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Tricky Tipster's Las Vegas picks

31 Mar 2016
NHRA News
News

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 Denso Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals.

TOP FUEL
Funny Car | Pro Stock | Top Alcohol Dragster | Top Alcohol Funny Car
  
Brittany ForceBrittany Force • Monster Energy
When you’re in Vegas, you ride the hot hand. Force has the points lead for the first time in her career following two consecutive final rounds, the last of which in Gainesville resulted in her first win.		3-1
  
Richie CramptonRichie Crampton • Lucas Oil
This dragster is snarling on the starting line before its ears pin back to attack the racetrack. Crampton is the defending event winner.		7-2
  
xxxDoug Kalitta • Mac Tools
Last fall, he didn’t finish the race with the same dragster he started with but still won the event from the lucky No. 13 position.		4-1
  
Steve TorrenceSteve Torrence • Capco Contractors
Tuning consultant Alan Johnson has had a hand in the quicker final-round elapsed time of all three events thus far this season.		5-1
  
xxxClay Millican • Denso/Parts Plus/Great Clips
He is a career-high No. 2 in the Mello Yello standings. This could be the first time that three drivers have scored their first Top Fuel wins at consecutive races since 1973.		6-1
  
Tony SchumacherTony Schumacher • U.S. Army
He leads all Top Fuel drivers with eight wins at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.		7-1
  
Leah PritchettLeah Pritchett • Quaker State
This team knows how to race the desert. It reached the final round at both Las Vegas events last year and scored its first win together in Phoenix.		8-1
  
Antron BrownAntron Brown • Matco Tools
The 2015 world champ has never been this low in points on four wheels, but the season is young, and a marathon test session following the Gainesville event will have him back on track.		10-1
 
FUNNY CAR
Robert HightRobert Hight • Auto Club Chevy
His Gainesville win alone would be enough to put him No. 1, but he’s also really, really good at this race with two wins, two runner-ups, and two No. 1 starts in the last five. It also doesn’t hurt that he won the last time we were at this track.		2-1
  
Ron CappsRon Capps • NAPA Dodge
His car wasn’t as strong and steady in Gainesville as it was earlier, but we still think he’s among the leaders in the class right now, and we know several drivers would probably love to have a win, runner-up, and No. 1 start in the first three races.		3-1
  
John ForceJohn Force • Peak Chevy
Though Gainesville was a little rough for him, we expect conditions this weekend to be similar to those in Phoenix, where he absolutely shined, averaging a 3.98 across his eight passes. Oh yeah, and he’s the defending event champion.		5-1
  
Courtney ForceCourtney Force • Traxxas Chevy
She didn’t get into the top five in points by accident — Force’s car has been very good, making full runs more often than not. In fact, 12 of her 19 passes this year have been in the threes, including that very impressive 3.89 in Gainesville.		6-1
  
Jack BeckmanJack Beckman • Infinite Hero
After the national record run in Gainesville qualifying, we anticipated a dominant Sunday and moving him up our order. Then the dominant Sunday didn’t happen, so we’re leaving Beckman mid-pack while his team continues to work out kinks in the front-halved 2015 car it brought back out in Florida.		7-1
  
Del WorshamDel Worsham • DHL Toyota
This week’s Tipster conundrum: what to do with the reigning world champ. We know this team is good, but it faltered a bit in Gainesville. Though our confidence isn’t quite as high as before, we believe the Florida struggles were an anomaly for this usually good team.		9-1
  
Chad HeadChad Head • Head Inc. Toyota
Looking for a long-shot underdog on which to bet this weekend? Look no further than Head, who had the most consistent (and possibly best overall) car in Gainesville. And a semifinal finish last October shows he knows how to go rounds here.		10-1
  
Alexis DeJoriaAlexis DeJoria • Patrón Toyota
We considered Matt Hagan and Tim Wilkerson for this spot, but we’re sticking with DeJoria, who just keeps coming up on the wrong side of great races in round one. Plus, there’s her record at this event: a win and two semi’s in the last three years.		12-1
 
PRO STOCK
Greg AndersonGreg Anderson • Summit Camaro
KB Racing continues to dominate the rest of the pack with Anderson and Jason Line meeting again in the final in Gainesville. Anderson has two wins this season and the most Pro Stock wins in Vegas, which gives him the edge coming into this weekend.		2-1
  
Jason LineJason Line • Summit Camaro
Once again, either one of the Summit Camaros has a chance to take the title this weekend. Line seems to have the quicker car but hasn’t been able to beat his teammate when they meet in the final round.		5-2
  
