NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

For more than five decades, NHRA National Dragster's famed Tricky Tipster has tested his prognosticating skills prior to each national event, putting odds on the top eight racers he thinks have the best shot at victory in Tricky Tipster. This week, Tricky Tipster handicaps the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals.

TOP FUEL Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle | Top Alcohol Dragster | Top Alcohol Funny Car
	Antron Brown • Matco Tools A quinquennial occurrence is something that happens every five years -- e.g., Brown winning Brainerd in 2001, 2006, and 2011, the former two seasons on a Pro Stock Motorcycle and the latter in Top Fuel.	3-1
	Steve Torrence • Capco Contractors The national e.t. record holder has a chance to win two races in the same weekend with the Seattle final opposite Antron Brown being postponed until qualifying during this event. The Texas native is running hard enough to do a two-step in the winner’s circle.	7-2
	Richie Crampton • Lucas Oil This resurgent team has done a remarkable job at Lucas Oil’s title event in recent years. Crew chief Aaron Brooks tuned three of the past four Brainerd winners, with Crampton winning last season and Morgan Lucas taking it home in 2012 and 2014.	5-1
	J.R. Todd • SealMaster The Sonoma winner has made five consecutive semifinal appearances and been in three of the last five final rounds.	11-2
	Morgan Lucas • Protect the Harvest/Lucas Oil He has one of the better batting averages in racing since he began driving on a part-time schedule, and he showed no rust in Seattle in his first race since March. He always brings his best to Brainerd.	7-1
	Doug Kalitta • Mac Tools The two-time Brainerd winner looks to put the Western Swing in his rearview mirror and resume a drive toward a long-awaited drag racing season title.	8-1
	Tony Schumacher • U.S. Army “The Sarge” was strong on the Swing. He won in Denver and lost a pair of second-round races that could have gone either way.	9-1
	Brittany Force • Monster Energy The personnel on her team were responsible for the quickest run in NHRA history at this very racetrack last season. They are plenty capable of unleashing the monster once again.	10-1
FUNNY CAR
	Ron Capps • NAPA Dodge Capps or Del Worsham? Worsham or Capps? Tipster went back and forth on which driver to put here because both are worthy of being No. 1. We ultimately decided to give the slight edge to Capps because he has such a strong record at this track.	5-2
	Del Worsham • DHL Toyota Tipster’s jaw is still on the ground after Worsham’s record-setting performance in Seattle. The champ looks as good now as he did on his title run at season’s end last year, which means a #DelDouble is most definitely in the realm of possibilities this weekend.	3-1
	Matt Hagan • Mopar Express Lane/ Rocky Boots Dodge As if that strong semifinal showing in Seattle wasn’t enough to place Hagan high in our order, don’t forget that this is the track at which he made the first 3.8-second run last year. With a favorable forecast this weekend, it’s hard to not consider this team a favorite.	5-1
	Jack Beckman • Infinite Hero Dodge Tipster can’t help but wonder what might have been had Beckman not red-lighted in round two in Seattle. He did, after all, have the quickest run of the first round, and that followed four steady, good qualifying passes.	6-1
	Robert Hight • Auto Club Chevy Because he’s not making record runs, Hight is getting a bit overshadowed, but do not overlook this strong, consistent car. Did you know that his average e.t. in Seattle was an impressive 3.906? Add in the fact he’s the defending champ, and Hight is definitely one to watch.	7-1
	Tommy Johnson Jr. • Make-A-Wish Dodge On the plus side, this team made a handful of good runs and won a round in Seattle. But qualifying is still an issue, and the low rankings mean early matches with the likes of John Force and Ron Capps, which typically doesn’t lead to a whole lot of success.	9-1
	John Force • Peak Chevy The good news for the 11-time Brainerd champ is his car goes downtrack more often than not. The bad news is he’s still a little behind the top runners on each pass. If his team can turn up the wick a bit, Force could be a serious threat each week.	10-1
