03/16/2026
Round 1 of the Texas Sprint Racing Series is in the books, and it was a strong start to the season for the Hi5 Performance Texas crew. A lot of hard work through testing and preparation showed this weekend, and our drivers gave it everything on track.
KA Jr had two drivers under the tent.
Cruz Rodriguez made his first ever KA Jr start, and the Cruzer showed right away that he belongs in the class. He had strong pace all through Friday practice and was pushing hard every session. On Saturday he qualified P11, just shy of the top 10 starting spots. In Heat 1 he was working his way forward before getting caught up in a crash that ended in a DNF. Heat 2 he regrouped and drove a solid race to P11, and in Heat 3 he finished P16. In the main event Cruz held his own and brought it home P16 in his first KA Jr race weekend. A really strong start and a lot to build on.
Justice Robertson was also in KA Jr. This was only his second race in KA Jr and really his first full season starting to race. Justice showed good improvement throughout the weekend and kept a calm and focused demeanor the entire time. Unfortunately his weekend ended with a DNF, but the progress he showed all weekend was exactly what we want to see.
KA Masters was stacked for us with Danny “The Man” Howie, Scott Cherry, and Kogan Wright.
All three drivers showed strong pace from the start. Danny qualified P2, Kogan P6, and Scott P10.
Heat 1 results: Danny P2, Kogan P6, Scott P12.
Heat 2 results: Danny P2, Kogan P4, Scott P9.
Heat 3 was a big one where Danny “The Man” Howie grabbed his first heat race win, while Kogan finished P7 and Scott P9.
In Sunday’s main event Danny battled for the lead multiple times and just fell short of the win, finishing P2 in a great race. Kogan unfortunately had a mechanical issue and recorded a DNF, and Scott was caught up in an early on-track incident that also ended in a DNF.
Mini Swift also had a strong showing with Marshal Steves and Sebastian Sampson.
Both drivers showed good pace in Friday practice. This was Sebastian Sampson’s first race in Mini Swift after racing Cadet 206 last year and making the move up.
Qualifying results:
Marshal P13
Sebastian P9
Heat 1: Marshal P6 with Hard Charger, Sebastian P7
Heat 2: Marshal P6 moving up 6 spots, Sebastian P10
Heat 3: Marshal P8 with Hard Charger, Sebastian P9
In the final, Marshal was charging forward and showing real speed before developing a starter issue that caused the engine to stall at times. He fought through it and still finished P6. Sebastian drove a great race in his first Mini Swift event and brought it home P11.
LO206 Cadet was another big highlight of the weekend.
Both Marshal Steves and Sebastian Sampson showed dominant pace during Friday practice.
Qualifying:
Marshal P5
Sebastian P10
Heat 1: Marshal played it smart, waited for the right moment, and made an incredible last lap move passing three karts in one corner to take his first heat race win, along with Hard Charger and Fast Time. Sebastian finished P7 with strong pace.
Heat 2: Marshal P3 with Fast Time, Sebastian P6 with Hard Charger.
Heat 3: Marshal picked up his second heat race win of the day, again making a late race pass and setting Fast Time. Sebastian finished P14 after on-track contact.
In the main event, Marshal grabbed the lead on lap one and led every lap. He and P2 broke away and built a 5.2 second gap to third. On the final lap Brody Stoffle made a move for the lead, but Marshal drag raced him to the line and won his first ever TSRS main event.
Sebastian also had a strong race, kept his head down, drove clean, and battled hard all the way to P7.
The entire Hi5 Performance Texas family could not be more proud of these drivers. The long days, testing, and preparation are worth it when we see this kind of effort and growth on track. Thank you to you guys for getting Hi5 Texas their first win in TSRS. We couldn’t do it without you amazing people!
On to the next one.
