High-water mark
467.2576
career-best overall
129.8% of a perfect 360
Their best day on record: 467.2576 at Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) — 129.8% of a perfect 360.
- Backyard
- 2022-08-12
Low N' Slow Locomotives
At a glance (everything the results say about this team, in numbers)
Rating
1460
peak 1460 · rated over 7 contests ⓘ
Contests
8
in the data
First seen
2022-05-05
latest 2025-09-20
Best ToY finish
#187
Backyard 2025
Grand champs
0
0 reserve
Category wins
0
0 podiums
Overall top-10s
1
of 8 contests
Avg finish
top 80%
overall standings
Perfect 180s
0
Current form
311.70 ▼
last 5 Backyard vs avg 323.37 (-11.68)
Walk rate
13%
contests with a top-10 call
Consistency
±65.32
std dev of Backyard overall scores (lower = steadier)
Strongest meat
Pork
avg 165.96 · weakest Brisket (143.94)
Road miles
320
mi across 8 mapped stops · furthest 53 mi
Schedule strength
73%
of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1592)
Purse competed for
$181K
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0 🏅
GCs in 4 state-championship entries
Backyard avg
323.37 / 360
7 Backyard contests · 0 GCs
This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.
Storylines (4 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.
A tough matchup
7–0
behind in the head-to-head
LEE LA Q ahead in 100% of their meetings
LEE LA Q has come out ahead in 7 of their 7 shared contests.
Boom or bust
±18.14%
swing around their own average
Their overall swings ±18.14% 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 89.8% of a perfect score
- best 129.8%
A standing appointment
4
years running at one contest
They've cooked Poosa Q every year from 2022 to 2025 — the contest they never miss.
- 4 visits in all
- best finish 34th
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.
118 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.
#5121 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1502
No shared contest yet.
They've been 1502 at their best, 43 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.
⚔ Head-to-head#5108 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 14%
- Peak
- 1460
No shared contest yet.
Their last contest in the data was back in 2018, 7 years before Low N' Slow Locomotives's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.
⚔ Head-to-head#5111 of the rated field
- Contests
- 7
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1460
No shared contest yet.
Careers of much the same size, 7 contests to 8, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.
⚔ Head-to-head#5132 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1459
No shared contest yet.
They were already cooking in 2013, 9 years before Low N' Slow Locomotives's first contest.
⚔ Head-to-head#5104 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1460
No shared contest yet.
Level with Low N' Slow Locomotives on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.
⚔ Head-to-head#5118 of the rated field
- Contests
- 8
- GCs
- 0
- Top-10s
- 0%
- Peak
- 1460
No shared contest yet.
This is the highest they've ever been rated, 8 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.
⚔ Head-to-headFamiliar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)
| Opponent | Meetings | Ahead | Behind | Win rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAMA BOYS BBQ | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| NORALA BBQ TEAM | 7 | 1 | 6 | 14% | ⚔ compare |
| LEE LA Q | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Bentley Que | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| LENOX & SON BBQ COMPANY | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Pork Life | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| PUCKDADDY'S KILLER Q | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| RIBLIFE | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Dixie Pigs & Chick's BBQ Team | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Say My Name BBQ | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| HELL ON SQUEALS | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | ⚔ compare |
| Hickory Hangover | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
| Dogpatch Q | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0% | ⚔ compare |
By meat
| Category | Entries | Calls | Wins | Podiums | Best | Worst | Average | Avg finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170.8228 | 91.0856 | 147.99 | top 76% |
| Pork Ribs | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 174.8572 | 143.9772 | 154.53 | top 73% |
| Pork | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 173.7028 | 158.2172 | 165.96 | top 64% |
