worked my way in for the tour all by myself and in no particular hurry. This was my first time at the show since it moved from the more familiar Phillipsburg mall so I wasn’t really sure how to get in. I ended up going in the main entrance to find some cars scattered about like the old mall show.

After passing on the idea of a mango smoothie, I found the main hall and all along took some images, most of which I tried to get interesting tidbits instead of the same old full-on shot.

I commented on some of the photos, look at the captions to see them. Great opportunity for racers to get their sponsors noted. Happen to see Pop’s Bees & Trees (see image below) on one of the cars. They did some great work for us last fall. Glad to see them promoting racing and that is one of the reasons I called them.

YouTube & Xcel

March 3, 2022

by Keith Inglin Fun and Lighthearted News & Information

How this came about

You know when you say: “If I was blah blah blah, I would… “

In the past there have been weekly summations on the website. They were well written, and people generally looked for them.

Truth is, they were a LOT of work to put together.

Well, if I was remaking the website, I would post videos instead. (See how this ties to the first sentence!)

Doug wants to have more interaction and was talking about a weekly podcast/blog.

He thought that he would be able to express thoughts, talk about the race and the winner. Give a preview of the next week and relay any pressing news that people may have missed.

I happen to know a guy (my twin) who has an incredibly successful podcast and let me tell from an insider – it is a ton of work.
Shameless Plug: Beekeepers Corner Podcast

You have to have software, record it, edit it, post it, get the meta data and respond to people and such.

Nope, not the type of thing that is going to work. Nothing against Doug, but his lack of computer savvy is legendary.

Settling on YouTube

Fast forward to the title idea. I discussed the idea of doing it simply with a cell phone and posting the video to YouTube.

We talked about it some and then shot that 2-minute video to see what it would take to set this in motion. I have been working on updates tonight and to my surprise, the thing had 100 views in 2 hours of release. I’d say that was a win.

What is it going to look like?

The goal of all of this is information and some entertainment. To that end, we are going to break this out into two sections. How to’s and Weekly Recaps.

Some of the how to’s on the agenda:

How to register your Xcel and where to find all the ID Numbers
How to square and measure out the car. Basic ride heights
- This one is going to coincide with a page on the topic that will remain for new teams to get a base setup and answers to basic questions like: what do I do if the car is loose?
Tips for trailering
Say it with me: Main-ten-ance
- Oil Changes
- Cleaning the air filters
- Washing the car and how to protect the electronics
- Checking suspension areas, especially the birdcages for loose components
- Winter storage tips
How to register when you get to the various track – Tour vs. weekly
Tips on beating out a body panel
Safety around your pit and in your race car garage
How to feel the car driving and what to do about it
Sponsors and how to approach them
More and more ideas including the ones that you tell us

Some of the weekly recaps on the agenda:

Who won and how they accomplished it
The good, the bad and the ugly of this week
Points standings
Xcel Drivers News
- Introduce new teams
- Who had a wedding, birth or celebration
- Who did we say goodbye to
- Highlights of our drivers’ accomplishments
- In other classes and personal life like graduations and such
Poker series and Redraw Challenge news
Sponsor recognition
Rules infractions and penalties
What we ate at the track and on the way home
When did we get home this week
What can we shameless plug you to purchase this week
- Who is expected to be where for you to buy parts if needed
Where are we next week and any meetings or such to relay
- Any special payouts for the coming race and the sponsors who are paying for them

If you want to get a feel for the style of this, our inspiration is Neil from Messick’s Equipment.

He has over 100k followers and does a great job from a to z explaining all facets of buying, owning and using a tractor. One guy walking around giving information and building his brand.

Don’t forget to smack that subscribe button!

What is the gear at [insert track name here]?

March 3, 2022

by Keith Inglin From Xcel Chassis News & Information Track Information

Almost weekly there is a request on the Xcel Facebook page of someone asking for the base gear for a given track.

Teams are always quick to respond, and the racer has never been left in the lurch that we know of.

You can help: Read on to find out how

We are looking at checking things off the box and this week we found this task on our list, so we are checking it.
Doug provided information on his charts, and I painstakingly typed them into a table for both the Yamaha and Suzuki programs.

The Suzuki one is fair as far as completion but could use some help. I am waiting to get to our race car trailer (at Korey’s House) to get the Yamaha information we have.

If you have a default gear that isn’t crazy off the norm, please email it me at keith@xcelchassis.net and I will update the missing table information.

Here is a link to the XCEL GEAR CHART PAGE. It isn’t in the rotation yet so the only way to get to it is right here.

Help: Xcel Seal Information

March 2, 2022

by Keith Inglin From Xcel Chassis News & Information Rules

Part of registration is to have your Xcel Seal information posted.

Many are not clear on what that means so on a recent trip to the Xcel Chassis shop, we took a few images to clear things up.

CPU Serial Number

The CPU serial number is in the corner and it is not a sticker, but STAMPED into the plastic casing

example: The CPU serial number for this image is SN9178

Xcel CPU Seal Sticker

This is required on and Xcel Chassis CPU. It is the barcode sticker and you are responsible for submitting the ID number for this sticker.

example: the Top sticker number here is 1036101

Xcel Motor Seal Number

The Xcel Chassis Motor Seal is on both the Yamaha and Suzuki motors. It is inserted into the top of the motor and will feature this blue seal. You are responsible for listing the seal number.

example: The top number seal in this image is 6786851

Motor Serial Numbers

There is another post dedicated to how to identify and report serial numbers for both the Yamaha and Suzuki motors LOOK HERE to view that post

Help: Registration Serial Numbers

February 27, 2022

by Keith Inglin From Xcel Chassis News & Information Rules

Registration is on-going and many have asked where they can locate the serial numbers.

To help, we have these two images that will help you narrow down where you are looking.
We realize that your motor is in the car, but hopefully it is clean and easy to get the numbers since most have been in the shop working on cars at the time of this posting.

HERE IS A LINK to the page where registration starts. PLEASE read the list and make sure you have all the parts prior to opening the form..

Suzuki Motor Serial Number

Yamaha Motor Serial Number

Yamaha Serial Number Identification Image

Xcel Seal Information

There is another post dedicated to helping you find the numbers on Xcel seals and the CPU serial number. LOOK HERE

Fire suppression systems – an update

January 24, 2022

by Keith Inglin From Xcel Chassis News & Information Rules

The end of 2021 rules meeting it was discussed that teams are slated to have a fire suppression system onboard for and Xcel Modified.

Those systems will be standard on the new 3/4 modified for 2022, but Xcel has determined that the system will be not mandatory until 2023 for the Xcel Modified Series cars.

Teams are strongly encouraged not to wait until it becomes a mandatory rule and purchase the system (at a reduced rate) from Xcel for the 2022 Xcel Modified season.

Xcel has secured a number of fire suppression systems at an incredible discounted price for teams to purchase.
Each system is priced at just $250. The are available for purchase on a first come first serve basis and there isn’t any guarantee that the price will not increase with the next order.