Christie Beightol, Xceldyne Engineer
Maintaining a consistent enthusiasm for your job is easy to accomplish when you’re an experienced engineer working for one of the top racing valvetrain system manufacturers in the world and you’re also a gigantic fan of motorsports, racing and NASCAR. That saturated-in-satisfaction employee would by Christine Beightol, a mechanical engineer for Xceldyne Technologies, a division of CV Products headquartered in the same business park as our own headquarters in Thomasville, N.C.
For years, our team over at Xceldyne has set the bar for crafting durable, reliable and high-performance titanium valves and valvetrain components targeting the motorsport racing community. And Christine has been there with us, joining Xceldyne in the summer of 2007. She’s got a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from GMI Engineering & Management Institute in Flint, Mich. (now Kettering University), and an associate of science degree in motorsports management technology from Rowan Cabarrus Community College in North Carolina.
Let’s learn a little bit more about this engineer with a penchant for speed. Meet Christine Beightol:
CV Products: What did you do prior to coming to work for CV Products?
Christine Beightol: I have held positions in quality and design engineering for various manufacturing companies in North Carolina. I also worked in the engine department at Bill Davis Racing in High Point before joining CV Products.
CV: What attracted you to CV Products?
Christine: I have always loved racing and wanted to continue my engineering career with a company involved in motorsports.
CV: What’s your all-time favorite CV Products item and why?
Christine: I am proud to have worked on our EFI Fuel System for NASCAR. This was a collaborative effort between our engineering department, race teams, Bosch and NASCAR to develop and build this system.
CV: When you are not working, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Christine: In my spare time I grow vegetable gardens, cook, and do canning. I like the idea of living off the land. It makes me feel good to grow food from a seed, can it, then eat it during the winter. Nothing beats eating sweet corn in December! I love to walk, hike, ride bicycles and dance — especially clogging. It’s a lot of fun and great exercise. I volunteer with 4-H and the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
CV: What reality TV show should you be on and why would you win or lose?
Christine: I’d like to be on “Dancing with the Stars.” I love to dance and am very competitive. I don’t like to lose!
CV: What’s one thing not many people know about you?
Christine: I have loved racing since I was 13 years old. My hometown is Oil City, Pa., and Pennzoil and Quaker State used to be located there. They brought race drivers in for autograph sessions and the first driver I ever met was Bobby Allison. My dad took me to our local dirt tracks where I grew up watching winged sprint cars, late models and modifieds. There’s nothing like seeing the cars sideways in the dirt!
