TAILWIND BBQ

At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)

Power ranking

#5330

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1454

peak 1454 · rated over 11 contests ⓘ

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-05-10

latest 2018-09-07

Best ToY finish

#1305

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

2 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 11 contests

Avg finish

top 73%

overall standings

Best overall

646.3204 / 720

Master · 12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship

Perfect 180s

Current form

624.68 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 616.53 (+8.15)

Walk rate

36%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

170.9028

Brisket · 10th Annual Recovery Fest

Consistency

±17.34

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 155.30 · weakest Pork (152.80)

Road miles

406

mi across 11 mapped stops · furthest 42 mi

Schedule strength

42%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1555)

State championships

0 🏅

GCs in 2 state-championship entries

Master avg

616.53 / 720

11 Master contests · 0 GCs

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (5 found in this team's record)

Each card leads with the number that made it a story — read straight out of their results, no editorialising.

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

BBQ UNPLUGGED has finished one call ahead of TAILWIND BBQ 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

11–0 behind in the head-to-head

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE ahead in 100% of their meetings

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has come out ahead in 11 of their 11 shared contests.

A strong matchup

4–0 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 100% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Chillin & Grillin in 4 of their 4 shared contests.

Chicken nemesis

11 of 11 shared chicken entries lost

OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE ahead 100% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE has out-cooked them in 11 of 11 shared chicken entries.

The metronome

±2.41% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±2.41% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 85.6% of a perfect score
11 contests

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The nearest teams in the power rankings, with a different reason on each card — six teams on one rating are rarely on it for the same reason. Rating decides who makes the list; where teams tie on it, the ones this team has actually cooked against come first, then teams at a similar point in their own career. KCBS doesn’t publish where a team is from, so nothing here is inferred from geography.

130 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

Meat Your Maker

#5319 of the rated field

1455 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1455

No shared contest yet.

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 11 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-08-07

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN ME CRAZY

#5345 of the rated field

1454 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 9%
Peak: 1502

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 11, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2019-04-26

⚔ Head-to-head

Boo Boo Bus BBQ

#5320 of the rated field

1455 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 8%
Peak: 1510

No shared contest yet.

12 contests and no Grand Championship yet — a rating made of 8% top-10 finishes rather than wins.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2026-06-13

⚔ Head-to-head

HILLTOP HOGGERS

#5313 of the rated field

1455 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 12
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1506

No shared contest yet.

Level with TAILWIND BBQ on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 12 contests
last seen 2023-04-21

⚔ Head-to-head

BLIND SWINE BBQ

#5332 of the rated field

1454 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1454

No shared contest yet.

Both teams' first contest in the data came in 2013.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2024-07-11

⚔ Head-to-head

HOGZILLA NORTH CAROLINA

#5316 of the rated field

1455 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1455

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2015, 3 years before TAILWIND BBQ's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 10 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
JD'S SMOKIN MISFITS	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
OLD VIRGINIA SMOKE	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
WOLF'S REVENGE BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
LIL WILL'S LONE STAR QUE	8	1	7	13%	⚔ compare
FRED VEGAS SMOKERS	8	0	8	0%	⚔ compare
PAVONE BROTHERS BBQ	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
LIFE IS GOOD BUT BBQ IS BETTER	7	0	7	0%	⚔ compare
SWEET N SASSY BBQ COMPANY	6	2	4	33%	⚔ compare
Rocks Money Pit BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
Serial Griller	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
APORKALYPSE NOW	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
CHECKERED FLAG 500 BBQ	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
OLD COLONY SMOKEHOUSE	6	0	6	0%	⚔ compare
KNOB HILL	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
JAM'N HAMS	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	11	2	0	166.2972	143.9998	155.30	top 71%
Pork Ribs	11	1	0	166.3316	130.8000	153.47	top 67%
Pork	11	0	0	163.4172	138.8570	152.80	top 77%
Brisket	11	3	2	170.9028	141.0516	154.95	top 53%

“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	6	0	top 68%
Large (40+)	5	0	top 79%

Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
BBQ Jamboree	2	47	0	top 79%	2014-05-09

The story so far (16 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5.3 yrs 2013-05-10 → 2018-09-07

Busiest season 2016 3 contests

Contests a season 1.8 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in VA 11 of 11 contests

Contests visited 10 1 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Chicken 11 entries · 0 wins · 2 calls

Strongest meat Chicken averages 155.30 · weakest Pork (152.80)

Walk rate 36% a top-10 call in 4 of 11 contests

Overall top-10 rate 0% 0 of 11 contests

Master average 616.53 out of 720 · 11 contests · 0 GCs

Opponents faced 230 111–343 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 406 11 mapped stops · furthest 42 mi

