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 AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals.

TOP FUEL Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle | Pro Mod
	Antron Brown • Matco Tools/U.S. Army Reigning champ. Points leader. Most recent winner. Any reason why he shouldn’t be at the top of this list? We can’t think of one either.	3-2
	Doug Kalitta • Mac Tools Historically, the early stages of the Countdown have not been good to the Mac Tools crew, but last week’s runner-up was a welcome start, even if they lost ground to leader Brown.	4-1
	Tony Schumacher • U.S. Army The eight-time champion says he likes a challenge. Well, he’s got a big one on his hands after a round-one loss in Charlotte. That being said, if there is any team that can bounce back, it is this one. The do not give up.	5-1
	Steve Torrence • Capco Contractors/Rio Ammo Five rounds out of first place with five races left; that’s a manageable deficit. He cannot, however, afford to let Brown or Kalitta gain any ground this weekend.	6-1
	Brittany Force • Monster Energy Deserved a much better fate than a quarterfinal loss in Charlotte. Like Torrence, she faces a near “must-win” situation in order to remain in championship contention.	7-1
	J.R. Todd • SealMaster Charlotte was a brutal event for many Countdown drivers, and these guys got caught up in the chaos. Time to settle down, regroup, and focus on winning a few rounds this week.	9-1
	Shawn Langdon • Red Fuel/Sandvik In nitro racing, the name of the game is consistency, and right now, this team is fighting to find it. They were money in the middle part of the season and need to find a way to get that momentum back.	11-1
	Clay Millican • Denso/Great Clips Any team with a 3.6-second time slip merits some respect, especially this one. They remain the most overdue squad in all of motorsports.	14-1
FUNNY CAR
	Ron Capps • NAPA Dodge He lost a good close race to John Force in the semifinals in Charlotte, but this is still a great car and great team that could win any (or all) of the next five races this season.	4-1
	John Force • Peak/Advance Auto Chevy If you’re looking for the fountain of youth, it’s somewhere near Yorba Linda. The 16-time champ looked like a man half his age in an impressive Charlotte victory.	5-1
	Del Worsham • DHL Toyota Five races left in the season, and he’s 42 points out of first place. That helps set the stage for what could be an epic title fight.	5-1
	Matt Hagan • Mopar Express Lane Dodge Don’t have an explanation why this car, consistently one of the class’ quickest, qualified No. 9 in Charlotte. Don’t look for that to happen again this week.	6-1
	Tommy Johnson Jr. • Make-A-Wish Dodge Wasn’t able to finish the job at zMAX last week, but a runner-up finish was just what the doctor ordered as far as the championship battle goes. The last five races are gonna be fun.	7-1
	Courtney Force • Traxxas Chevy With five races left, she’s 100 points out of first. That’s an obtainable goal, but there is no room for a mulligan. Must be semifinal or better this weekend, and a few qualifying bonus points wouldn’t hurt.	9-1
	Robert Hight • Auto Club Chevy The Auto Club car at an Auto Club event. That’s usually a very good omen. He also had a very quick car in Charlotte, another good sign.	10-1
	Jack Beckman • Infinite Hero Dodge Hard to put a finger on exactly what’s gone wrong this season, but if there’s any team that wants a do-over, it's this crew. That being said, they’re still capable of awe-inspiring numbers.	13-1
PRO STOCK
	Jason Line • Summit Racing Chevy Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss. His performance in Charlotte very much resembled the early-season domination by the KB team.	2-1
	Greg Anderson • Summit Racing Chevy This car was every bit as good as teammate Line’s at zMAX Dragway. It’s highly likely that he’ll qualify in the top two and be around for the final on Sunday.	5-2
	Vincent Nobile • Mountain View Chevy The fact that he is winless this season is getting harder and harder to believe. All the pieces are in place for wins and for a run at the Mello Yello championship.	5-1
	Shane Gray • Gray Technologies Chevy Here is another team that runs well enough to get the job done on Sunday but remains winless on the season. He figures to be on the warpath after early loss in Charlotte.	6-1
	Bo Butner • Butner Auto Chevy Deserved a better fate than his quarterfinal loss in Charlotte. He has all the tools necessary to win, but the waiting game continues.	8-1
	Chris McGaha • Harlow Sammons Chevy The Indy champ came back down to Earth in Charlotte with a quarterfinal finish. Basically, he needs to find a couple of hundredths in order to consistently run with the leaders.	9-1
	Allen Johnson • Marathon Petroleum Dodge Last week’s first-round loss was almost certainly a championship killer, but this is still one of the last guys you’d want to face on race day. He brings it almost every time.	11-1
	Alex Laughlin • Gas Monkey Chevy His semifinal finish in Charlotte was likely the first of many. If you’re looking for NHRA’s next first-time Pro winner, this would be a solid bet.	14-1
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
	Andrew Hines • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson He does not need the best bike to win; something that has been proven time and time again this season. When he does have the best bike, winning is almost automatic.	3-1
	Eddie Krawiec • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson Put simply, Charlotte was a disaster, so in order to get back in the championship fight, he’s going to need a win, pronto. Expect a quick rebound this week.	4-1
	Jerry Savoie • White Alligator Suzuki Another championship favorite who got off to a rocky start in Charlotte. He needs a win to get back in the hunt. Fortunately, he’s won in the Gateway city before.	5-1
	LE Tonglet • Nitro Fish Suzuki Let’s be honest. He was probably going to win in Charlotte had his transmission shifted. That’s water under the bridge. This is still the most dangerous bike/rider combo in the class.	7-1
	Chip Ellis • Pippin Trucking Buell His win in Charlotte might be the feel-good story of the year in the bike class. It also might not be his last win. The potential is certainly there for a few more victories.	8-1
	Angelle Sampey • Star/PSE Buell Normally, she’d be ranked a bit higher than this, but the mood in the Star camp is unsettled at best after last week’s bombshell announcement. She does have the potential to win races, though.	10-1
	Hector Arana Jr. • Lucas Oil Buell Here’s the deal. This team and rider are fully capable of winning races, but their timing has been off. With a little consistency and a little luck, that will change.	12-1
	Matt Smith • Victory Gunner Speaking of luck, here is the 2016 poster child for hard times and misfortune. Make no mistake, the Victory bike is quick, and this is a great rider; it’s just a shame he hasn’t had many chances to show it.	14-1