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 Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods.

TOP FUEL Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle | Top Alcohol Dragster | Top Alcohol Funny Car
	Antron Brown • Matco Tools Four facts to support why he will win the Four-Wides: 1. He’s the champ. 2. He is back to form after winning Las Vegas. 3. He won this event in 2013 and 2014. 4. DSR drivers have won in Top Fuel here in five out of six seasons.	2-1
	Brittany Force • Monster Energy The points leader is having a great season thus far, and this team is just getting started.	3-1
	Tony Schumacher • U.S. Army Though he’ll have to line up beside more drivers in the first round than he has defeated all season to this point, we think this is the race where “the Sarge” gets going.	4-1
	Steve Torrence • Capco Contractors It’s been all or nothing for the Pomona winner this season. Under the four-wide format, that may suit the young Texan just fine.	5-1
	Doug Kalitta • Mac Tools This team has every reason to be optimistic. His new dragster has performed exceptionally in good conditions like we are expecting this weekend.	6-1
	Richie Crampton • Lucas Oil Technically, this is the only event where the Australian transplant has ever lost in a final round (he is 7-0 outside of the four-wide format). He would like to go one better than his final-round finish last year.	7-1
	J.R. Todd • SealMaster He seems to be impervious to bottom-half qualifying positions. He has upset the higher-qualified driver in his three lower-half starts this season, and his new chassis should pay dividends.	8-1
	Clay Millican • Parts Plus/Great Clips He wouldn’t mind showing off for car owner Doug Stringer in NASCAR country. He made the final last season and has big-run potential.	9-1
FUNNY CAR
	Robert Hight • Auto Club Chevy Won this race in 2012 and 2014, so if the pattern holds, he should be the racer standing in the winner’s circle this year, right? The points leader certainly has a car capable of putting him there.	2-1
	John Force • Peak Chevy The inaugural four-wide race winner has had a good, steady car all season long, and that has gotten him out of the first round at every event thus far. Plus, Force has a history of strong showings here in even years, having made the final four in each of them.	3-1
	Del Worsham • DHL Toyota We’re getting a bit of déjà vu with the reigning world champ, who, like last year, has quietly put together a good campaign (with a couple of little stumbles) early in the season, and it wouldn’t surprise us in the least to see last year’s fall winner hoisting another trophy here.	4-1
	Alexis DeJoria • Patrón Toyota Finally came up on the right side of a close first-round race in Vegas, and that was all she needed to get momentum and go the distance. If her team continues to give her the same car we saw all weekend in Nevada, that could spell trouble for everyone else.	5-1
	Courtney Force • Traxxas Chevy Force has zero round-wins in previous four-wide races, but we like her chances of changing that. Force has had one of the best cars in the class this year — 17 of her 25 runs have been in the threes, tying her with Hight for the most threes in 2016.	6-1
	Jack Beckman • Infinite Hero Dodge Beckman and team have qualifying down — three No. 1s in four races — but they’ve yet to figure out how to keep it going through Sunday. After early struggles, they reversed race-day fortunes here last year. Can they do it again this weekend?	8-1
	Ron Capps • NAPA Dodge There’s always one driver Tipster struggles to figure out. This week it’s Capps. Vegas was a disaster, but this is still the team that had a win, runner-up, and No. 1 start in the first three races, so we’re not ready to give up on them just yet.	10-1
	Tim Wilkerson • Levi, Ray & Shoup Ford It was challenging again to figure out who to put here and who to leave out, but we’re going with Wilk. His new car showed real potential in Vegas, and Wilkerson has been strong in four-wide races, making the final four in three of six events.	11-1
PRO STOCK
	Greg Anderson • Summit Camaro The two KB Racing Summit Camaros seem to be taking turns in the winner’s circle with two titles each so far this season. Anderson is coming off his K&N Horsepower Challenge win and has won the Four-Wides twice, giving him a slight advantage.	2-1
	Jason Line • Summit Camaro There’s no reason to think Line can’t come out on top this weekend and take home his first Four-Wides Wally. He has been in the final round in all four races this year, and only has two round losses, both to teammate Anderson.	5-2
	Bo Butner • Jim Butner Auto Camaro He is still searching for his first Pro Stock title but continues to close in on that gap with each race. Butner made his first final-round appearance of 2016 in Vegas, and he also has two semifinal-round finishes this season.	3-1
	Drew Skillman • Ray Skillman Auto Camaro He continues to be consistent by qualifying in the top half of the field at all four events thus far. Skillman still holds the best record for the Elite Motorsports team and has yet to lose in the first round this season.	5-1
	Chris McGaha • Harlow Sammons Camaro Although his last few performances weren’t anything to write home about, he is still the only non-KB Racing car to reach a final round. McGaha has done well at the Four-Wides, having been the No. 1 qualifier the last two years, which could give him added confidence this weekend.	7-1
	Allen Johnson • Marathon Petroleum Dart He slipped in the qualifying order at the last race but still managed to collect another round-win. We have yet to see the best of Johnson this season.	9-1
	Erica Enders • Elite Motorsports Dart The reigning world champ finally came alive in Vegas. Enders qualified in the top half of the field, collected her first round-wins of the season, and made a semifinal-round finish. Progress is quickly being made at the Elite Motorsports camp.	10-1
	Jeg Coughlin Jr. • JEGS.com Dart His performance was lacking in Vegas as he fell several spots in qualifying and also struggled to get past the first round. Coughlin still goes into this weekend with a slightly better record than some of the field, and anything can happen at the Four-Wides.	12-1
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
	Eddie Krawiec • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson After his performance in Gainesville, where he nearly lapped the field, it would be criminal not to have him as the favorite this week. He has also got enough experience to master the four-wide format.	4-1
	Andrew Hines • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson   The Vance & Hines team has had a month to figure out why Hines’ bike was not as quick as teammate Krawiec’s in Gainesville. Anyone think they haven’t figured it out yet? He’s also the defending Four-Wides champ.	5-1
	LE Tonglet • Nitro Fish Suzuki More so than horsepower, success at the Four-Wides is dependent upon a rider who can keep calm under pressure; that guy is usually LE Tonglet, who fights fires for a living.	7-1
	Hector Arana Jr. • Lucas Oil Buell He was not impressive in Gainesville, but we’re going to give him another shot to shine here. This is another rider who can hold his own against three others, and he usually has a very quick bike.	9-1
	Matt Smith • Victory Gunner How he DNQ’d in Gainesville is one of the great mysteries in drag racing, but it’s a safe bet that it won’t happen again here. In fact, he probably should be the favorite because the tricky four-wide starting-line routine is right up his alley.	10-1
	Jerry Savoie • White Alligator Suzuki If conditions are there, he will undoubtedly take a swing at the first 200-mph run. Barring that milestone, a Four-Wides win would be a great consolation prize. Either way, he figures to have a better showing than he did in Gainesville.	11-1
	Hector Arana Sr. • Lucas Oil Buell He proved he still has it with a solid runner-up finish in Gainesville. His 6.820-second run was also one of the best of the event. After all these years, he still has it.	14-1
	Angelle Sampey • Star Racing Buell On the plus side, this is a three-time world champion who is riding one of the quickest bikes in the field. Then again, this is only her second appearance at the Four-Wides, and her debut in 2015 didn’t go so well.	16-1