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 Auto Club NHRA Finals.

TOP FUEL Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle
	Antron Brown • Matco Tools Without the pressure of the championship battle, he should finish on a high note. Wait, who are we kidding? He doesn’t feel pressure. Still, he’s a big favorite. ODDS: 2-1
	Steve Torrence • Capco Contractors Las Vegas win wasn’t enough to keep championship hopes alive, but closing the season with back-to-back wins would be a nice way to close the door on a successful 2016 campaign. ODDS: 4-1
	Doug Kalitta • Mac Tools Hasn’t been past the second round in the last four races. That’s no way for a championship team to close out a season. Expect it to put forth a better effort this weekend. ODDS: 5-1
	Clay Millican • Parts Plus/Great Clips Call this more of an educated guess than a hunch, but crew chief David Grubnic has this car flying. I know we’ve heard it a million times, but a win is inevitable. ODDS: 6-1
	Leah Pritchett • FireAde/Pennzoil/Papa John’s Hard not to notice how well this team has come together in the past few weeks. Stability is a wonderful thing, and it has helped make this crew a championship-caliber team. ODDS: 8-1
	Brittany Force • Monster Energy She has slipped to fourth place after a couple of tough weekends, but this is still a team that has three wins this season and five final-round finishes. Tuner Alan Johnson also loves Pomona. ODDS: 9-1
	Tony Schumacher • U.S. Army What is "the Sarge" doing all the way down here? In this “What have you done for me lately” world, three first-round losses in the Countdown can’t be overlooked. Now watch him go win this race. ODDS: 12-1
	Shawn Langdon • Sandvik/Red Fuel Southern California native returns home for one of his favorite races. Yes, we have him ranked eighth, but given the depth of the Top Fuel class, that still means he can win it. ODDS: 14-1
FUNNY CAR
	Ron Capps • NAPA Dodge Much like the Chicago Cubs' World Series win, this is really happening. Barring a miracle, Capps will be the 2016 NHRA Funny Car champ, and that makes him the favorite here. ODDS: 3-1
	John Force • Peak Chevy He jokes about being an old man, but last week’s win in Las Vegas proves otherwise. He’s a lock to get to 150 wins in his career and probably many more than that. ODDS: 5-1
	Matt Hagan • Mopar Dodge Last time we raced in Pomona, he lost in the first round. This is a much-improved team since then. Expect a much longer stay in eliminations. ODDS: 6-1
	Del Worsham • DHL Toyota The Kalitta/Worsham crew generally doesn’t need much of a reason to have a postseason celebration, but a win here would put it over the top. ODDS: 7-1
	Courtney Force • Traxxas Chevy She left first and ran a 3.90 in the Las Vegas final, and that still wasn’t enough to win, but it does indicate the potential for a solid performance here. ODDS: 9-1
	Robert Hight • Auto Club Chevy The Auto Club driver tends to do quite well at Auto Club-backed events, and this is the biggest one of them all. He would be ranked higher if not for the round-one loss in Las Vegas. ODDS: 11-1
	Tommy Johnson Jr. • Make-A-Wish Dodge There is where Tricky Tipster files a disclaimer about how any one of the 16 qualifiers in Funny Car can win. Yes, we have him listed seventh, and yes, he’s more than capable of getting the job done. ODDS: 13-1
	Jack Beckman • Infinite Hero Dodge “Fast Jack” falls into the same category as teammate Johnson. He’s incredibly quick but also a tiny bit inconsistent. That being said, he could run the table here. ODDS: 14-1
PRO STOCK
	Greg Anderson • Summit Camaro He may have to win this race to win the championship, but as we all know, he’s fully capable of doing just that because he won here in February. ODDS: 3-2
	Jason Line • Summit Camaro He’s a co-favorite along with his teammate, Anderson, because they are about as evenly matched as it gets. A winner-take-all final for the championship isn’t out of reach. ODDS: 3-2
	Shane Gray • Gray Manufacturing Camaro He’s already excited to mentor his son Tanner, who will be taking over next year, but a Pomona win would be a great way to cap off a solid career. ODDS: 5-1
	Vincent Nobile • Mountain View Camaro Driving for the SoCal-based Mountain View team, there is always extra incentive to produce in Pomona, and this race is no different. He’s also looking to rebound after a tough Las Vegas race. ODDS: 6-1
	Drew Skillman • Skillman Auto Camaro He has been to three final rounds and banked two wins this season, and all of this has happened since Brainerd. Arguably the best team in the class in the second half of the season. ODDS: 8-1
	Alex Laughlin • Gas Monkey Camaro Although he didn’t make the Countdown, he has won 10 rounds since Charlotte. For comparison sake, points leaders Line, Anderson, and Gray have each won 11 rounds in that time. ODDS: 10-1
	Bo Butner • Butner Auto Camaro This has been an incredibly frustrating season for someone who should probably have multiple wins by now. A victory here would make up for all the tough losses. ODDS: 11-1
	Chris McGaha • Harlow Sammons Camaro It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong, and we missed the mark by a lot on this team. It has been competitive all season and will be rewarded with a solid top-10 finish. ODDS: 13-1
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
	Jerry Savoie • White Alligator Suzuki If he can perform at the same level he did in Las Vegas, it’s lights out, and he’s going to be the champion. Of course, that’s much easier said than done. Still, he rates a slim edge. ODDS: 3-1
	Andrew Hines • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson He didn’t win five championships by accident, so a sixth would not be surprising to anyone. That being said, this might be his toughest challenge yet. ODDS: 7-2
	Eddie Krawiec • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson When it comes to handling pressure, “Steady Eddie” seems to do quite well. Of course, he might have to beat both Hines and Savoie to win the title. ODDS: 7-2
	Angelle Sampey • Star/PSE Buell In her last race with the Star team, she should be focusing solely on a win, but it’s also easy to think she might play a role in the outcome of the championship battle. ODDS: 5-1
	LE Tonglet • Nitro Fish Suzuki Another rider who could crush the championship dreams for one of the three title contenders. We say it all the time, but this is a great bike/rider combo. ODDS: 7-1
	Matt Smith • Victory Gunner The semifinal finish in Las Vegas was one of his best outings of the season. Big things are on the horizon for the Victory program. ODDS: 8-1
	Hector Arana Sr. • Lucas Oil Buell For a guy who has been at this for more than 30 years, he’s still quite impressive. This has actually been a solid season. ODDS: 10-1
	Hector Arana Jr. • Lucas Oil Buell OK, so he only has two round-wins during the Countdown. We all know that he’s capable of much more than that. For what it’s worth, he also won this race two years ago. ODDS: 12-1