It was another record setting weekend for the Texas Sprint Racing Series presented by DeFacto Racing. The 10th season continued with the ‘Spring Round-Up’ event at the Speedsportz Racing Park, welcoming 227 entries in the 11 categories competing in the Superkarts! USA and International Kart Federation regional program. Rain hit the New Caney, Texas facility early in the weekend before clearing up for the full two days of racing to decide the Round Two victors.
The largest category of the weekend was the KA100 Senior by CRG Nordam, which earned the DeFacto Investments Cash Prizes on the weekend with a $500 purse awarded, including $250 to the race winner. NOLA victor Aden Rudolph began the weekend where he left off, putting down a 54.671 lap to claim the pole position in qualifying. The class was broken up into groups for the heat races, with Rudolph and Jesus Vasquez Jr. each taking a win in the first round. Vasquez and Jake French scored wins in the second round of heats with Vinnie Meskelis and Alex Stanfield winning in the third round of heat races. This put Vasquez and Stanfield on the front row for the 18-lap main event that saw three different leaders in the first half. The front row starters along with Peyton Phillips all took turns before Vasquez secured the top spot. He led the final eight circuits to claim victory and the DeFacto Investments Cash Prize. Rudolph fought off Phillips to the line for the second spot ahead of Stanfield with Meskelis placing fifth.
The 206 Senior presented by Slipstream Racing was above the 30-mark for drivers once again, led at the start of the weekend by Brayden Robertson in qualifying. A 1:01.708 lap time cleared Truly Adams and Landon Melson by 62 thousandths. Qualifying sixth was Bryce Frank, who drove to the race win in Heat #1. Kelvin Xing put his name into the mix with a win in the second heat race while Adams took the top spot in the final moto. It would be Aden Rudolph starting on the pole position for the main event after the heat race results were tabulated with Frank starting from the outside of the front row. Five different drivers led over the 17 laps in the Final with the second half of the race busy with action. In the end, Adams – who started seventh – held on by leading the final two laps to secure victory. It was only 61 thousandths at the line with NOLA winner Ragan Saville up 12 spots to second with Jacob Oliver completing the podium. Josey Chambers and Robertson rounded out the top-five.
Two drivers who were not at the season opener led the weekend in the KA100 Junior class presented by P1 Engines. Jackson Wolny was quickest in qualifying for the 31 driver field, setting a 55.258 to be two-tenths clear. Wolny went on to win the opening heat race before two-time SKUSA SuperNationals winner Turner Brown came through to win the final two heats. The 19-lap Final went down to the wire with the two heat winners out front. Brown led most of the race and led at the white flag. Wolny was able to pull off a final lap pass, reaching the line first to earn the victory by just one thousandth of a second over Brown. Gage Bailey drove to third with David Ybarra fourth and Jaxon Young in fifth.
Alan Rudolph Racing Academy Mini Swift winner from the Winter Warm-Up event Alex Chandler came out of the gates gunning for a second straight victory. His 58.358 lap time was best in qualifying, clearing Pasha Ali by 52 thousandths of a second. Chandler went on to win the opening heat before Royce Vega slotted into the top spot for Heat #2. Chandler came back to win the third heat, but Vega earned the pole position for the main event based on the heat race point totals. On the opening lap, Chandler was shuffled back to fourth with Vega leading. That was until Nicolas Orbezo took over for three circuits. Vega regained the lead and eventually was joined by Chandler at the front. At the checkered, Vega was able to hold off Chandler by 88 thousandths for the victory. Sawyer Chambers drove up from eighth to third to steal the final podium spot ahead of Orbezo with Aston Wyatt in fifth.
It was a two driver fight on the weekend in the KA100 Master by Hi-5 Performance class. By a mere 45 thousandths, Pierce Baldus took a second straight top qualifier honor over Kyle Walther and multi-time series champion Miguel Mier. It was Mier that came away with the Heat #1 while Baldus scored the win in the second heat. The last heat race win went to Mier to secure the pole position as Baldus started from the outside of the front row. That was all Mier needed, as he led all 18 laps to secure his first victory of the 2024 season. Baldus settled for second, recording the fast lap of the race. Kyle Walther won the close fight for third over Shane Burkett and Kogan Wright.
The 206 Junior presented by Saville Electric class is another to welcome a second different winner in 2024. Chris Tracey was able to claim the fast time in qualifying, edging out Robert Arana by a slim six thousandths. Both won during the heat races with Tracey taking the top spot in the opening heat with Arana earning the win in the final two. Arana fell back to fourth early on as Tracey led the field. With two laps remaining, Arana took back the top position and drove away to victory. Tracey settled for second with John Paul Melchiorri landing on the podium in third. Eva Blehm and Shane Ready completed the top-five.
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One of the few drivers to double up on the season in the 206 Cadet presented by Rimrock Raceway win column was Tanner Barsch. Aston Wyatt cleared the 18 driver field in qualifying by a massive seven tenths gap for fast time. Barsch fought back in the opening heat race to grab the win in a photo finish before Wyatt led the way at the end of the final two heats. The main event was a phenomenal 17 lap battle with Wyatt and Barsch exchanging the lead nearly every lap. The final circuit was back and forth with Barsch winning the race to the checkered flag by 28 thousandths. Theodore Mitchell won the battle for third with Marshall Steves fourth and Rhett Johnson in fifth.
Several drivers stood out throughout the weekend in the Kart Racing Solutions Micro Swift class. Marcelo Flores began his series debut with fast time in qualifying, clearing the 11-driver field by over two tenths. It was NOLA winner Kimo Ahmad and Dutch Westbrook who won in the heat races with Ahmad taking the first two resulting in a pole position starting spot for the Final. Ahmad was able to use the P1 grid position to lead all 16 laps of the main event. Ahmad fought off a late charge by Flores, edging him out at the checkered flag by 99 thousandths. Andrew Li Anastasio won the battle for third ahead of Westbrook and Brody Stoffle.
It was a near sweep in the Shifter class presented by Houston Freightliner Western Star. NOLA winner Vincent Cossard was able to repeat the top step of the podium with a victory at Speedsportz. The only session he failed to finish P1 was in qualifying as Luis Mendez topped the time sheets in his 2024 series debut. Cossard went on to win all three heat races and led wire-to-wire in the main event. Mendez fought back from tough heat races, improving four spots in the Final to finish second. Derek Proctor edged Jeff Mills for the final podium spot as Zachary Mabry finished fifth.
The 206 Heavy presented by TB Kart division welcomed a second winner on the season in Madison Knox. Setting fast time in qualifying, Knox went on to win the opening heat before Nick Miller and David Roddy claimed the wins in the other two heat races. Roddy and Miller started the Final from the front row with Knox in third. It was Roddy leading the first 10 laps before slipping down the order. Marcus Pillion took over the point before Knox reclaimed the top position. Leading the remainder of the race, Knox celebrated the victory by six seconds. Pillion finished second with Zeren Li joining them on the podium in third. Roddy ended up fourth with Miller placing fifth.
Bodhi Beyer went wire-to-wire in the main event to claim victory in the Honda Kid Kart presented by Gallery Furniture. Raif Ali set fast time in qualifying and won the opening heat race before Brody Brown and Beyer each took a heat race win. In the Final, it was all Beyer, driving away to the victory. The top-five shuffled around after tech inspection, with Ali placing second and Wylen Galeano in third. Caiden Tuter and Brown completed the top-five.
The third event of the 2024 season for the Texas Sprint Racing Series presented by DeFacto Racing is set for May 3-5, as the Summer Shootout will be the series debut visit to the KartMoto facility in Cresson, Texas.
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