The second stop of the 2026 Texas Sprint Racing Series visited the NOLA Motorsports Park to contest the TSRS ‘Spring Round-Up’. Right outside of Bourbon Street, the Avondale, Louisiana facility welcomed the nearly 170 entries over the 10 divisions for the Superkarts! USA and International Kart Federation regional program. Battling rain weather on Friday, the racing action over Saturday and Sunday provided two full days of drama while contesting three heat races and the main events.
KA100 Senior presented by Kart CRG USA class was led at the start of the weekend by Juanjo Paramo, securing a second straight top qualifier honor with a lap of 1:04.628, clearing the 27-driver field by over a tenth of a second. Paramo slipped back at the start of the opening heat race but managed to secure the win on the final lap. It was the same scenario in Heat Two for Fabio Orsolon, making his 2026 debut in the category. He was able to move up to the lead on the final lap to secure the win. Sawyer Roussel made it three different winners over the heat races, climbing up from outside the top five to grab the win. When the points were tabulated, Round One winner Peyton Phillips and Orsolon held the front row starting positions over Landon Skinner and Santiago Duran. Phillips jumped out to the lead of the 16-lap race, showing the way for the first nine circuits. Skinner was able to take over from there, pulling away to a 1.1-second advantage for his first win of the season. Orsolon was second on the podium with Roussel in third. Davis Henry and defending champion Jose Carlos Hernandez completed the top five.
The second half of the weekend belonged to Nicolas Orbezo in KA100 Junior presented by P1 Engines. Two-time series champion Tyrone Kemper Jr. led the way in the qualifying session over the 20-driver field with a time of 1:05.292. Easton Cox was able to secure Heat One win on the final circuit of the eight-lap race over Kemper. Orbezo retired after one lap but was able to bounce back in the second heat by leading the final four laps. The third heat was all Orbezo, jumping out to lead all eight laps. The DNF however put Orbezo fourth on the grid for the Final behind Cox, Kemper and Jackson Baldus. It only took the opening circuit of the 16-lap main event for Orbezo to reach the front. From there, Orbezo pulled away to a 1.6-second advantage for the victory. Baldus was second however he was removed from the results following tech. This promoted Junior rookie Aston Wyatt up to the runner-up spot ahead of Clayton Stiles, who recorded the fast lap of the race. Cox was fourth with Alex Chandler placing fifth.
Briggs 206 Senior presented by Kart Racing Solutions featured one of the closest photo finishes on the weekend. Round One winner Carter Kilgo began as the driver to beat, clearing the 26 drivers in qualifying before winning the opening two heat races on Saturday. He finished as the provisional winner in Heat Three before he was handed a five second penalty for blocking. This promoted Jaxon Young to the win over Camryn Reed and Brayden Domingue. Kilgo still secured the pole position for the 15-lap Final and led the first four laps before Young took over. Kilgo returned to the point on lap 9, but for only one circuit before Domingue went from fourth to first. Domingue would hold on to the checkered flag, winning at the line by 17 thousandths over Kilgo. Young was a close third with Derek Wargo in fourth and Reed in fifth.
Nicolas Orbezo was able to pull off the double in the Bayou by also securing the victory in Briggs 206 Junior presented by Orsolon Racing Texas. Orbezo began as the top qualifier to edge out the 23 driver field by nine thousandths of a second with Alex Chandler in second. The opening heat race was a battle with the top seven crossing the line with seven tenths. Orbezo was pushed back to seventh as Chandler took the win. Heat Two was only five drivers within four tenths at the line as Chandler won again, this time ahead of Orbezo. Junior rookie Aston Wyatt won the battle in Heat Three earning the win by 61 thousandths as Orbezo was pushed back to fifth. Wyatt’s consistency over the three rounds of heat races earned him the pole position for the Final with Chandler on the outside of the front row. Orbezo started from third and put himself into the lead by lap three. From there, Orbezo held on for the remainder of the 15 laps for his first victory in the category. Wyatt ended up second with Levi Meador, Round One winner Alex Chandler and Chambers completing the top five.
Multiple drivers were in contention on the weekend for Hi5 Performance KA100 Master division. A total of 11 drivers took part in the category, led by Shane Burkett in qualifying. Defending champion Pierce Baldus was second and took the opening two heat wins on Saturday. Daniel Howie was able to find speed overnight, taking the win ahead of Baldus in Heat Three. Baldus earned the pole position, and that was all he needed to lead all 16 laps of the Final. At the line, Baldus stretched out to a 1.7-second advantage over Burkett with Howie, recording the fast lap of the race, in third. Round One winner Miguel Mier was fourth with Junaid Din in fifth.
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Briggs 206 Cadet presented by Skeptic Motorsports also featured multiple drivers in the mix. Drew Blehm opened up as the top qualifier in the 19-driver field before three different drivers won the heat races. Brody Stoffle, Blehm and Mikey Todd each took a heat win with the same order set for the starting grid based on heat points. Stoffle used the pole position to lead all 15 laps in the Final, holding off Blehm and Todd at the line. Officials, however, penalized Stoffle five seconds for blocking, promoting Blehm to the top of the podium. Todd was moved to second with Stoffle finishing third after the penalty. Dusty Strayer and Sebastian Sampson completed the top five.
It was a near sweep on the weekend in the Mini Swift presented by Alan Rudolph Racing Academy. Brody Stoffle set the bar for the category, beginning in qualifying by clearing the 11 driver field by over 1.4 seconds. Stoffle dominated the heat races to comfortable margins after eight laps and was set to continue in the main event. A mechanical issue during the opening lap forced Stoffle to retire. This opened the door for a new driver to take over. Seven lead changes took place over the 15 laps, including the final circuit when Polo Santos won the race to the line to celebrate his first series victory. Penalties reshaped the podium with Marshall Steves promoted to second and Jaiden Jolivette to the third step on the podium. Sebastian Sampson was fourth with Wyatt White placed fifth.
Dusty Strayer was able to win for a second time on the season in Micro Swift presented by Arcane Motorsports. Strayer swept the action on the weekend, setting fast time in qualifying and winning all three heat races. In the 15-lap Final, Strayer was the only driver to dip into the 57-second lap times, pulling away to a five-second advantage to complete the sweep. Shepp Sullivan and Hayden Sampson grabbed their first podium finishes of the season with JJ DeShong and Bodhi Beyer completing the top five.
The new T4 Senior class presented by Tillotson Racing featured a different winner in its second round. Derek Wargo nearly swept the action in NOLA. After setting the fast time in qualifying over the nine driver field, Wargo was the provisional winner in the opening heat before suffering a five second penalty for contact. This promoted Ragan Saville to the win. Wargo bounced back to win the final two heat races and take the momentum into a victory in the Final. Saville finished second over Davis Henry. Tristan Gonzalez and Erick Cuesto completed the top five.
The Briggs 206 Kid Karts presented by GR2 Motorsports division was swept by Round One winner Maverick Reddick. After setting fast time in qualifying and winning all three heat races, Reddick led all 12 laps in the Final for a second straight victory. Beckett Boudreaux was second with fast lap of the race while Sullivan Baudoin claimed a second podium on the year in third. Dallas Broussard was fourth with Grayson Hollis in fifth.
Just over one month before the Texas Sprint Racing Series returns to action, traveling to the Amarillo Motorsports Park for the ‘Summer Shoot-out’ event. The Panhandle, Texas facility will welcome the program on June 19-21.
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