Bo ButnerBo Butner • Jim Butner Auto Camaro
He has been one of the top three qualifiers all season and has one of the three strongest cars in the field. If Butner can eliminate race-day mistakes, he could easily be on his way to his first Pro Stock win.		3-1
  
Drew SkillmanDrew Skillman • Ray Skillman Auto Camaro
He continues to be the front-runner for the Elite Motorsports team. Skillman qualified in the top half of the field for the third time and reached his second semifinal round this season last time out in Gainesville.		5-1
  
Allen JohnsonAllen Johnson • Marathon Petroleum Dart
While we still haven’t seen the best of Johnson, he is improving quickly. He made his first semifinal appearance in Gainesville, which could give him momentum and confidence going into this weekend.		7-1
  
Chris McGahaChris McGaha • Harlow Sammons Camaro
Although his performance in Gainesville wasn’t remarkable, Tipster isn’t going to count him out. The weather conditions in Vegas are supposed to be very similar to Phoenix, meaning McGaha could make another final-round appearance.		9-1
  
Jeg Coughlin Jr.Jeg Coughlin Jr. • JEGS.com Dart
He recorded his best run this season, moved up a few spots in qualifying, and added another round-win in Gainesville. Coughlin has the second-most Pro Stock wins in Vegas, which could give him an advantage this weekend.		11-1
  
Erica EndersErica Enders • Elite Motorsports Dart
Tipster was close to putting Alex Laughlin in this last spot, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that Enders has swept this race the past two years. Having made a few solid runs in Gainesville, she could be getting a handle on her new car.		13-1
 
TOP ALCOHOL DRAGSTER
Joey Severance • J&A Service
The 2015 national champ has won four of the last six national events held at The Strip and scored several regional wins between.		5-2
  
Chris Demke • Peen-Rite/Boost Performance
Jerry Maddern’s blown entry is a car to be reckoned with. Demke won here in the fall of 2011 and is eager to get back in the winner’s circle.		3-1
  
Shawn Cowie • Mundie’s Towing
The Canadian driver returns to his most successful venue after a huge win in Pomona. He has won here three times.		5-1
  
Megan McKernan • Truck-Lite/Davco
The 2015 Seattle winner is hitting her stride in Jerry Darien’s injected nitroburner.		6-1
  
Johnny Ahten • Island Renovations
The elevation at this track hasn’t seemed to hurt the performance of the Southern California firefighter’s A/Fueler in years past.		7-1
  
Garrett Bateman • HipLink Solutions
The winner of the fall event returns to the site of the greatest triumph of his versatile driving career.		8-1
  
Cameron Ferre • American Plastic Technologies/Racepak/MSD
The Miersch Racing team remains on the cusp of victory. This event has been kind to first-time winners.		9-1
  
Ashley Sanford • Gelish/Nerium/Lucas Oil
The young driver has the book on recording low-5.3-second elapsed times at this track.		12-1
 
TOP ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR
John Lombardo Jr. • NAPA Auto Parts/Lucas Oil Chevy
As if he didn’t prove enough of a point by dominating the Gainesville event, he made 5.3-second runs at 275 mph when he stayed to test. This team is in the driver’s seat.		2-1
  
Doug Gordon • MB Cabinets Chevy
The family team keeps getting better and better. Fast, consistent performances have gotten him to three straight finals.		3-1
  
Annie Whiteley • J&A Service Chevy
She began 2015 with back-to-back wins at the national and West Region events at The Strip and is plenty capable of an encore performance.		4-1
  
Tony Bartone • Bartone Bros. Chevy
“T-Bone” is back. He ran a career-best speed in Gainesville and returns to the track where he watched Mickey Ferro drive his car to victory last fall.		5-1
  
Shane Westerfield • CP-Carrillo/Blake Bros. Racing Chevy
His final-round performance at the West Region event in Phoenix showed promising returns on what started as a test year.		7-1
  
Mike Doushgounian • Pro-Cal Services Chevy
This team has the goods to go the distance. He reached the semifinals in his 2016 debut.		8-1
  
Brian Hough • Olympus Trailers Chevy
The 5.4-second performer is always a threat to win. Crew chief Roger Bateman will give him a consistent hot rod.		9-1
  
Jay Payne • Peak Antifreeze Chevy
The “ThunderSlug” has four national event wins here at his favorite track.		10-1