2025 15th Annual FABO NHRA "Pick 'Em" Game - I Can't Wait!!!

[ocdart]

It's time for your 'Tuesday before the race' notice for the Texas NHRA FallNationals, October 8-12, on the all-concrete racing surface at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TX.
This will be the first of the final three races in the six-race 2025 Countdown.
Please check the driver entries and post your picks before Pro qualifying starts so you will be eligible for all event bonus points.

The entry cutoff was at 4:00pm EDT (1:00pm PDT) yesterday and the nhra.com website shows the following entry counts:
17 Top Fuel with one driver making their first 2025 season event
17 Funny Car
22 Pro Stock with one driver making their first 2025 season event
16 Pro Stock Motorcycle

As always, I suggest you double-check to make sure all of your driver picks are racing. There are no new names competing at this event, but there have also been some no-shows at recent race events of the season. If your posted driver skips the event and you do not select a replacement prior to the start of eliminations, I will use your posted driver from the most recent completed event. Unfortunately, any replacement driver after the start of qualifying will not be eligible for any event bonus points.

The current weekend weather forecast shows:
* Friday currently shows sunny with a temperature of about 87F at the start of Q1. Temps will probably be about 80F when Q2 kicks off at the scheduled start time of 8:00pm EDT (5:00pm PDT).
* Saturday forecast is for sunny and a temp of about 79F at the start of Q3 going up to the mid-80s for the scheduled start of Q4
* Sunday weather forecast is for sunny and temps in the mid 70s at the start of eliminations going up to a high of 89F about 4:00pm

The current television schedule for the Texas FallNationals...
* Qualifying Show: 10:00-Noon EDT (7:00-9:00am PDT), Sunday, October 12 on FS1
* Final Eliminations: Split television coverage from 2:00-4:00pm EDT (11:00am-1:00pm PDT) followed by 4:30-6:30pm EDT (1:30-3:30pm PDT), Sunday, October 12 on FOX

All television coverage will also re-air at later times. Check www.nhra.com.

Don't miss out!

 

[Budnicks]

Stick with my 'Locked in Picks'

probably a mistake oh well,
stay & ride the horses that get ya' there
I have a good feeling, for the Texas Race

good luck everyone

 

[64BEL]

Same here - let 'em ride! Good luck everyone!

 

[Outlawd]

Texas

TF=Smoke
FC=Fast Jack
PS=Erica Enders
PSM=Matt Smith

Good luck all!

 

[Pecos Bill]

Let mine ride

 

[GTXDAN]

Man I changed from GA to DG because he was doing real good in pro stock and the old man came back and kicked but. Going back with the old man.
Age and treachery over youth and skill every time.

Texas
TF Kalitta
FC Prock
PS Anderson
PSM Herrera

Good luck everybody!!!

 

[ocdart]

FYI, Steve Torrence announced CAPCO is closing their 2025 NHRA Top Fuel season at the Texas FallNationals this coming weekend.
Although they are in the Countdown, he doesn't feel they have a valid shot at winning the championship so it doesn't make sense to them to go to the expense of travelling to Las Vegas and Pomona.

 

[Budnicks]

FYI, Steve Torrence announced CAPCO is closing their 2025 NHRA Top Fuel season at the Texas FallNationals this coming weekend.
Although they are in the Countdown, he doesn't feel they have a valid shot at winning the championship so it doesn't make sense to them to go to the expense of travelling to Las Vegas and Pomona.

Sad to see them go, got lots of points off them, especially Steve prior years...

I hope they will be back in 2026,
they kind of hinted at it before this season, not running a full schedule
they were stepping/pulling back,
I was surprised they ran as much as they did
.
.
.
.
.
.
you now when it's time to pull the plug,
on racing if it isn't fun anymore
or when it becomes like a job, you dread going to
or your pissed off all the time, it's not fun during them times
or when the constant travel, going to the next event gets to you too,
saying you have no chance, it's time
been there done that

 

[62Dodge_]

Howdy Wow
The Capco teams will be missed

 

[62Dodge_]

Howdy for Texas
Top Fuel-Force top speed
Funny car- Dejoria
Pro Stock- Enders
Pro Stock Motorcycle- M.Smith

 

[64BEL]

Man I changed from GA to DG because he was doing real good in pro stock and the old man came back and kicked but. Going back with the old man.
Age and treachery over youth and skill every time.

Texas
TF Kalitta
FC Prock
PS Anderson
PSM Herrera

Good luck everybody!!!

I was tempted to jump off of Greg's bandwagon, too, but he's made me pay for that move before, so I stuck. Glad I did.

