A first Grand Championship
11
tracked contests to get there
This was Rick's Racks's first Grand Championship in the data — it arrived at their 11th tracked contest.
American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest 2022
Mar 25–26, 2022 · Kansas City, MO · 📍 1701 American Royal Court
Reps: Larry Voth, Lynda Voth · Prize money: $5,300
RICK'S RACKS won Grand Champion at the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Backyard Contest on March 25, 2022 in Kansas City, MO at 1701 American Royal Court, scoring 350.8456 in a field of 25 teams. Swine-O-Licious BBQ took Reserve Grand Champion with 344.5600. Category winners: Chicken — Fluffy Butt BBQ (178.8572); Pork Ribs — WRECKING CREW BBQ (175.4056). This is the 1st of 5 editions of this contest on record; the next was held in 2023.
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.
291.95
median 330.81
350.85 🏆
How the meats cooked
Every board on one scale — the bar runs last score to first, the dot is the median.
- Chicken 178.86
- Pork Ribs 175.41
141.66
178.86
Entries
25
2 judged meats
Top score
350.8456
Winning margin
6.2856
GC over RC
Field average
328.55
291.95350.85
median 330.81 · last place to winner
Perfect 180s
0
Tightest race
Chicken
4 pts across the top 5
Top-10 cutoff
334.2628
291.95350.85
10th place overall
Field spread
58.8912
winner to last place
Prize money
$5,300
on the line
Double threats
2
teams with 2+ top-5 calls
How hot was the win?
Top 39%
beats 61% of 610 Backyard Series wins in the data
Form held
Moderate
ρ = -0.48 between pre-contest rating and finish
Field strength
1,522
avg power rating going in · stronger than 15% of contests
Storylines (2 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 4 calls decided inside half a point
Pork Ribs places 1–2: WRECKING CREW BBQ and Damn Fine Beef & Swine tied on 175.4056 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Pork Ribs places 8–9: MEAT'S MY MISTRESS and Furlongs Smoke & Seafood tied on 167.4172 — settled by the KCBS tiebreaker. Chicken places 7–8: Furlongs Smoke & Seafood edged HESSHOGS by 0.0116.
- Pork Ribs 1–2 · tie
- Pork Ribs 8–9 · tie
- Chicken 7–8 · 0.0116
- Chicken 9–10 · 0.0116
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 →
| Date | Where | Venue | Teams | High score | Grand Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 2022 ← this one | Kansas City, MO | 1701 American Royal Court | 25 | 350.8456 | Rick's Racks |
| Mar 24, 2023 | Kansas City, MO | 1701 American Royal Court | 37 | 348.5372 | Big Racks BBQ |
| Mar 22, 2024 | Kansas City, MO | 1701 American Royal Court | 31 | 357.7028 | Bad Influence BBQ - MO |
| Mar 21, 2025 | Kansas City, MO | 1701 American Royal Court | 33 | 353.7028 | Too Sauced BBQ |
| Mar 20, 2026 | Kansas City, MO | 1701 American Royal Court | 33 | 353.1084 | Dawgs BBQ |
What a call cost (the score it took to finish 1st, 5th and 10th)
| Category | 1st | 5th | 10th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 178.8572 | 174.8572 | 169.1084 |
| Pork Ribs | 175.4056 | 169.7028 | 165.1200 |
Official results on kcbs.us ↗
Backyard Series
Overall
25 entries · top 350.8456 · median 330.8112
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RICK'S RACKS | |
| 2 | Swine-O-Licious BBQ | |
| 3 | The Smokin Goat | |
| 4 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 5 | Fluffy Butt BBQ | |
| 6 | BULL IN THE RING | |
| 7 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 8 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 9 | HESSHOGS | |
| 10 | Shmack Q | |
| 11 | Barnards Backyard Barbeque | |
| 12 | MEAT'S MY MISTRESS | |
| 13 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 14 | GO HAM BBQ | |
| 15 | TWISTED-Q | |
| 16 | BABSLAB BBQ | |
| 17 | Notch 9 | |
| 18 | Whole Smoke BBQ | |
| 19 | Fine As* Swine BBQ | |
| 20 | Pay Heed BBQ | |
| 21 | Bald Guy Barbecue | |
| 22 | Gentlemen of the Woods | |
| 23 | Smoke This - Drinlk That | |
| 24 | Papa Bears KC Barbecue | |
| 25 | Still Smokin |
Chicken
25 entries · top 178.8572 · median 167.4056
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fluffy Butt BBQ | |
| 2 | Shmack Q | |
| 3 | RICK'S RACKS | |
| 4 | The Smokin Goat | |
| 5 | Swine-O-Licious BBQ | |
| 6 | BULL IN THE RING | |
| 7 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 8 | HESSHOGS | |
| 9 | BABSLAB BBQ | |
| 10 | Barnards Backyard Barbeque | |
| 11 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 12 | Notch 9 | |
| 13 | GO HAM BBQ | |
| 14 | TWISTED-Q | |
| 15 | Whole Smoke BBQ | |
| 16 | MEAT'S MY MISTRESS | |
| 17 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 18 | Bald Guy Barbecue | |
| 19 | Fine As* Swine BBQ | |
| 20 | Pay Heed BBQ | |
| 21 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 22 | Gentlemen of the Woods | |
| 23 | Smoke This - Drinlk That | |
| 24 | Still Smokin | |
| 25 | Papa Bears KC Barbecue |
Pork Ribs
25 entries · top 175.4056 · median 163.9772
| # | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WRECKING CREW BBQ | |
| 2 | Damn Fine Beef & Swine | |
| 3 | SMOKEY GQ | |
| 4 | RICK'S RACKS | |
| 5 | Swine-O-Licious BBQ | |
| 6 | The Smokin Goat | |
| 7 | BULL IN THE RING | |
| 8 | MEAT'S MY MISTRESS | |
| 9 | Furlongs Smoke & Seafood | |
| 10 | HESSHOGS | |
| 11 | Barnards Backyard Barbeque | |
| 12 | Fluffy Butt BBQ | |
| 13 | Fine As* Swine BBQ | |
| 14 | TWISTED-Q | |
| 15 | GO HAM BBQ | |
| 16 | Whole Smoke BBQ | |
| 17 | Notch 9 | |
| 18 | Gentlemen of the Woods | |
| 19 | BABSLAB BBQ | |
| 20 | Pay Heed BBQ | |
| 21 | Shmack Q | |
| 22 | Smoke This - Drinlk That | |
| 23 | Bald Guy Barbecue | |
| 24 | Papa Bears KC Barbecue | |
| 25 | Still Smokin |