| Brisket | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 143.9428 | 143.9428 | 143.94 | top 100% |
“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) | 3 | 0 | top 78% |
| Large (40+) | 4 | 0 | top 81% |
Contest-by-contest record (recurring contests they've cooked twice or more)
| Contest | Visits | Best | GCs | Avg finish | Last visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poosa Q | 4 | 34 | 0 | top 81% | 2025-06-20 |
| Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD) | 3 | 9 | 0 | top 78% | 2025-09-20 |
The story so far (17 numbers that describe this team)
On the trail
3.4 yrs
2022-05-05 → 2025-09-20
Busiest season
2025
4 contests
Contests a season
2
across 4 seasons in the data
Cooks most in
AL
8 of 8 contests
Contests visited
2
2 of them cooked more than once
Most-entered meat
Chicken
8 entries · 0 wins · 0 calls
Strongest meat
Pork
averages 165.96 · weakest Brisket (143.94)
Walk rate
13%
a top-10 call in 1 of 8 contests
Overall top-10 rate
13%
1 of 8 contests
Backyard average
323.37
out of 360 · 7 contests · 0 GCs
Opponents faced
277
72–453 across every shared overall standing
Road miles
320
8 mapped stops · furthest 53 mi
Schedule strength
1592
average field rating faced — tougher than 73% of rated contests
Purse competed for
$181,300
listed at 7 contests — purses, not winnings
State championships
0
from 4 state-championship entries
Longest layoff
1.1 yrs
2022-08-12 → 2023-10-05
Power rating
1460
peak 1460 · #5119 of 6,413 rated
Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)
- 2022
- First tracked contest Poosa Q
- Peak power rating (1493) Poosa Q
- First overall past 90% of a perfect score467.2576 Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY)
- Career-best overall score467.2576 Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY)
- 2025
- First call Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD)
- First overall top-10 Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD)
- Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)174.8572 Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD)
- Most recent contest Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD)
Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)
📈 Biggest rating jumps
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| +9.7 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD) | 2025-09-20 |
📉 Toughest weekends
| Swing | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| -10.8 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) | 2022-08-12 |
| -10.5 | Poosa Q | 2024-10-04 |
| -9.8 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) | 2025-09-19 |
| -6.6 | Poosa Q | 2022-05-05 |
| -6.6 | Poosa Q | 2023-10-05 |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25% | top 74% | 94% | 87.2% |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 97% | 83.9% | 83.9% |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 77% | 87.4% | 87.4% |
| 2022 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | top 81% | 129.8% | 97.9% |
Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)
| Date | Event | Overall | Chicken | Ribs | Pork | Brisket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-20 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD) Glencoe, AL | 9 / 22 (338.2628) | 20 (163.4056) | 5 (174.8572) | — | — |
| 2025-09-19 | The Great Alabama BBQ Cook-off Qualifier "Don't Burn the Brisket" (ONE MEAT BRISKET) Glencoe, AL | — | — | — | — | 19 (143.9428) |
| 2025-09-19 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD & KIDS QUE) Glencoe, AL | 30 / 30 (292.4800) | 30 (138.2400) | 28 (154.2400) | 11 (173.7028) | — |
| 2025-06-20 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 34 / 42 (310.7320) | 34 (146.7544) | 28 (163.9776) | — | — |
| 2024-10-04 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 57 / 59 (302.2056) | 55 (151.4056) | 56 (150.8000) | — | — |
| 2023-10-05 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 56 / 73 (314.8000) | 23 (170.8228) | 60 (143.9772) | — | — |
| 2022-08-12 | Smoke in the Park (BACKYARD ONLY) Glencoe, AL | 33 / 35 (467.2576) | 18 (162.2284) | 21 (152.4916) | 32 (158.2172) | — |
| 2022-05-05 | Poosa Q 🏅 Montgomery, AL | 49 / 72 (237.8856) | 49 (91.0856) | 49 (146.8000) | — | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 ↗ | Backyard | #187 (247 pts) | #227 (187 pts) | #182 (287 pts) | — | — |
| 2025 ↗ | Master | — | — | — | — | #1133 (74 pts) |
| 2024 ↗ | Backyard | #373 (60 pts) | #377 (60 pts) | #379 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2023 ↗ | Backyard | — | #324 (70 pts) | #344 (60 pts) | — | — |
| 2022 ↗ | Backyard | — | #257 (120 pts) | #257 (120 pts) | — | — |