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 Toyota Nationals.

TOP FUEL Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle | Pro Mod
	Antron Brown • Matco Tools Pressure? What pressure? Just win a round or two, and it will all be over. Who’s kidding who? The Matco Tools team is thinking race win as much as championship.	3-1
	Doug Kalitta • Mac Tools/DeWalt Not that he ever feels pressure, but maybe the lack of points drama will help the Mac Tools team refocus and come away with a late-season victory.	4-1
	Steve Torrence • Capco Contractors Last time we were in Las Vegas, he qualified No. 1 and then lost in the first round. He’d love a chance to atone for that this time around.	6-1
	Brittany Force • Monster Energy Winning the championship is nearly impossible, but finishing No. 2 is a very obtainable goal. Don’t be surprised to see this car run big numbers this weekend.	7-1
	Shawn Langdon • Red Fuel/Sandvik The master of effective tweeting, he’s also a pretty effective Top Fuel driver who is more than capable of chalking up another W this time around.	9-1
	Tony Schumacher • U.S. Army The first-round loss in Reading was a serious momentum killer, but the U.S. Army team never stays down for long. In fact, quick rebounds are its specialty. Look for its results to be much improved this weekend.	11-1
	J.R. Todd • SealMaster Las Vegas has a lot of great memories for this guy, including the spring of 2014 when he landed his current Kalitta Motorsports ride. He has also been to the semi’s at two of the last three races.	13-1
	Leah Pritchett • Pennzoil The stability of having the same car and crew every week is starting to show in her results. Qualifying numbers have been impressive, and round-wins are more frequent.	15-1
FUNNY CAR
	Ron Capps • NAPA Dodge Points leader with two to go. He has been waiting his entire career for this moment, so expect him to make the most of it.	3-1
	Del Worsham • DHL Toyota Barring a miracle, he won’t defend his 2015 Mello Yello title, but that doesn’t make him any less dangerous at the last two events.	4-1
	Tommy Johnson Jr. • Make-A-Wish Dodge Facing a 64-point deficit, he almost controls his own destiny. A victory here would guarantee a world-class title fight in Pomona.	5-1
	Robert Hight • Auto Club Chevy The Auto Club car has been flying lately, and a win here would certainly help take the sting out of the recent playoff exit of his beloved LA Dodgers.	7-1
	Matt Hagan • Pennzoil Dodge Should either of the two points leaders slip up, Hagan is sure to be there to take advantage. Admittedly, he’s a long shot to win the title, but wasn’t Las Vegas built on long shots?	9-1
	John Force • Peak Chevy A three-time winner of this event, Force is far from ready to pack it in when it comes to the 2016 season. As we’ve come to expect, he’s going to fight to the finish.	11-1
	Jack Beckman • Infinite Hero Dodge OK, he probably deserves to be ranked higher than this, but consistency remains an issue. That being said, he could easily run the table in a 130-point romp.	12-1
	Courtney Force • Traxxas Camaro Although the stats show just two round-wins in the Countdown, this is clearly a much better team than that. A win here would be a great way to cap a hot and cold season.	14-1
PRO STOCK
	Greg Anderson • Summit Racing Chevy The KB team historically does well in Las Vegas, and there’s no reason to think this weekend will be any different.	3-1
	Jason Line • Summit Racing Chevy He’s not usually the type to count points, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that he’s 26 points in the lead with two races remaining.	4-1
	Vincent Nobile • Mountain View Chevy During the Countdown, this has been one of the top three cars in the country. Expect to see a semifinal or better finish.	6-1
	Shane Gray • Gray Manufacturing Technologies Chevy Having recently announced that his son Tanner will take over driving next season, he has extra motivation to win one of the last two events this season.	8-1
	Alex Laughlin • Gas Monkey Chevy He’s going to be pulling double duty again with another stint in TAD, and the extra seat time can only help his Pro Stock effort.	9-1
	Bo Butner • Butner Auto Chevy Remember last year when he lost the Las Vegas final to Erica Enders by an eyelash? No way did we think he’d still be winless a year later. One of these days, it has to fall into place.	11-1
	Drew Skillman • Skillman Auto Chevy Coming off a strong showing in Dallas, he has some momentum going, but this class remains unpredictable despite what some might think.	12-1
	Chris McGaha • Harlow Sammons Chevy He has cooled off a bit since his big Indy win, but with a week off after Dallas, who knows what sort of performance gains may have been made in their Odessa, Texas, shop.	14-1
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
	Eddie Krawiec • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Nursing a slim 17-point lead over his teammate, Andrew Hines, with two events remaining. He traditionally handles pressure well, which makes him a slight favorite.	3-1
	Andrew Hines • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson He didn’t win five championships by accident, and he’s not going to let a sixth go without a big fight. Would an all-Harley final round surprise anyone?	7-2
	Jerry Savoie • White Alligator Suzuki He comes into Las Vegas 49 points back, which means he’s still very much in the championship picture. A win here would be a huge achievement, and it’s not at all out of the question.	5-1
	Angelle Sampey • Star/PSE Buell At this stage of the game, the Star team is three rounds out of the lead with eight rounds remaining. A perfect scenario would be a race win and a solid tally of bonus points, which is very possible.	7-1
	LE Tonglet • Nitro Fish Suzuki While the other four fight for the championship, don’t be surprised to see the Nitro Fish team sneak in and grab a victory.	8-1
	Hector Arana Jr. • Lucas Oil Buell This season has not been kind to the Lucas team, but Jr. is about to get married, and nothing says “I love you” like giving your bride-to-be a Las Vegas Wally.	10-1
	Chip Ellis • Pippin Trucking Buell This bike is normally quick and consistent, but it has developed a gremlin at the last couple of events. If that is fixed, he’s a contender. Otherwise, he might not even make what should be a quick field.	12-1
	Hector Arana Sr. • Lucas Oil Buell He has reached the quarterfinals at each of the last three events, but this team is capable of more than that. Don’t see any reason why the former champ can’t finish out 2016 on a high note.	14-1