2024 14th Annual FABO NHRA "Pick 'Em" Game - It's NITRO Burnin' Time Again!!!

[ocdart]

Congratulations to 'johnnycuda' (FABO) for winning the 2024 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals Top Qualifier title with a PERFECT total of 32.0 bonus points. He picked the #1 qualifier in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
'alsant' (FBBO) and 'GTXDAN' (FBBO) shared the runner-up qualifier with 31.0 bonus points each.
Way to go!
More outstanding picks!

16 players again to finish out the 2024 NHRA season and 13 different driver combos made up of:
* 5 different Top Fuel drivers with one Round 1 head-to-head matchup between #5 qualifier Justin Ashley (5 picks) and #12 qualifier Antron Brown (2 picks). There is also a possibility of two head-to-head matchups in the semi-final round of eliminations if all drivers survive until then.
* 5 different Funny Car drivers with no Round 1 head-to-head matchup. There is a possibility of a head-to-head matchup in the second round of eliminations if both of the drivers survive until then.
* 4 different Pro Stock drivers with no Round 1 head-to-head matchups. The earliest possibility of a head-to-head matchup is in the semi-final round of eliminations.
* 2 different Pro Stock Motorcycle drivers with no Round 1 head-to-head matchup. The only possibility of a head-to-head matchup is in the final round of eliminations if both drivers survive until then.
Good luck all!

 

[ocdart]

I just switched on the TV coverage and they announced the delay because of the aircraft crash in the top end pit area.
They said the 3 people onboard the plane were aided by the Safety Safari and transported to area hospitals.
For those of you that are not familiar with the Pomona dragstrip and the surrounding area, Brackett Field is a small aircraft airport across the street from the Fairplex. The runways run at almost right angle to the dragstrip. Approaching aircraft typically come in low over the top end of the dragstrip prior to touching down at Brackett.

 

[GTXDAN]

That's amazing if nobody was killed. I remember the planes coming in to land right over the track. I always wondered why they didn't shut the airport down with all those people there at the track.

In another note T Stewert had a baby last night. His name is Dominic. He flew home and back to race today.

 

[ocdart]

This is a separate "CONGRATULATIONS" post to several racers from the amazing and outstanding 2024 NHRA season.
I'll post the final results of our "Pick 'Em" game later.

Congratulations to the four professional category racers who realized their 2024 season championships following the 20-race cross-country series:
* Antron Brown for his 4th Top Fuel championship
* Austin Prock for his 1st Funny Car championship
* Greg Anderson for his 6th Pro Stock championship
* Gaige Herrera for his 2nd consecutive Pro Stock Motorcycle championship

Congratulations to Crew Chief Jimmy Prock and his crew for coming up with the tune-up that resulted in the record-setting 341.68 mph pass in the opening round of Funny Car eliminations. The first run over 340-mph in NHRA history.

But perhaps most of all, congratulations to Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett for the birth of their son Dominic James Stewart!

 

[Budnicks]

2024 59th annual In-N-Out Burger Finals qualifying leaders:

Q1
Weather: 57F, 54% relative humidity, barometer 29.83", adjusted altitude 1,483', track temp. n/a
TF: Shawn Reed and Brittany Force, 3.712; Gary Pritchett @ 329.91
FC: Jack Beckman, 3.828; Blake Alexander @ 336.40
PS: cancelled due to weather
PSM: cancelled due to weather

Q2 (Saturday morning)
Weather: n/a
TF: Shawn Reed, 3.682; Doug Kalitta @ 336.49
FC: Ron Capps, 3.821; Blake Alexander @ 336.40
PS: Greg Anderson, 6.505; Aaron Stanfield @ 211.10
PSM: Matt Smith, 6.721 @ 202.64

Q3
Weather: n/a
TF: Brittany Force, 3.643 @ 336.65
FC: Austin Prock, 3.804; Blake Alexander @ 336.40
PS: Greg Anderson, 6.505 @ 211.20
PSM: Matt Smith, 6.721 @ 202.64

There was a 'plane crash' (didn't make it to the landing strip, 2 injured)
in the back Pomona RV area parking lot, landing into a 1 ton truck & a couple motorhomes,
big part of the delay for the finals on Sunday

 

[Budnicks]

Congratulations to 'johnnycuda' (FABO) for winning the 2024 59th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals Top Qualifier title with a PERFECT total of 32.0 bonus points. He picked the #1 qualifier in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
'alsant' (FBBO) and 'GTXDAN' (FBBO) shared the runner-up qualifier with 31.0 bonus points each.
Way to go!
More outstanding picks!