	Courtney Force • Traxxas Chevy We’re not really sure what to expect from this team this weekend after the first-round crash in Seattle, but Force’s car has been one of the best in the class all season, so how do you not include her in the rankings?	12-1
PRO STOCK
	Greg Anderson • Summit Camaro He suffered his first first-round loss of the season in Seattle, which was shocking to see, but one bad race isn’t going to dismiss him from the top of this list.	2-1
	Vincent Nobile • Mountain View Camaro He put on an impressive show in Seattle by nabbing the low-qualifier position and appearing in his second final of the season. Due to rain, we are forced to wait and see if Nobile will become the fourth different Pro Stock driver to win this year.	3-1
	Bo Butner • Jim Butner Auto Camaro With two final-round appearances and one semifinal finish in the last four races, it’s safe to say that Butner has overcome his midseason slump. He is still looking for his first Pro Stock victory.	4-1
	Jason Line • Summit Camaro After watching him continually appear in the final round, Line’s performance has been slipping as of late. With the rest of the field progressing and the Countdown right around the corner, it’s not the best timing for this team to start losing momentum.	9-2
	Allen Johnson • Marathon Petroleum Dart After Seattle, Johnson became the most recent Pro Stock driver to clinch a spot in the Countdown. His car isn’t the fastest in the bunch, but he has consistently gone rounds at all but two races this season.	6-1
	Shane Gray • Gray Motorsports Camaro His performance slipped slightly in Seattle, but it isn’t anything to be worried about. Gray has proven he can outrun the best by being low qualifier in Chicago; it’s just a matter of performing on race day.	8-1
	Drew Skillman • Ray Skillman Auto Camaro He is still struggling to find his sweet spot as he suffered another first-round loss in Seattle. However, with only two races left before the Countdown, he should have no problem clinching a spot, thanks to his success earlier this season.	10-1
	Jeg Coughlin Jr. • JEGS.com Dart The rest of the field is pretty evenly matched, and there isn’t one driver who stands out more than the other. Tipster decided to go with Coughlin in this last spot due to the success he has had in Brainerd: four wins and two runner-ups.	12-1
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
	Andrew Hines • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Yes, he lost in the final round in Sonoma, but he’s also 14-2 in eliminations rounds since Norwalk. He also has a slim chance to pass teammate Eddie Krawiec for the top spot in the Countdown standings.	3-1
	Eddie Krawiec • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson With an 89-point lead in the Mello Yello championship standings, he should be on cruise control, but then again, he hasn’t won a race since Norwalk, and that’s no way to enter the Countdown. Look for a renewed effort this weekend.	9-2
	Angelle Sampey • Star Racing/PSE Buell For all of her success, including three championships and 42 national event wins, Sampey has never won in Brainerd, although she does have three runner-up finishes, in 1998, 2004, and 2008.	5-1
	LE Tonglet • Nitro Fish Suzuki Coming off a big confidence-boosting victory in Sonoma, the former champ has a chance to double up here. He also won this race in 2011, so he’s quite familiar with the unique characteristics of Brainerd Int’l Raceway.	6-1
	Jerry Savoie • White Alligator Suzuki This is a hard team to handicap because it is prone to big swings in performance. He might qualify No. 1 by five-hundredths or land somewhere in the middle of the pack. Either way, he’s almost certain to clinch a Countdown spot this weekend.	8-1
	Matt Smith • Victory Gunner A pair of round-wins in Denver and Sonoma seemed to help solidify his spot in the Countdown, but a final round here would certainly provide a bit of breathing room. We’ve said this all year, but this bike could and should be winning races.	9-1
	Hector Arana Jr. • Lucas Oil Buell He is in the Countdown right now but only 11 points clear of 11th-place Michael Ray, so this is not the time to relax. He was also a finalist here in 2011-12, so anything less than a semifinal finish would be a disappointment.	12-1
	Hector Arana Sr. • Lucas Oil Buell He won this event during his championship season in 2009, and it’s also worth noting the obvious, which is few things in racing are more rewarding than winning your sponsor’s event.	15-1