Texas Sprint Racing Series promoter Brittany Lobaugh (Photo: Studio52.us)

It’s the second largest state in America and it’s also been a huge part of kart racing in the US for decades. Karting can be found all over Texas, from San Antonio to Austin, Dallas to Houston, and now in West Texas in Amarillo. Club racing is growing strong and the state is also fortunate to have a well-supported regional program in the Texas Sprint Racing Series. As a regional program for Superkarts! USA and the International Kart Federation that fully supports IAME KA and Cadet classes, as well as the popular Briggs racing categories, the TSRS provides the perfect platform for drivers ready to move from club racing to the more competitive regional level.

The TSRS kicks off its 2024 season at NOLA Motorsports Park on the February 23-25, so we sat down with series promoter Brittany Lobaugh to discuss all the developments and outlook for the new year.

eKartingNews.com: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Brittany. With the opening round of the Texas Sprint Racing series now just a month away, I’m sure you’re deep in preparations. Let’s get started with just a simple question about how you feel about the continuing growth and consistency of the series. Texas has always been a hotbed for karting, and the TSRS is truly providing that strong and steady regional program that every area needs.

Brittany Lobaugh: Going into our ninth season, we are excited that we have been able to build and keep such a loyal following. With so many great clubs in our region, we are glad we can give local racers another place to compete with larger class numbers. Our series season pass just closed and we have 70+ drivers already pre-entered for each event with numbers for the first round growing as we speak.

We have always tried to support the local clubs however we can, even if we have outgrown their facility and can’t race there. And, as always, our championship prizes are hefty with TSRS entries and SuperNats/IKF Grands prizes up for grabs. Many of our competitors over the years have been able to use these prizes to join incredible national racing and even the coveted SKUSA ‘Guaranteed SuperSunday Starting Spots’ have come in clutch for many a TSRS racer. And, this year, we also have two different cash purses up for grabs including the DeFacto Investment Purse that will give money to our largest classes at every race, as well as our Gallery Furniture Kid Kart purses for end of the year champions.

Texas Sprint Racing Series returns to the NOLA Motorsports Park to open up 2024 at the end of February (Photo: Studio52.us)

EKN: Lots of great new incentives and prizes in the mix, which is awesome to see. This year’s TSRS schedule will hit five different venues, and one that is new to the calendar which we’ll definitely talk about. Before we discuss the ‘Kart Moto’ facility in Cresson, let’s begin with the opening round of February 23-25 at NOLA Motorsports Park. This facility has held major events from the Rotax Grand Finals to the SKUSA Pro Tour WinterNationals. What does it mean to the series to open the season at such a prestigious facility?

BL: Our customers have always loved racing at NOLA. We were very happy to come to an agreement for the facility this year and to be back. To keep it cost effective to everyone, we are running a slightly smaller layout than previous years but have been able to keep the best features and still a long track for them. We are hoping to continue the relationship with NOLA for many more years.

EKN: After NOLA, the series splits with races in March and May and then August and September, taking off the months of June and July. The TSRS hits Speedsportz in March, a track that has become a crown jewel in Texas karting. Can you explain how Speedsportz has helped to strengthen karting in the Lone Star State?

BL: Speedsportz became an instant fan favorite upon its opening. With easy access to airports and hotels within walking distance, it’s an easy choice for us. The racing at this track is exceptional as well. In years past, we have run Speedsportz forward, backwards and even for night events to mix things up when we have visited more than once a year. This year, we will be back to the traditional layout during the day. Our drivers enjoy this facility with its many passing opportunities and it always puts on a great show.

KartMoto facility outside Fort Worth will welcome TSRS for the first time in series history (Photo: KartMoto)

EKN: After Speedsportz in March, you have ‘Kart Moto’ in Cresson as the third round of the series. Can you tell us more about this facility?

BL: This facility has been in the works for a while. We were excited they have finally completed their facility enough for us to host an event and many local to the area are even more excited. We love being able to add new venues and switch things up to even the playing field for all. This facility is outside the Fort Worth area and offers a variety of elevation changes and should be some incredible racing.

EKN: Anytime our sport gains a new venue, it’s a massive positive. Kudos to you guys for supporting the effort they’ve put in and bring the facility into the TSRS family. You’re going to cap the season with races at the Dallas Karting Complex and the Amarillo Kart Complex. Before those races is another major event in Texas that you’re at the helm of, that being the International Kart Federation Grand Nationals, which is set for Amarillo on the August 2-4 weekend. The Grand Nationals event was a big success last fall at Speedsportz, and now those planning to attend the race will get a chance to check out the Amarillo facility and run for the prestigious Duffy trophy. I’m sure we’ll talk more about the IKF Grands later in the spring and early summer, but what can you tease out at this time?

BL: The 2024 IKF Grand Nationals should be really big this year. We have started populating the event page on our website with information already and will continue to update as more information becomes available. Right now, we have picked eight of nine classes and are working to decide which class should be added as the ninth and final class.

Shifters is a growth focus for 2024 season after seeing a strong return in numbers last season (Photo: Studio52.us)

EKN: Awesome. We’ll circle back later to do an interview solely on the Grand Nationals, so let’s get back to the TSRS. The late August event at the Dallas Karting Complex is the first time the TSRS has run at race at DKC since 2018. That’s a five-year hiatus. Can you walk us through how a return to facility came about?

BL: We were ecstatic to announce this one. With their two new tracks, it’s all new to all of us. After our event in 2018, their business with rentals picked up significantly and it just didn’t work for them to close to host us, and we totally understood. Now that there are two full tracks, that’s no longer an issue for us. DKC is a wonderful facility, and we are hoping to be back there again after this event as they are a huge supporter to this industry.

EKN: DKC is a fantastic operation, as we all know, and having the two simultaneously run layouts like Speedsportz is great for the sport. Let’s touch on another topic. Shifter kart racing has always been a popular component of Texas karting, and the state has developed many to national racers and champions. What’s the current status and outlook for 125cc gearbox racing within the TSRS this season?

BL: Last year, we had quite the movement to bring back shifter racing in Texas and managed to run the class at the first three events of the year with good numbers. This year, with longer tracks and many designed with shifters in mind, we are hoping to continue the growth from last year and run them at each event this year. We’ve outlined a set of rules for our shifter class that includes both ROK and KZ in a mixed class and, like our other SKUSA championship classes, if they can keep the average of 10 karts per race, we’ll also have a SuperNats ticket to give away to them at the end of the season.

The newly-renovated Dallas Karting Complex welcomes TSRS for the first time since 2018 (Photo: Dallas Karting Complex)

EKN: Let’s hope you get a ton of shifter racers out there, all ready to go at it. OK, let’s wrap this up and give you a chance to talk about the opening round at NOLA and anything else that you’re excited about for 2024.

BL: This year, we have Kart Chaser planned to be back for the third year for all our series races, as well as IKF Grands, and they will continue to showcase our outstanding drivers and let them share what they do with their friends and family all over the world. In addition, we have some new staff helping us out this year. Matt Ackley will join us on staff as our Race Director this year and we have a well-trained staff with experience from all over the country joining us on track. In Tech, SKUSA National tech director Lynn Haddock will be back helping at a few races this year with other SKUSA tech helping out when he can’t join. For 4-stroke, we have Rodney Verlengiere from RLV coming to ensure everything is as it should be as well. We hope to see many racers from all over the country at our first race in NOLA and registration is currently open now for those that are looking to join for the first time.

EKN: Thank you, Brittany, and best of luck at NOLA and throughout 2024. We look forward to a full interview focused on the IKF Grand Nationals down the line.

BL: Thanks, Rob.

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