16 players again to finish out the 2024 NHRA season and 13 different driver combos made up of:
* 5 different Top Fuel drivers with one Round 1 head-to-head matchup between #5 qualifier Justin Ashley (5 picks) and #12 qualifier Antron Brown (2 picks). There is also a possibility of two head-to-head matchups in the semi-final round of eliminations if all drivers survive until then.
* 5 different Funny Car drivers with no Round 1 head-to-head matchup. There is a possibility of a head-to-head matchup in the second round of eliminations if both of the drivers survive until then.
* 4 different Pro Stock drivers with no Round 1 head-to-head matchups. The earliest possibility of a head-to-head matchup is in the semi-final round of eliminations.
* 2 different Pro Stock Motorcycle drivers with no Round 1 head-to-head matchup. The only possibility of a head-to-head matchup is in the final round of eliminations if both drivers survive until then.
Good luck all!

Congrats to @alsant & @GTXDAN in qulifying

 

[Budnicks]

I'm sitting on pins & needles waiting for the final points count
I had 3 in the finals & 1 won P/S & & 2 runner ups F/C & P/SM
damn T/F Steve Torrence went out early again
I knew I should have gone with Antron Brown

not sure my 11.5 pt lead was enough to stave off @64BEL whom was in 2nd

 

[GTXDAN]

Boy 341+ for Austin Prock was amazing. Wouldn't surprise me if they don't make a change to slow them down again.
Greg Anderson had one bad ride and kicked ***. Can't wait to see the final points.

 

[64BEL]

I'm sitting on pins & needles waiting for the final points count
I had 3 in the finals & 1 won P/S & & 2 runner ups F/C & P/SM
damn T/F Steve Torrence went out early again
I knew I should have gone with Antron Brown

not sure my 11.5 pt lead was enough to stave off @64BEL whom was in 2nd

View attachment 1759901

Same results for me, Bud, except my one not in the final was a first round loss (Ashley). So I think you'll stay ahead of me. Hopefully no one passes us!

 

[Budnicks]

Same results for me, Bud, except my one not in the final was a first round loss (Ashley). So I think you'll stay ahead of me. Hopefully no one passes us!

 

[Budnicks]

Boy 341+ for Austin Prock was amazing. Wouldn't surprise me if they don't make a change to slow them down again.
Greg Anderson had one bad ride and kicked ***. Can't wait to see the final points.

He was flying in that 'Prock Rocket', impressive other than 1 qualifier & the finals

 

[ocdart]

2024 FINAL RESULTS!

Congratulations to 'johnnycuda' (FABO) for winning the 2024 NHRA Finals "Top Picker Eliminator" title with an outstanding total of 277.0 points. He picked the class winners in both Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, his Funny Car pick lost in the final round of eliminations and Top Fuel picks lost in the semi-final round of eliminations. He was helped with ET bonus points in Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, and Speed bonus points all four professional classes. His point total was also boosted by the new National Speed Record set in Funny Car.
'alsant' (FBBO) and 'GTXDAN' (FBBO) shared the event runner-up with 251.0 points each.


Here's where the bonus points were earned if you picked the right drivers:

Top Fuel
E.T. - Doug Kalitta, 3.640 during Round 2 of eliminations
Speed - Brittany Force, 336.65 during qualifying

Funny Car
E.T. - Austin Prock, 3.804 during qualifying
Speed - Austin Prock, 341.68 (National Record) during Round 1 of eliminations

Pro Stock
E.T. - Greg Anderson, 6.488 during Round 3 of eliminations
Speed - Greg Anderson, 211.66 during Round 1 of eliminations

Pro Stock Motorcycle
E.T. - Matt Smith, 6.705 during the final round of eliminations
Speed - Matt Smith, 202.64 during qualifying

CONGRATULATIONS to 'Budnicks' (FBBO) for winning the 2024 FABO NHRA "Pick 'Em'" game with an outstanding total of 2930.5!
The "Pick 'Em" game title returns to California!


Here are the final 2024 game point standings after In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals:
2930.5 - Budnicks (FBBO) - CA - no change in the game standings
2917.5 - 64BEL (FBBO) - WI - no change
2874.5 - stroked340 (FABO) - MA- no change
2856.5 - TT5.9mag (FABO) - CA - no change
2846.0 - Yunick13 (FABO) - (somewhere) - no change
2837.0 - cuda20 (FABO) - BC, Canada - no change
2835.5 - Back in Time (FABO) - AZ - +1
2829.0 - johnnycuda (FABO) - AZ - +3
2815.0 - ocdart (FABO) - CA - -2
2812.5 - GTXDAN (FBBO) - GA - no change
2783.5 - memike (FABO) - AR - -2
2779.5 - Outlawd (FABO) - (somewhere in his happy place) - no change
2699.5 - alsant (FBBO) - AZ - +2
2638.0 - SSG_Karg (FABO) - PA - no change
2618.0 - Duster79 (FABO) - MN - -2
2618.0 - Nick2317 (FBBO) - PA - no change


I'll post the top 4 game point leaders of each pro class soon.
Stay tuned!

