The heartbreaker
0.5944
points from the title
Came within 0.5944 points of the Grand Championship at BBQ Boogie & Blues (2023-04-28).
RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1676
peak 1687 · rated over 23 contests ⓘ
Best runs
11
straight top-10s
Contests
27
in the data
First seen
2019-05-31
latest 2026-05-29
Best ToY finish
#60
Backyard 2024
Grand champs
3
5 reserve
Category wins
11
26 podiums
Overall top-10s
19
of 27 contests
Avg finish
top 19%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
2 🔥
Current form
345.23 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 401.40 (-56.17)
Walk rate
81%
contests with a top-10 call
Top-10 streak
11
best run (overall)
Consistency
±80.96
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Chicken
avg 174.02 · weakest Brisket (166.80)
Road miles
1,800
mi across 27 mapped stops · furthest 191 mi
Schedule strength
53%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1568)
Purse competed for
$234K
listed at 23 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
3 🏅
GCs in 21 state-championship entries
Master avg
679.86 / 720
2 Master contests · 0 GCs
Backyard avg
401.40 / 360
21 Backyard contests · 3 GCs
Master and Backyard overall scores sit on different scales (Master is out of 720, Backyard out of 360), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Storylines (21 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.
Among the elite
#506
of 6,413 rated teams
In the top 8% of every rated team in the data
A power rating of 1676 puts them #506 of 6,413 rated teams — the top 8% of the field.
- rating 1676
- peak 1687
- 23 rated contests
Perfect scores on the board
2
perfect 180s
2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.
- Chicken ×1
- Pork Ribs ×1
Giant slayer
60
teams beaten in one weekend
Took the Grand Championship over a 60-team field at Atlanta BBQ Store Classic.
- 2023-11-17
Signature meat
26%
chicken entries won
6 wins from 23 entries
When chicken is on the table, watch out — they've won it in 26% of their entries (6 of 23).
- best 180.0000
- average 174.02
- 19 calls
Happy hunting ground
2×
Grand Championships here
Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival is their spot: 2 Grand Championships in 4 visits.
- 4 visits
- best finish 1st
- average top 10%
Multi-meat days
2
contests with 2+ category wins
They've won two or more meats on the same day 2 times — the best of them 2 category wins at Sip & Swine BBQ Festival (2025-03-07).
- Pork Ribs 1st
- Pork 1st
They almost always walk
81%
of contests with a top-10 call
A call in 22 of 27 contests
A top-10 category call in 81% of their 27 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.
High-water mark
681.0284
career-best overall
94.6% of a perfect 720
Their best day on record: 681.0284 at Honeybee BBQ Competition — 94.6% of a perfect 720.
- Master
- 2026-05-29
State champions
3
state championships won
They've taken 3 state championships from 21 entries at contests carrying the title.
- 21 state-championship entries
The one to beat
2×
one call ahead of them
3D BBQ has finished one call ahead of RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA 2 times — their closest competition in the data.
Their season
2023
2 Grand Championships
2023 was the year it came together: 6 contests, 2 Grand Championships and 3 category wins, at an average finish in the top 17%.
- 6 contests
- 5 overall top-10s
- 3 category wins
- average top 17%
A tough matchup
5–1
behind in the head-to-head
Electro-Que-ted ahead in 83% of their meetings
Electro-Que-ted has come out ahead in 5 of their 6 shared contests.
The drought
10
contests since the last title
Their last Grand Championship came at Atlanta BBQ Store Classic on 2023-11-17 — 10 contests and 2.8 years ago.
- last GC 2023-11-17
- 2.8 years ago
A strong matchup
16–1
ahead in the head-to-head
Ahead in 94% of their meetings
They've finished ahead of Stewbabys BBQ in 16 of their 17 shared contests.
The comeback
1.7 yrs
off the trail, then back
Off the trail for 1.7 years, then back at Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival (2021-08-20).
- last seen 2019-11-22
- back 2021-08-20
Always the bridesmaid
5
reserve championships
Runner-up for the whole thing 5 times against 3 Grand Championships — close enough to touch it, over and over.