 

[ocdart]

NHRA Texas FallNationals qualifying leaders (per nhra.com event 'Detailed Results'):

Q1
Weather: 85F, 40% relative humidity, barometer 30.08", adjusted altitude 2,638', track temp. n/a
TF: Justin Ashley, 3.766 @ 335.87
FC: Bob Tasca III, 3.932 @ 332.08
PS: Greg Anderson, 6.523; Troy Coughlin Jr. @ 211.28
PSM: Richard Gadson, 6.761 @ 200.59

Q2
Weather: 74F, 60% relative humidity, barometer 30.07", adjusted altitude 1,920', track temp. n/a
TF: Shawn Langdon, 3.684 @ 338.88
FC: Austin Prock, 3.876 @ 336.07
PS: Greg Anderson, 6.497; Jeg Coughlin Jr. @ 211.43
PSM: Richard Gadson, 6.747 @ 201.59

Q3
Weather: 82F, 43% relative humidity, barometer 30.01", adjusted altitude 2,457', track temp. n/a
TF: Shawn Langdon, 3.684 @ 338.88
FC: Austin Prock, 3.876 @ 336.07
PS: Greg Anderson, 6.497; Jeg Coughlin Jr. @ 211.43
PSM: Richard Gadson, 6.747 @ 201.59

Q4
Weather: 88F, 34% relative humidity, barometer 29.91", adjusted altitude 2,936', track temp. 126F
TF: Shawn Langdon, 3.684 @ 338.88
FC: Austin Prock, 3.876 @ 336.07
PS: Greg Anderson, 6.497; Jeg Coughlin Jr. @ 211.43
PSM: Richard Gadson, 6.747 @ 201.59

 

[ocdart]

Congratulations to ''64BEL' (FBBO), 'memike' (FABO) and 'TT5.9mag' (FABO) for sharing the 2025 Texas NHRA FallNationals Top Qualifier title with outstanding totals of 30.5 bonus points each. They each correctly picked the #1 qualifier in Funny Car and Pro Stock, the #2 qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and the #3 qualifier in Top Fuel.
'stroked340' (FABO) and 'GTXDAN' were right behind with 29.5 bonus points each.

More great picks!

We have 17 players this week and 13 different driver combos made up of:
* 5 different Top Fuel drivers with one head-to-head matchup between #8 qualifier Tony Stewart (4 picks) and #9 qualifier Clay Millican (1 pick). There is also a possible head-to-head matchup in Round 2 of eliminations if both drivers survive Round 1.
* 5 different Funny Car drivers. The earliest possible head-to-head matchup would be in Round 2 of eliminations if both drivers survive.
* 3 different Pro Stock drivers with the earliest possibility of a head-to-head matchup in the semi-final round of eliminations if both drivers survive.
* 4 different Pro Stock Motorcycle drivers. The earliest possibility of any head-to-head mathup is the semi-final round of eliminations if the drivers survive.
Good luck all!

 

[ocdart]

If you didn't see the television coverage of the NHRA Texas Nationals yesterday, the only thing you can do now is watch one of the re-air broadcasts listed on the nhra.com website. All of the re-air broadcasts will be on FS2.

Here in SoCal the original television broadcast was shown on a local FOX sister station (KCOP, channel 13) known as “Fox 11 Plus,” a reference to the branding used by KTTV (channel 11), which is the Fox-owned station in the market.
When I turned to local channel 13 at the listed time they started to broadcast some soccer crap. The Texas Nationals finals show started 47 minutes later and the entire two-hour show was broadcast. However, it was not what we are used to seeing because not every run in the professional categories was shown as they tried to cram the usual 3-hour show into two hours. Even some of the Top Fuel and Funny Car elimination runs were shown as quickie "highlights", if they were shown at all.
Extremely disappointing.

 

[Budnicks]

Congratulations to ''64BEL' (FBBO), 'memike' (FABO) and 'TT5.9mag' (FABO) for sharing the 2025 Texas NHRA FallNationals Top Qualifier title with outstanding totals of 30.5 bonus points each. They each correctly picked the #1 qualifier in Funny Car and Pro Stock, the #2 qualifier in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and the #3 qualifier in Top Fuel.
'stroked340' (FABO) and 'GTXDAN' were right behind with 29.5 bonus points each.

More great picks!

We have 17 players this week and 13 different driver combos made up of:
* 5 different Top Fuel drivers with one head-to-head matchup between #8 qualifier Tony Stewart (4 picks) and #9 qualifier Clay Millican (1 pick). There is also a possible head-to-head matchup in Round 2 of eliminations if both drivers survive Round 1.
* 5 different Funny Car drivers. The earliest possible head-to-head matchup would be in Round 2 of eliminations if both drivers survive.
* 3 different Pro Stock drivers with the earliest possibility of a head-to-head matchup in the semi-final round of eliminations if both drivers survive.
* 4 different Pro Stock Motorcycle drivers. The earliest possibility of any head-to-head mathup is the semi-final round of eliminations if the drivers survive.
Good luck all!

Dang @64BEL is chalking them up, congrats on the qualifiers

 

[Budnicks]

If you didn't see the television coverage of the NHRA Texas Nationals yesterday, the only thing you can do now is watch one of the re-air broadcasts listed on the nhra.com website. All of the re-air broadcasts will be on FS2.