 

[alsant]

Nice job Bud and Bell ! Way to go !!!!

 

[GTXDAN]

Way to go Budnicks & 64Bel for keeping us at the top. Alsant and I did pretty good in the race but we lagged behind for the season. Oh well there's always next year.

 

[ocdart]

As promised, here are the final 2024 game class point leaders:

Top Fuel
476.0 - TT5.9mag (FABO)
467.5 - Outlawd (FBBO)
452.5 - Yunick13 (FABO)
451.0 - SSG_Karg (FABO)

Funny Car
824.5 - Back in Time (FABO)
812.5 - ocdart (FABO)
793.5 - 64BEL (FBBO)
758.5 - GTXDAN (FBBO)

Pro Stock
668.5 - memike (FABO)
645.5 - ocdart (FABO)
628.0 - TT5.9mag (FABO)
617.0 - alsant (FBBO)

Pro Stock Motorcycle
714.5 - 64BEL (FBBO), Back in Time (FABO), cuda20 (FABO), Duster79 (FABO), stroked340 (FABO), and Yunick13 (FABO)
704.5 - johnnycuda (FABO)
702.0 - TT5.9mag (FABO)
694.5 - GTXDAN (FBBO)


Now we have 108 days to rest up and get more done on our Mopars before the start of the 2025 NHRA season that kicks off with the NHRA Gatornationals, March 6-9, at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, FL.
I can't wait!

Watch for the 2025 game notice post sometime in February. Come on back and bring your friends!

Thanks for playing and Happy Holidays all!

 

[ocdart]

Talk about buying an award!
This is a direct quote from today's nhra.com story from NHRA Awards Ceremony last night:
"For the first time in NHRA history, Toyota won the NHRA’s Manufacturers Cup. The award is given to the automaker whose current model year vehicles accumulate the most points during the NHRA season. Among those who enjoyed banner seasons for Toyota were Top Fuel standouts Brown, Doug Kalitta, Ashley, Shawn Langdon, Billy Torrence and Steve Torrence, and Funny Car stars Ron Capps, J.R. Todd, and Alexis DeJoria."
I understand the Funny Car bodies of Capps, Todd and DeJoria are based on the Toyota GR Supra, but WTF does any Toyota vehicle contribute to a Top Fuel dragster other than the "Toyota" sticker on the side of the body?

 

[Budnicks]

Way to pick em' @alsant & @GTXDAN

& to @64BEL for having my back

2024 FINAL RESULTS!

Congratulations to 'johnnycuda' (FABO) for winning the 2024 NHRA Finals "Top Picker Eliminator" title with an outstanding total of 277.0 points. He picked the class winners in both Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, his Funny Car pick lost in the final round of eliminations and Top Fuel picks lost in the semi-final round of eliminations. He was helped with ET bonus points in Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, and Speed bonus points all four professional classes. His point total was also boosted by the new National Speed Record set in Funny Car.
'alsant' (FBBO) and 'GTXDAN' (FBBO) shared the event runner-up with 251.0 points each.


Here's where the bonus points were earned if you picked the right drivers:

Top Fuel
E.T. - Doug Kalitta, 3.640 during Round 2 of eliminations
Speed - Brittany Force, 336.65 during qualifying

Funny Car
E.T. - Austin Prock, 3.804 during qualifying
Speed - Austin Prock, 341.68 (National Record) during Round 1 of eliminations

Pro Stock
E.T. - Greg Anderson, 6.488 during Round 3 of eliminations
Speed - Greg Anderson, 211.66 during Round 1 of eliminations

Pro Stock Motorcycle
E.T. - Matt Smith, 6.705 during the final round of eliminations
Speed - Matt Smith, 202.64 during qualifying

CONGRATULATIONS to 'Budnicks' (FBBO) for winning the 2024 FABO NHRA "Pick 'Em'" game with an outstanding total of 2930.5!
The "Pick 'Em" game title returns to California!