Schedule strength 1555 average field rating faced — tougher than 42% of rated contests

State championships 0 from 2 state-championship entries

Longest layoff 1 yrs 2014-09-05 → 2015-09-11

Power rating 1454 peak 1454 · #5330 of 6,413 rated

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

2013
May 10 First tracked contest BBQ Jamboree
Sep 6 First call Recovery Fest 2013
Sep 6 Peak power rating (1496) Recovery Fest 2013
2014
Sep 5 Career-best single call (Brisket)170.9028 10th Annual Recovery Fest
2016
Sep 9 Career-best overall score646.3204 12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship
2018
Mar 23 10th tracked contest BBQ Gives Back
Sep 7 Most recent contest *14th Annual Recovery Fest/8th Annual BBQ State Championship

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+4.7	Recovery Fest 2013	2013-09-06
+0.7	12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship	2016-09-09

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-9	BBQ Gives Back	2018-03-23
-8.7	BBQ Jamboree	2013-05-10
-8.5	Que & Cruz	2016-09-30
-8.4	BBQ Jamboree	2014-05-09
-4.2	11th Annual Recovery Fest	2015-09-11

Category scores over time

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Team of the Year rank by season

Season by season

Season	Contests	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	2	0%	top 89%	86.2%	85.3%
2017	1	0%	top 72%	86.7%	86.7%
2016	3	67%	top 73%	89.8%	87.8%
2015	1	0%	top 76%	85.9%	85.9%
2014	2	50%	top 71%	85.6%	84.6%
2013	2	50%	top 59%	86.4%	83.1%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-09-07	*14th Annual Recovery Fest/8th Annual BBQ State Championship 🏅 Richmond, VA	24 / 29 (620.9944)	25 (155.9544)	18 (162.2516)	23 (153.6684)	23 (149.1200)
2018-03-23	BBQ Gives Back Urbanna, VA	71 / 75 (606.6404)	62 (157.6916)	63 (153.6572)	64 (154.2400)	72 (141.0516)
2017-04-28	4th Annual Pickin N Pullin BBQ competition Lanexa, VA	33 / 46 (624.4232)	34 (157.6572)	44 (145.6344)	19 (163.4172)	24 (157.7144)
2016-09-30	Que & Cruz Louisa, VA	27 / 31 (625.0284)	30 (151.4168)	24 (159.3716)	28 (151.9772)	10 (162.2628)
2016-09-09	12th Annual Recovery Fest/7th Annual BBQ State Championship 🏅 Richmond, VA	15 / 25 (646.3204)	10 (166.2972)	9 (166.3316)	17 (163.3944)	21 (150.2972)
2016-04-29	3rd Annual Pickin' N Pullin Lanexa, VA	34 / 48 (626.0912)	37 (155.3484)	15 (166.2400)	45 (150.8228)	35 (153.6800)
2015-09-11	11th Annual Recovery Fest Richmond, VA	22 / 29 (618.2060)	23 (154.2972)	13 (161.1316)	29 (149.0856)	18 (153.6916)
2014-09-05	10th Annual Recovery Fest Richmond, VA	20 / 32 (616.0000)	14 (157.7372)	30 (130.8000)	17 (156.5600)	2 (170.9028)
2014-05-09	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	51 / 64 (602.1028)	55 (149.0628)	56 (143.9428)	43 (151.9428)	19 (157.1544)
2013-09-06	Recovery Fest 2013 Richmond, VA	11 / 28 (622.2744)	9 (158.8800)	14 (153.7144)	22 (146.8000)	2 (162.8800)
2013-05-10	BBQ Jamboree Fredericksburg, VA	47 / 60 (573.7136)	50 (143.9998)	45 (145.1426)	55 (138.8570)	35 (145.7142)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)

Team of the Year standings (rank per category by season — year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018 ↗	Master	#1669 (119 pts)	#1760 (114 pts)	#1490 (149 pts)	#1596 (124 pts)	#1570 (124 pts)
2017 ↗	Master	#2212 (60 pts)	#2286 (60 pts)	#2304 (60 pts)	#2095 (90 pts)	#2230 (65 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1305 (216 pts)	#1311 (241 pts)	#1105 (306 pts)	#1472 (206 pts)	#1216 (261 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#2105 (69 pts)	#2190 (64 pts)	#1919 (114 pts)	#2813 (54 pts)	#2042 (89 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1555 (157 pts)	#1512 (187 pts)	#1836 (132 pts)	#1574 (172 pts)	#928 (362 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#1716 (123 pts)	#1670 (138 pts)	#1880 (108 pts)	#2489 (68 pts)	#1141 (253 pts)