They say all sports have an off season except when it comes to racing. Doug Borger, owner of Xcel Chassis series, held a meeting on October 28th at the Polk Township Firehouse to discuss plans for the 2013 season.
" At the end of each season I like to bring everybody together to go over the rule book and make any revisions we need to. Over the winter cars are being prepped and the guys know what direction we are headed, The way I see it why wait till next year when they guys can start now" explained Doug.
One of the biggest rule change comes to the air pressure on the right rear tire after the feature. The previous rule was a minimum of 10 lbs when teched. The revised rule is as follows . If the tire is below 10 lbs the 5 minute clock will start. After 5 minutes the tire is rechecked. If the tire pressure remains the same you will be disqualified. If the pressure continued to drop you will not be disqualified but given a warning. Only 2 warnings will be given per season. On the third time you are automatically disqualified and no clock will be used.
Fuel pressures for Suzuki motors will have to be at 43 to 51 lbs. All cars will have to use high pressure blue fuel line and must run 87 to 93 octane with 10% ethanol. Participants are to keep all fuel receipts available for tech inspectors.
The top 9 will be eligible for the redraw and the previous race winner can start no better than 12th.
Over the winter Doug informed the crowd that all cars and motors (including spares) must be brought to the Xcel Chassis shop. Cars will be inspected and all motors will be resealed. " It's time to update the seals on the motors. The new technology out today warrants all the motors have two seals and the last seals were over 3 years old. I told the guys if the car is not teched and/or the motor is not sealed you cannot race. Over the years I have teched at the track on race day but with the new rule the last thing I want to do is tear apart a motor at the track. We have plenty of time over the next few months to have every car done. The excuse I live far away or have no time doesn't work when the majority of the guys are able to get it done.
The big door prizes normally handed out by the luck of the draw will go to the top ten. The 2013 tour champion will now receive the free frame and body kit. This now brings the total for the champion to over $3000 dollars and with the remaining prizes being awarded to the top ten, everybody will see an increase.
Doug was pleased to announce the addition of Penn Can Speedway to the mix. " Reed Miller and Al Wilcox run a professional racetrack in Susquehanna, PA and is popular with my drivers. They are a home track for the 2013 season. We have agreed to the following dates. April 19th&26th, May 10th&24th, June 7th&21st, July 12th&26th, August 2nd &9th and September 6th. Reed and Al will be releasing all the needed information soon so keep checking their website at www.penncan.com
The biggest news coming out of the meeting was the announcement that was the Bilstein shocks would be the official shock for the series. Bilstein is a great company to work with and is a proven shock in the racing community. They have worked with me to build a special shock program for the series. What we have come up with fits the drivers needs and stays within the affordability motto I stand for. By the year 2014 all cars must have 2 Bilstein shocks and by 2015 all four corners must have Bilsteins. The reps for Bilstein and I agreed to give my guys one year to make the change but I don't expect it to take one year before you see every car make the change to Bilsteins.
The overall feeling as the drivers left was the series is headed for bigger and better things for the 2013 season. Some dates have already been announced and a weekend in April will not be filled. April 26th&27th will be open so teams can chose to go out west. Mississippi Thunder and Iowa Track will be announcing the biggest show to date for the western division of Xcel Chassis Series. " I wanted to give the guys who run here a chance to travel out west. I know Nick and Brian Mady are committed since they have already went out and can't say enough how good the racing is along with the tracks hospitality. My first trip out there was awesome and everyone should definitely mark this one on their calendars.
The Xcel Chassis 600 Modified Series is heading into 2013 with a renewed vigor. Keep checking the forum board which can be found on the lower left hand corner of the website at www.xcelchassis.com.