Here are the final 2024 game point standings after In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals:
2930.5 - Budnicks (FBBO) - CA - no change in the game standings
2917.5 - 64BEL (FBBO) - WI - no change
2874.5 - stroked340 (FABO) - MA- no change
2856.5 - TT5.9mag (FABO) - CA - no change
2846.0 - Yunick13 (FABO) - (somewhere) - no change
2837.0 - cuda20 (FABO) - BC, Canada - no change
2835.5 - Back in Time (FABO) - AZ - +1
2829.0 - johnnycuda (FABO) - AZ - +3
2815.0 - ocdart (FABO) - CA - -2
2812.5 - GTXDAN (FBBO) - GA - no change
2783.5 - memike (FABO) - AR - -2
2779.5 - Outlawd (FABO) - (somewhere in his happy place) - no change
2699.5 - alsant (FBBO) - AZ - +2
2638.0 - SSG_Karg (FABO) - PA - no change
2618.0 - Duster79 (FABO) - MN - -2
2618.0 - Nick2317 (FBBO) - PA - no change


I'll post the top 4 game point leaders of each pro class soon.
Stay tuned!

Nice job Bud and Bell ! Way to go !!!!

Way to go Budnicks & 64Bel for keeping us at the top. Alsant and I did pretty good in the race but we lagged behind for the season. Oh well there's always next year.

Yea ha
got the top spot & nothing else, but bragging rights...

way to go guys

thanks to all that participated & especially @ocdart for running it
I know it was a bit of work to do, I'll be doing it again next year
great fun, something to talk about, besides dog dish hubcaps

 

[GTXDAN]

Thanks OCDART for running the game, it was great fun. Can't wait for next year.

 

[64BEL]

Thanks, oc for running the show again! And congrats to Bud! It was nice to see FBBO take home the gold. Was this our first season win or second? Interesting that Bud isn't mentioned in any of the 4 categories. Shows how good of a game he played and spread his picks around.

Toyota - manufacturer's cup? I bet Chrysler still holds the all time lead - even after being factored out by Wally Parks.

It was fun playing with all you guys!

 

[Budnicks]

Thanks, oc for running the show again! And congrats to Bud! It was nice to see FBBO take home the gold. Was this our first season win or second? Interesting that Bud isn't mentioned in any of the 4 categories. Shows how good of a game he played and spread his picks around.

I was wondering why ? too
no big deal

I had F/C Austin Prock most all year long IIRC (2024 Champion)
I had Ron Capps a few times (?) in there IIRC, he didn't do well,
when I selected him IIRC
I think Matt Hagan was doing well (qualifying anyway) early, I never (?) picked him
In P/S had 1st picked P/S Dallas Glenn early on
& switched to Greg Anderson (2024 Champion)
probably because I never/ever picked Miss Piggy/Erica Enders/Stephens,
& I never will, she was winning & qualifying well
I think I picked Elite/Arron Stanfield once (or twice ?) then he fell off
& came back at the end
I assume my biggest failure was sticking with T/F Steve Torrence way too much/too long
I had P/SM Caige Herrara almost if not (?) all season too (2024 Champion)
3 champions you'd think I'd be in some of them as winners

I sucked in my picks earlier, (but 3 of them are now 2024 champs)
in the early part of the season after a couple races, but I came back strong at the end...

Toyota - manufacturer's cup? I bet Chrysler still holds the all time lead - even after being factored out by Wally Parks.


It was fun playing with all you guys!

Yeah nothing on them is Toyota, except the Carbon Fiber Body on the F/C
but all of the fuel cars F/C & T/F are Hemi Powered, may not be Chrysler Hemi now,
but it's all based off the 426 Hemi, Chrysler's Tom Hoover helped design,
nothing Toyota about it

how the hell did Toyota win ?
Something doesn't add up, & I'm not a hater either...

If anything it should have been Chevy/Camaro if it goes by body/engine mfgr,
because of P/S & F/C (Hemi's) champs & runners up, were Chevy/Camaros, they won the most
(even the Elite Team Mustangs/4 Cuadra's in P/S had Chevy/GM style motors)
GM/Won big in comp classes too, like always like belly buttons everyone has one...

Pro-Camaro Class, aka Pro-Stock is all GM Powered exclusively,
no Toyota in sight

the Factory-X class
Dodges 'based on' a Drag Pak Challenger vaguely
(but lighter & more power) was hot at 1st
the GM/Camaro's came on hard at the end
(also alleged cheaters, mfgrs got rules changed)
& Factory Stock Showdown class was won by GM, IIRC & Ford a lot
I think a GM/COPO Camaro won that class too
with a few sprinklings of wins for MoPar/Dodge Challenger 'Drag Paks'
that weren't cheaters,
like the others 2 brands "allegedly were", they don't like being beat by Hemi's
always seem like it come down to that fact, for decades now, Dodges/Hemi's
get rules penalized, then GM or Ford get preferential treatment
or less weight/more boost etc.