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 Lucas Oil NHRA Southern Nationals.

TOP FUEL Funny Car | Pro Stock | Pro Stock Motorcycle | Pro Mod
	Antron Brown • Matco Tools He didn’t reach the Four-Wide final, but Brown continues to have a very fast dragster, and he loves Atlanta. He first won the Southern Nationals in 2008, then won in 2011, 2013, and 2015. Odd-year magic? ODDS: 3-1
	Leah Pritchett • Papa John’s Pizza She came close to capturing her fourth Wally of the season in the sixth race. Yeah, she’s a good bet in Atlanta. ODDS: 7-2
	Doug Kalitta • Mac Tools Can’t go wrong with the defending champ, right? Kalitta beat J.R. Todd in the Southern Nationals last year and has been the model of consistency, as always, this season. One more win puts him into a tie with Brown for the most in Atlanta. ODDS: 4-1
	Steve Torrence • Capco Contractors After coming close in Houston, Torrence got his first win of the season by finally getting past a Don Schumacher Racing car. He has one win in Atlanta (2012) and has run well this season. Now we’ll see if he can get something consistent going. ODDS: 5-1
	Tony Schumacher • U.S. Army One of three Don Schumacher Racing cars in the top three (he’s in second, right behind Pritchett), Schumacher is looking to get his first win since Gainesville. He reached the final in both Las Vegas and Charlotte, but he’s never won in Atlanta. ODDS: 11-2
	Clay Millican • Parts Plus/Great Clips Millican has two-straight No. 1 qualifier caps and two-straight earlier-than-he-would-have-liked exits on Sunday to show for it. He’s still looking for his first career victory in Top Fuel; maybe this is the race where he gets it done. ODDS: 7-1
	Brittany Force • Monster Energy Force couldn’t repeat in Charlotte, bowing out early in eliminations, but she’s had a consistent car all year. If she can take her qualifying times into Sunday, watch out. ODDS: 9-1
	Shawn Langdon • Global Electronic Technology The former world champion is getting more comfortable in his new driver’s seat, but another first-round exit puts a little more pressure on Langdon entering the Southern Nationals. We know he’s got the talent, and the car, to go rounds on Sunday. ODDS: 13-1
FUNNY CAR
	Ron Capps • NAPA Dodge Beginning a little earlier in the year, but this is starting to feel like the summer of ’16 when Capps really began his championship run with back-to-back wins. Sure looks like Rahn Tobler is back to the form we saw last June. ODDS: 5-2
	Robert Hight • Auto Club Chevy This car has shown real potential to win — he had low e.t. of eliminations in Charlotte — but it’s just not happening for some reason. What better place for that to change than Atlanta, where John Force Racing has dominated in the past? ODDS: 4-1
	Matt Hagan • Mopar Express Lane Dodge Lost points lead after a fourth-place finish in Charlotte, but he did win his first two quads there and was the highest non-JFR car on the ladder. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him around late Sunday and back in the No. 1 spot at weekend’s end. ODDS: 5-1
	Jack Beckman • Infinite Hero Dodge Beckman’s three most recent results: second round, semifinal, runner-up. Next logical step is a win, right? Well, he has done pretty well here in the past, including a runner-up last year. ODDS: 6-1
	John Force • Peak Chevy It’s been a while since ol’ Force won in Atlanta (2005 to be exact), but he does have seven wins here. Add in how strong his car has looked since Gainesville, and it’s not a stretch to think event win No. 8 could come this weekend. ODDS: 7-1
	Courtney Force • Advance Auto Chevy Man, oh man, does she look good in qualifying — three straight No. 1s proves that. Too bad those strong qualifying efforts aren’t carrying over to Sunday. Still, that has to change at some point, right? ODDS: 9-1
	Tommy Johnson Jr. • Make-A-Wish Dodge This car is probably better than a seventh-place ranking here, but after back-to-back first-round losses and the fact this is the ultra-competitive Funny Car class, that’s where Johnson lands — for now. ODDS: 10-1
	Jonnie Lindberg • Head Racing Toyota OK, so some of his success can be chalked up to luck, but giving credit where credit is due, Lindberg Treed and outran everyone in his first-round quad in Charlotte. Plus, luck is what you make of it, and Lindberg and Jim Head have put themselves in position to benefit from others’ miscues. ODDS: 12-1
PRO STOCK
	Greg Anderson • Summit Camaro Four wins in 11 final rounds. What does that tell you about his affinity for Atlanta Dragway. Good bet that he’s the first repeat winner in Pro Stock. ODDS: 3-1
	Jeg Coughlin Jr. • JEGS.com Camaro A bit of a hunch here, but he’s qualified No. 1 at the last two races and his driving ability speaks for itself. Honestly, he should already have a win or two this season. ODDS: 4-1