- 3 Grand Championships
- 27 contests
Looking over their shoulder
3×
one call behind them
BAD ROOSTER BBQ has landed one call behind them 3 times.
Boom or bust
±22.02%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±22.02% of a perfect score around its own average — when it lands they're dangerous, and when it doesn't the weekend is gone by lunch.
- averages 110.0% of a perfect score
- best 146.5%
A March team
Top 10%
average finish in March
Something about March: average finish in the top 10% across 3 contests, versus top 19% the rest of the year.
- 3 March contests
- top 19% the rest of the year
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival every year from 2021 to 2024 — the contest they never miss.
- 4 visits in all
- best finish 1st
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.
#504 of the rated field
- Contests
- 48
- GCs
- 6
- Top-10s
- 65%
- Peak
- 1685
No shared contest yet.
A longer road to the same neighbourhood — 48 contests to 27.
⚔ Head-to-head#505 of the rated field
- Contests
- 138
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 36%
- Peak
- 1734
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1734 at their best, 58 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#507 of the rated field
- Contests
- 138
- GCs
- 3
- Top-10s
- 53%
- Peak
- 1840
No shared contest yet.
Their rating is built on 3 Grand Championships in 138 contests, alongside a 53% overall top-10 rate.
⚔ Head-to-head#500 of the rated field
- Contests
- 25
- GCs
- 7
- Top-10s
- 80%
- Peak
- 1677
0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA)
One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.
⚔ Head-to-head#502 of the rated field
- Contests
- 100
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 24%
- Peak
- 1676
2–0 in 2 shared contests (100% to RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA)
Level with RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#501 of the rated field
- Contests
- 27
- GCs
- 4
- Top-10s
- 70%
- Peak
- 1677
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2017, 9 years before RUNNING STYLE BBQ - GA's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMOKIN' SWEETMEATS | 19 | 14 | 4 | 74% | ⚔ compare |
| Stewbabys BBQ | 17 | 16 | 1 | 94% | ⚔ compare |
| COOL HAND QUE | 17 | 14 | 2 | 82% | ⚔ compare |
| MAYA JANE BBQ CO. | 17 | 13 | 3 | 76% | ⚔ compare |
| Peckerwood Country Club | 16 | 15 | 1 | 94% | ⚔ compare |
| Blue Smoke Q | 16 | 13 | 3 | 81% | ⚔ compare |
| ZIPS BBQ | 16 | 12 | 4 | 75% | ⚔ compare |
| Quenut BBQ | 15 | 14 | 1 | 93% | ⚔ compare |
| BAD ROOSTER BBQ | 15 | 8 | 7 | 53% | ⚔ compare |
| Wiggle Butts BBQ | 14 | 14 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| Wine Me, Dine Me and Swine Me | 14 | 14 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| CHOOCHOO BBQ | 14 | 12 | 2 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| HOLD YOUR HORSES BBQ | 14 | 12 | 2 | 86% | ⚔ compare |
| CLAUDE'S Q | 12 | 12 | 0 | 100% | ⚔ compare |
| ROLLIN KOLBZ | 12 | 11 | 1 | 92% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 23 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 180.0000 🔥 | 165.0972 | 174.02 | top 16% |
| Pork Ribs | 24 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 180.0000 🔥 | 165.0972 | 171.29 | top 21% |
| Pork | 18 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 178.8572 | 158.2400 | 170.58 | top 22% |
| Brisket | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8112 | 162.7884 | 166.80 | top 74% |
“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 state / province
| Where | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| GA | 19 | 3 | top 16% |
| AL | 4 | 0 | top 32% |
By contest size
| Field | Contests | GCs | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 teams) | 1 | 0 | top 74% |
| Medium (20–39) | 13 | 2 | top 19% |
| Large (40+) | 9 | 1 | top 13% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival | 4 | 1 | 2 | top 10% | 2024-08-16 |
| Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 4 | 1 | 1 | top 11% | 2025-11-14 |
| Sip & Swine BBQ Festival | 3 | 4 | 0 | top 10% | 2026-03-06 |
