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 NHRA Carolina Nationals.

TOP FUEL Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle | Pro Mod
	Tony Schumacher • U.S. Army Now that his 10th Indy win is safely tucked away, he can concentrate on winning his ninth championship, which is a very attainable goal.	3-1
	Antron Brown • Matco Tools The road to a third championship starts here. He has done it twice before, and no reason to think he won’t be there again this season.	4-1
	Doug Kalitta • Mac Tools Is there anyone out there who wouldn’t love to see this team catch a long-overdue break during the Countdown and make a push towards the title? Gotta figure most would like to see that.	5-1
	Steve Torrence • Capco Contractors/Rio Ammo He’ll get his share of qualifying points during the Countdown, but he needs the round-wins to stay in the hunt. A win here would be a great start.	7-1
	Brittany Force • Monster Don’t kid yourselves, the thought of Brittany joining dad John as an NHRA Mello Yello champ is very real. In fact, she’s easily one of the favorites.	8-1
	J.R. Todd • SealMaster He has a 17-6 record since Norwalk and has zero first-round losses. That sort of success bodes well for a nice run during the Countdown to the Championship.	9-1
	Shawn Langdon • Sandvik Really hard to handicap this team. On one hand, they can win any event they enter. On the other, it’s hard to overlook seven round-one losses.	12-1
	Richie Crampton • Lucas Oil One round-win in the last three events is not a great way to start the Countdown. That being said, he’s primed for a big rebound if he can win a few rounds this weekend.	14-1
FUNNY CAR
	Ron Capps • NAPA Dodge OK, so he didn’t get that long-overdue first Indy win. He’s still got the best car in the class, and he’s a slight favorite to go the distance and win an equally overdue championship.	3-1
	Matt Hagan • Freightliner Trucks Dodge Riding high after a big Indy win, he returns to the site of his historic first three-second pass. This team is equal to Capps’ in almost every area, so we’re making them co-favorites	3-1
	Del Worsham • DHL Toyota Since the start of the Western Swing, he has a dynamic 14-4 record in elimination rounds. If that pace continues, the rest of the field is in big trouble.	4-1
	Robert Hight • Auto Club Chevy He won just one event during the regular season, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. This is a team that has shown a fair amount of consistency. Very underrated.	6-1
	Courtney Force • Traxxas Chevy She has qualified in the top half of every field this year. In today’s Funny Car fields, that is an incredible accomplishment.	8-1
	Tommy Johnson Jr. • Make-A-Wish Dodge The fact that this is the sixth car on the list tells you everything you need to know about Funny Car 2016. Every team is capable of winning.	9-1
	John Force • Advanced Auto/Peak Chevy Is there anyone out there who doesn’t think he has enough left in the tank for a run at a 17th championship? Tipster’s best advice: Never bet against this guy.	11-1
	Jack Beckman • Infinite Hero Dodge As bad as this team struggled at times this season, it’s important to remember they can run 3.85 almost at will and begin the Countdown just 50 points out of first place.	14-1
PRO STOCK
	Greg Anderson • Summit Camaro The Summit team has clearly given back some of their edge since the start of 2016, but this is still one of the best cars in the class, and with the start of the Countdown, Anderson is very motivated.	3-1
	Vincent Nobile • Mountain View Camaro Only bad luck and bad timing have kept this team from winning any of the last three races. If their luck improves, look for a championship-caliber effort.	4-1
	Jason Line • Summit Camaro Forget about the gaudy regular season record. It means little if he can’t make a decent run at a third Mello Yello championship.	5-1
	Chris McGaha • Harlow Sammons Camaro Not really sure if he has the fourth-best car in the class, but he is the Indy champ, so we’re giving him the benefit of the doubt.	6-1
	Shane Gray • Gray Motorsports Camaro Entirely possible that this is the next Pro Stock driver to grab a win in 2016. He is absolutely overdue.	7-1
	Drew Skillman • Skillman Auto Camaro With Gray Motorsports power, he’s a threat to win any event he enters. Tends to stay cool under pressure as well, and that counts for something.	11-1
	Bo Butner • Butner Auto Camaro What’s he doing way down here? There is no easy way to put this. In order to win a Pro Stock race, his driving must improve. This would be a great time to figure a few things out.	12-1
	Allen Johnson • Marathon Petroleum Dart Based solely on his driving, he probably should be ranked a couple of spots higher. Should he find a tiny bit more power, he will challenge for another championship.	15-1
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
	Andrew Hines • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson On an epic roll right now with five wins and seven finals in the first 10 races, but he needs to maintain that momentum during the Countdown.	3-1
	Eddie Krawiec • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Deals with pressure as well as any rider in the field, which makes him very dangerous during the Countdown.	7-2
	Angelle Sampey • Star/PSE Buell She ha a bike that is good enough to win a fourth Mello Yello championship, but in order to do so, mental mistakes must be minimized.	4-1
	LE Tonglet • Nitro Fish Suzuki Lately his riding has been spot on, and he has one of the strongest bikes in the field, regardless of brand. Expect another title run over the next six races.	5-1
	Jerry Savoie • White Alligator Suzuki Last year, he was rock solid during the Countdown rounds and almost came away with the title. A similar effort will be required here.	7-1
	Hector Arana Jr. • Lucas Oil Buell Coming into the Countdown on a high note following a strong runner-up finish at Indy. This might be a sign that he’s peaking at the right time.	9-1
	Cory Reed • Star/PSE Buell So far this season he has done nothing but improve. Wouldn’t it be something if his first win came during a Countdown event?	11-1
	Matt Smith • Victory Gunner The last six races are far more important than the first 10. So if he has gotten all of his bad luck out of the way, look for a solid effort during his pursuit of a third championship.	14-1