	Chris McGaha • Harlow Sammons Camaro So what do you get when you win the Four-Wide? Apparently, an all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta. He wasn’t coming to this event but had a last-minute change of heart. Chances are he won’t be disappointed. ODDS: 6-1
	Jason Line • Summit Camaro Back-to-back winner of this event and he’s ranked fourth? Tipster might be making apologies for this one come Monday, but for now, he is where he is. ODDS: 8-1
	Tanner Gray • Gray Manufacturing Technologies Camaro Definitely not happy about his red-light in Charlotte, but that’s all part of the learning curve. It will be a surprise if he doesn’t at least reach the semifinals this weekend. ODDS: 9-1
	Erica Enders • Elite Motorsports Camaro Red-lighted in Houston and got timed out in Charlotte with a car that could easily have won both. Result: Two-time champ is on the war path and will be very focused in Atlanta. She’s likely to start hurting some feelings very soon. ODDS: 10-1
	Bo Butner • Butner Auto Camaro Was within .02-second of the pole in Charlotte. That means he’s got enough race car to get the job done. As his driving continues to improve, so will results. ODDS: 12-1
	Drew Skillman • Skillman Auto Group Camaro Red-light in the final ended what would have at least been a runner-up finish at the Four-Wide. He’s also coming back to Atlanta, the site of his memorable double in 2012. ODDS: 15-1
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE
	Eddie Krawiec • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson The sign out front says Atlanta Dragway, but Krawiec pretty much owns the place after reaching the final round five times and banking four wins since 2009. ODDS: 5-2
	Andrew Hines • Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson The Harley team will be out for blood after both riders got caught flat-footed in the Four-Wide final. There is a really live possibility this will be the first 200-mph bike as well. ODDS: 3-1
	LE Tonglet • Nitro Fish Suzuki You didn’t need a crystal ball to know that Tonglet would be a handful when teamed with Jerry Savoie. His win in Charlotte was likely the first of many. ODDS: 4-1
	Jerry Savoie • White Alligator Suzuki He’s been the low qualifier at the last five events, dating back to last season. No reason to think that trend won’t continue and that he won’t start a win streak here. ODDS: 6-1
	Joey Gladstone • San Marino Excavating Suzuki He’s probably going to need to win a race or two in order to be the rookie of the year, but if you’ve been watching, you’d know there is a very real chance of that happening. ODDS: 8-1
	Hector Arana Sr. • Lucas Oil Buell At the risk of being redundant, both of the Arana bikes are quick and both riders are solid, but consistency is a rare commodity right now. ODDS: 10-1
	Chip Ellis • Pippin Trucking Buell The last few months have been a nightmare, but his fortunes have improved dramatically lately. A win here would mean the world to Georgia-based team owner Junior Pippin. ODDS: 12-1
	Scotty Pollacheck • Suzuki Extended Protection Suzuki Anyone else notice this bike ran 6.817 in the first round of the Four-Wide race? Don’t be surprised if this is NHRA’s next first-time Pro winner. ODDS: 14-1
PRO MOD
	Mike Castellana • Al-Anabi Performance Camaro Never driven a blown car before? Could have fooled us. After three races, he looks like a natural. This is easily the best car/driver combo in the class right now. ODDS: 3-1
	Troy Coughlin • JEGS.com Corvette Scored a bit of an emotional victory by qualifying No. 1 in Charlotte. His driving is also steady enough to get the job done. ODDS: 4-1
	Steve Matusek • Aeromotive Camaro Houston champ lost in the first round of the Four-Wide, but that was little more than a bump in the road. He’s got everything necessary for a championship run, including confidence. ODDS: 6-1
	Michael Biehle • Biehle Racing Mustang Welcome back, Michael Biehle. Ran 5.82 and 256 mph at zMAX, and there is a good chance he’ll be quicker and faster this weekend. Long overdue for an NHRA Pro Mod victory. ODDS: 7-1
	Jonathan Gray • Vallen Camaro At times, this can be the quickest car in the class, and Gray has quickly made the transition from Pro Stock to Pro Mod. Car owner Rickie Smith has owned Atlanta, and that trend could easily continue. ODDS: 9-1
	Shane Molinari • S&T Truck Repair Firebird Another turbo car that is capable of putting up big numbers. Only made one good qualifying run in Charlotte, but it was a 5.818. ODDS: 11-1
	Steve Jackson • Bahrain1 Camaro Admittedly, he’s tailed off a bit since impressive Gainesville debut, but the potential is certainly there for a big statement race. He’s also from Georgia, if that counts for anything. ODDS: 13-1
	Steven Whiteley • J&A Services Cadillac An almost sure-fire qualifier who is holding steady in third place in the points standings. He’s got a real strong chance of challenging for the title this year. ODDS: 15-1