| Honeybee BBQ Competition | 2 | 14 | 0 | top 66% | 2026-05-29 |
| BBQ, Boogie & Blues | 2 | 2 | 0 | top 6% | 2024-04-26 |
The story so far (22 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
7 yrs
2019-05-31 → 2026-05-29
Busiest season
2023
6 contests · 2 GCs
Contests a season
3
across 9 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
GA
23 of 27 contests · 2 states/provinces in all
Contests visited
13
5 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Pork Ribs
24 entries · 4 wins · 18 calls
Strongest meat
Chicken
averages 174.02 · weakest Brisket (166.80)
Walk rate
81%
a top-10 call in 22 of 27 contests
Overall top-10 rate
70%
19 of 27 contests
Wins it all
11%
3 Grand Championships · 5 reserve
First title
2021-08-20
Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival
Best top-10 run
11
straight contests
Master average
679.86
out of 720 · 2 contests · 0 GCs
Backyard average
401.40
out of 360 · 21 contests · 3 GCs
Perfect 180s
2
every judge at the table handing back a nine
Opponents faced
543
1,146–223 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
1,800
27 mapped stops · furthest 191 mi
Schedule strength
1568
average field rating faced — tougher than 53% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$234,445
listed at 23 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
3
from 21 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
1.7 yrs
2019-11-22 → 2021-08-20
Power rating
1676
peak 1687 · #506 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2016
- First tracked contest Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier)
- 2019
- First call Smokin' Bike Fest
- First category win (Chicken) Smokin' Bike Fest
- First overall top-10 Smokin' Bike Fest
- First overall podium Smokin' Bike Fest
- First Reserve Championship Smokin' Bike Fest
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score353.1200 Smokin' Bike Fest
- 2021
- First Grand Championship Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival
- First state championship Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival
- First multi-meat day Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival
- 2022
- 10th tracked contest Atlanta BBQ Store Classic (One Meat Ribs)
- 2023
- First perfect 180 (Chicken) Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival
- Biggest field won (60 teams) Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
- 2025
- 10th category win Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- 25th tracked contest Atlanta BBQ Store Classic
- 2026
- Peak power rating (1687) Sip & Swine BBQ Festival
- Career-best overall score681.0284 Honeybee BBQ Competition
- Most recent contest Honeybee BBQ Competition
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +15.4 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival | 2021-08-20 |
| +15.1 | Smokin' Bike Fest | 2019-05-31 |
| +14.3 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 2023-11-17 |
| +13.5 | Hawgin On Lanier | 2019-08-02 |
| +13.3 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic | 2022-11-18 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.8 | Honeybee BBQ Competition | 2026-05-29 |
| -10.2 | Honeybee BBQ Competition | 2025-05-30 |
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 | GCs | Top-10s | Category wins | Walk rate | Avg finish | Best overall (% of perfect) | Avg overall (% of perfect) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50% | top 44% | 97% | 95.8% |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 100% | top 24% | 98.1% | 95.9% |
| 2024 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 100% | top 18% | 95.4% | 94.4% |
| 2023 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 83% | top 17% | 146.2% | 112.5% |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 100% | top 5% | 143% | 142.4% |
| 2021 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100% | top 7% | 146.5% | 143.3% |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 100% | top 18% | 138.5% | 110.4% |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | — | — | — |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 14 / 19 (681.0284) | 15 (168.5140) | 12 (169.7260) | 14 (171.9772) | 12 (170.8112) |