Here in SoCal the original television broadcast was shown on a local FOX sister station (KCOP, channel 13) known as “Fox 11 Plus,” a reference to the branding used by KTTV (channel 11), which is the Fox-owned station in the market.
When I turned to local channel 13 at the listed time they started to broadcast some soccer crap. The Texas Nationals finals show started 47 minutes later and the entire two-hour show was broadcast. However, it was not what we are used to seeing because not every run in the professional categories was shown as they tried to cram the usual 3-hour show into two hours. Even some of the Top Fuel and Funny Car elimination runs were shown as quickie "highlights", if they were shown at all.
Extremely disappointing.

it was some 'Fox NFL Football crap here, preempting the NHRA race coverage
(Sunday is a big NFL day for 'mothership Fox networks')
for the 1st 25 min.s or so on Fox40, then swapped over to NHRA drag racing
IDVR it on NFL days, so my dad can see his football & I watch it later
saw the whole broadcast, late but was still on Fox40 (708 X1 Xfinity)

 

[Budnicks]

I had 2 get to the finals
P/SM Herrerra, he lost to V&H teammate Richard Gadson
F/C Prock he won, opponent choked
(I think it was Daniel Wilkerson, or was it Ron Capps ?)

my other 2 picks
P/S Anderson got beat in the semi finals, Dallas Glenn ended up winning
T/F Stewart laid an egg (now in like 4th place), Doug Kalita won the race

 

[ocdart]

This was way beyond a 'blind squirrel' moment, so 'ocdart' (FABO) must have found that elusive crystal ball - and some new batteries to make it work - since he ended up picking the winners of Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle on the way to a total of 204.0 points. Included in that total were ET bonus points for both Funny Car and Pro Stock Motorcycle and Speed bonus points for Funny Car.
'Back in Time' (FABO) grabbed the runner-up spot with 184.5 points.
The top FBBO score was 'GTXDAN' with 169.5 points.
Way to go!

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

Top Fuel
E.T. - Doug Kalitta, 3.684 during qualifying
Speed - Brittany Force, 340.57 during qualifying

Funny Car
E.T. - Austin Prock, 3.867 during Round 1 of eliminations
Speed - Austin Prock, 336.07 during qualifying

Pro Stock
E.T. - Greg Anderson, 6.497 during qualifying
Speed - Jeg Coughlin Jr., 211.43 during qualifying

Pro Stock Motorcycle
E.T. - Richard Gadson, 6.747 during qualifying
Speed - Gaige Herrera, 202.52 during Round 1 of eliminations

Here are the game point standings after the 18th event of the 2024 season:

2547.5 - stroked340 (FABO) no change in game standings
2499.5 - GTXDAN (FBBO) no change
2481.0 - ocdart (FABO) +3
2455.5 - TT5.9mag (FABO) -1
2435.5 - alsant (FBBO) -1
2426.0 - 64BEL (FBBO) -1
2423.5 - Back in Time (FABO) no change
2380.5 - johnnycuda (FABO) +1
2370.0 - memike (FABO) +1
2366.5 - Budnicks (FBBO) -2
2355.0 - cuda20 (FABO) no change
2246.0 - Yunick13 (FABO) +1
2224.0 - Nick2317 (FBBO) -1
2199.0 - Pecos Bill (FBBO) +1
2180.0 - 62Dodge_ (FBBO) -1
2169.5 - Moms Duster (FABO) +1
2155.0 - Outlawd (FBBO) -1

The next race is the fifth event of the six-race 2025 NHRA Countdown, the 25th annual Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV, scheduled for October 30-November 2.
nhra.com currently shows the following class entry numbers:

12 - Top Fuel
20 - Funny Car
21 - Pro Stock
15 - Pro Stock Motocycle

As always, please check to verify your picks are participating before posting your picks.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[ocdart]

If I correctly read how the points accumulate, a maximum of 321 points are available between the remaining Dodge Nevada Nationals (130 points) and the In-N-Out Burger Finals (191 points).
What drivers need to push a little harder?
Here are the current drivers still mathematically within range of the current leader in each of the four professional classes following the Texas Nationals:

Top Fuel
2,525 Doug Kalitta
2,384 Justin Ashley
2,366 Shawn Langdon
2,297 Steve Torrence (2025 season is over)
2,291 Brittany Force
2,289 Tony Stewart
2,279 Clay Millican
2,255 Shawn Reed
2,242 Antron Brown

Funny Car
2,485 Austin Prock
2,373 Matt Hagan
2,354 Jack Beckman
2,336 Ron Capps
2,296 Daniel Wilkerson
2,257 Paul Lee
2,252 Cruz Pedregon
2,236 Chad Green
2,217 Spencer Hyde
2,195 Alexis DeJoria
2,188 Bob Tasca III
2,182 J.R. Todd

Pro Stock
2,548 Dallas Glenn
2,488 Greg Anderson
2,323 Matt Hartford
2,318 Aaron Stanfield
2,275 Cory Reed
2,250 Eric Latino
2,243 Erica Enders

Pro Stock Motorcycle
2,507 Richard Gadson
2,435 Gaige Herrera
2,402 Matt Smith
2,321 Brayden Davis
2,319 John Hall
2,318 Angie Smith
2,241 Jianna Everisto
2,211 Chase Van Sant

It ain't over 'til it's over!

 

[Budnicks]

Nice elim. picks @ocdart & @GTXDAN congrats