On Sunday, October 28, starting at noon, there will be a meeting at the Polk Township Fire House in Kresgeville, Pa.
Xcel 600 Modified creator and kingpin Doug Borger is hosting the meeting and, while it is open to everyone, the main topic will not be geared specifically towards the Xcel Mod crowd. Borger has a big announcement, though, and he's allowing AARN and this column to break the news first...
During the gathering on October 28, Borger will unveil his plan for a new touring series for 600cc Micro-Sprints. The series will make its debut in 2013, and here's the piece that many have been waiting, and wanting, to hear...it will be Wingless.
Although Borger intends to reveal many of the details surrounding his tour at the meeting, he spilled some of the specifics in a telephone conversation on Monday, October 15.
It will be an eight-to-ten race schedule; he's already had discussions with several area speedways who are willing to book the Wingless 600's. While no dates have been confirmed, Doug says some of the tracks who have expressed interest include Penn Can, Five Mile Point, Linda's, and Big Diamond (Little Diamond?).
Borger continues to hammer out the purse structure, but he's looking at a winner's payout of $450-500, and $75 to take the green in the feature. Some of the purse structure, he conceded, will depend on car count at each event.
The series will adhere to the rules set up by the U6SA organization, although Borger is emphasizing that anyoneinterested in competing in his new series really should attend the meeting on the 28th because he's going to discuss (and get racers' opinions on) a couple of U6SA rules that his touring group may not adopt...
Borger wants to make his new Wingless 600 series as affordable as possible, and he feels one of the ways to accomplish that goal is to limit the number of cockpit adjustable devices. "I'm looking to cut down on all the knobs and levers inside the cars," said Borger. "I think a limit of two cockpit adjustable devices is sufficient; maybe a panhard bar adjuster and one additional device, but that's it." He believes that cutting back on such devices will not only decrease expenses for the teams, but will also help the drivers devote more of their focus to the cars around them. "I really think that a lot of the accidents in these races are due to drivers reaching down, twisting and turning knobs inside the car and not concentrating on the cars in front of and around them. And it's about $120 every time you add an adjustable device, and that cost really adds up after a while."
Borger is also adamant in his belief that taking the wings off and limiting the cockpit adjustable devices "puts the driver back into the equation; it's not all about motors and who can spend the most money."
Even though he may not comply with every single rule in the U6SA book, Borger will stick to the engine stipulations developed by that organization, and he wants all the racers to know that he will do tech inspections at each event. "I tech my Xcel Modifieds and I'm not afraid to disqualify anyone in that group; we will share that philosophy in this Wingless 600 series, too," he stated.
Borger wants to hear from competitors who are interested in participating in his new series; that's why he is encouraging attendance at his meeting on the 28th. While he will listen and carefully consider the driver's and car owner's opinions, he made it clear that any final decisions will be his, and his alone. "Just like I do with the Xcel Mods," he said, "I listen to everyone's recommendations, then make decisions based on what's best for the entire series."
Regarding any pending changes for those popular and successful Xcel 600 Modifieds, Borger explained that he's switching shocks for next season. "We're changing to Bilstein shocks for next year; we've run Pro Shocks in the past but, after testing the Bilsteins for a month or so, I feel they're the way to go in 2013."
He's also waiting to see what happens at Kutztown next year; his Xcel Sportsman class has run weekly at the Berks County oval for the past two seasons but rumored plans for the one-fifth mile of clay do not include Borger's restrictor plate division. "I've got another track lined up to run the Sportsman," he noted. "But I need to see what happens at Kutztown first...I really think that place, and that night, is a good fit for those cars."
The wingless 600cc Micro-Sprint tour is an idea that has gained momentum over the past few seasons. When the 600 Pro Series ceased to exist in 2012, the notion of a wingless tour gained even more steam; even Borger himself thought about getting it started last winter. He decided against it, however, when he weighed the time needed to develop a new series against all the items already on his proverbial plate. Now, though, the time appears to be right and Borger is ready and anxious to make his Wingless 600 Traveling Series a reality.
The Polk Township Fire Hall is located just off Route 209 in Kresgeville, Pa. Borger says it's just about a mile from his Xcel Chassis shop, and interested parties can call him for directions at 610-681-2689
PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR THE XCEL CHASSIS MODIFIEDS ALSO. I CAN NOT STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS MEETING. PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU ARE NOT THERE, YOU CAN NOT COMPLAIN.
Thank you to Barry Angstadt for his write up in AARN