| 2026-03-06 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 6 / 44 (349.1432) | 2 (176.5716) | 9 (172.5716) | 13 (169.6800) | — |
| 2025-11-14 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 5 / 56 (349.6916) | 3 (177.7144) | 11 (171.9772) | 3 (175.4172) | — |
| 2025-08-15 | Pigs & Peaches 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 5 / 27 (338.2400) | 4 (170.2628) | 6 (167.9772) | 4 (170.2856) | — |
| 2025-05-30 | Honeybee BBQ Competition 🏅 Lafayette, GA | 15 / 26 (678.6968) | 1 (178.8572) | 16 (168.5256) | 16 (168.5256) | 22 (162.7884) |
| 2025-03-07 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 4 / 45 (353.1200) | 7 (173.1200) | 1 (180.0000) | 1 (178.8572) | — |
| 2024-11-15 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cuming, GA | 17 / 58 (335.9316) | 24 (165.0972) | 10 (170.8344) | 7 (174.2744) | — |
| 2024-08-16 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 7 / 26 (339.3828) | 9 (168.5484) | 6 (170.8344) | 2 (174.2744) | — |
| 2024-04-26 | BBQ, Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 2 / 34 (341.1084) | 4 (169.6912) | 3 (171.4172) | 2 (169.6684) | — |
| 2024-03-01 | Sip & Swine BBQ Festival 🏅 Lawrenceville, GA | 5 / 59 (343.3828) | 2 (176.5600) | 15 (166.8228) | 15 (167.3828) | — |
| 2023-11-17 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 1 / 60 (353.7028) | 4 (177.1428) | 2 (176.5600) | 4 (175.4056) | — |
| 2023-10-05 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 23 / 73 (338.8000) | 24 (170.2628) | 28 (168.5372) | — | — |
| 2023-08-18 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 1 / 27 (526.2516) | 1 (180.0000) | 5 (173.1316) | 2 (173.1200) | — |
| 2023-06-09 | Reelin N Smokin Backyard BBQ Competition (BACKYARD ONLY) Huntsville, AL | 9 / 26 (342.7884) | 14 (167.3828) | 1 (175.4056) | — | — |
| 2023-04-28 | BBQ Boogie & Blues 🏅 Calhoun, GA | 2 / 32 (525.0972) | 2 (178.8572) | 1 (176.5600) | 6 (169.6800) | — |
| 2023-04-07 | Smoke on the Falls 🏅 Gadsden, AL | 10 / 39 (342.8116) | 5 (175.4172) | 21 (167.3944) | — | — |
| 2022-11-18 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic 🏅 Cumming, GA | 2 / 57 (514.8000) | 2 (178.8800) | 8 (166.2400) | 8 (169.6800) | — |
| 2022-11-17 | Atlanta BBQ Store Classic (One Meat Ribs) Cumming, GA | — | — | 9 (173.1200) | — | — |
| 2022-08-19 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 2 / 30 (510.7772) | 1 (175.4056) | 2 (166.8344) | 4 (168.5372) | — |
| 2021-11-19 | GBC Throwdown 🏅 Cumming, GA | 3 / 28 (504.4800) | 2 (170.8344) | 4 (170.2744) | 12 (163.3712) | — |
| 2021-08-20 | Pigs & Peaches BBQ Festival 🏅 Kennesaw, GA | 1 / 26 (527.3944) | 1 (178.8572) | 1 (176.5600) | 3 (171.9772) | — |
| 2019-11-22 | Mission Q (Backyard Only) Tuscumbia, AL | 7 / 20 (340.5256) | 5 (171.4056) | 6 (169.1200) | — | — |
| 2019-08-02 | Hawgin On Lanier 🏅 Gainesville, GA | 5 / 45 (498.7544) | 1 (175.4172) | 4 (165.0972) | 17 (158.2400) | — |
| 2019-05-31 | Smokin' Bike Fest 🏅 Peachtree City, GA | 2 / 31 (353.1200) | 1 (177.7144) | 2 (175.4056) | — | — |
| 2017-11-17 | Que'n In Cumming (DAY 1) Cumming, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-11-18 | Que'n in Cumming (Day 1) Cumming, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016-08-26 | Pigs and Peaches BBQ Festival (GBC Qualifier) Kennesaw, GA | — | — | — | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 ↗ | Backyard | #122 (351 pts) | #101 (486 pts) | #157 (266 pts) | — | — |
| 2026 ↗ | Master | #843 (99 pts) | #933 (94 pts) | #940 (109 pts) | #872 (99 pts) | #843 (109 pts) |
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #118 (468 pts) | #143 (413 pts) | #114 (568 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | #1001 (101 pts) | #649 (276 pts) | #1181 (96 pts) | #1074 (96 pts) | #1164 (66 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #60 (861 pts) | #73 (791 pts) | #83 (746 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #43 (1043 pts) | #63 (928 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Master | — | — | #1036 (143 pts) | — | — |