A dynasty in the making
4×
wins at this contest
4 of 125 tracked editions
LOOT N' BOOTY BBQ has won this contest 4 times across its 125 tracked editions.
- 2014
- 2015
- 2017
- 2017
Sam's Club National BBQ Tour 2015
Aug 21–22, 2015 · Harrisburg, PA
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ won Grand Champion at the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour on August 21, 2015 in Harrisburg, PA, scoring 678.3200 in a field of 30 teams. HAWG NATION BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 670.2516. Category winners: Chicken — SMOKESTACK REDEMPTION (174.8456); Pork Ribs — CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ (172.0344); Pork — Q HAVEN BBQ (172.5828); Brisket — HAWG NATION BBQ (173.1544). This is the 73rd of 125 editions of this contest on record; the 2015 edition was won by INSANE SWINE BBQ; the next was held in 2015.
The contest at a glance (read off the scored boards)
How the field scored
Overall totals, every team on the board — tall stacks are where the pack sat.
603.83
median 635.65
678.32 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 174.85
- Pork Ribs 172.03
- Pork 172.58
- Brisket 173.15
135.38
174.85
Winning score by edition
What it has taken to win here, 2013 to 2017 — this edition picked out.
Entries
30
4 judged meats
Top score
678.3200
Winning margin
8.0684
GC over RC
Field average
637.55
603.83678.32
median 635.65 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
3.9656 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
654.7884
603.83678.32
10th place overall
Field spread
74.4916
winner to last place
Double threats
5
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 91%
beats 9% of 4723 Master Series wins in the data
Came back for more
0%
0 of 26 teams from the previous edition returned
Form held
Strong
ρ = -0.74 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,567
avg power rating going in · stronger than 52% of contests
Storylines (4 found in this contest's numbers)
Everything below is read straight out of the results — the number on each card is the one that made it a story.
Photo finishes
Tie
closest of 9 calls decided inside half a point
Chicken places 6–7: SPITTIN' FEATHERS BBQ and BIG UGLY'S BBQ - MD tied on 170.2860 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 7–8: BONE TO BARK BBQ edged BOHEMIAN BBQ by 0.0116. Chicken places 8–9: WILBUR'S REVENGE edged HAWG NATION BBQ by 0.0228.
- Chicken 6–7 · tie
- Pork Ribs 7–8 · 0.0116
- Chicken 8–9 · 0.0228
- Pork Ribs 9–10 · 0.0228
How the title was won
4 of 4
meats called to the stage
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ took the title on 4 calls from 4 meats, with 1 outright win — their weakest board was pork at 7th.
- Chicken 5th
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 7th
- Brisket 3rd
Back to defend
1
past champions back in the field
Past winners of this contest cooked this edition: THE BBQ GURU (won 2013).
- THE BBQ GURU · 2013
Score curves (score by finishing position — steep cliffs mean a spread field, flat lines a knife fight)
Category showdown (top / average / median score per meat)
Score distribution
Biggest rating movers (power-rating points won and lost at this contest)
Did form hold? (pre-contest rating vs overall finish — ratings called it if the dots climb to the right)
This contest over the years full contest page →
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 174.8456 | 170.8800 | 169.6684 |
| Pork Ribs | 172.0344 | 166.8572 | 163.9428 |
| Pork | 172.5828 | 166.2628 | 161.1428 |
| Brisket | 173.1544 | 167.4056 | 160.5484 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Master Series
Overall
30 entries · top 678.3200 · median 635.6456
Chicken
30 entries · top 174.8456 · median 163.7372
Pork Ribs
30 entries · top 172.0344 · median 158.8172
Pork
30 entries · top 172.5828 · median 158.2742
Brisket
30 entries · top 173.1544 · median 155.9658