The Rack Pack

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

Power ranking

#2169

of 6,413 rated · rankings

Rating

1532

peak 1558 · rated over 9 contests ⓘ

Best runs

straight top-10s

Contests

in the data

First seen

2013-09-27

latest 2018-09-28

Best ToY finish

#1242

Master 2016

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

8 podiums

Overall top-10s

of 9 contests

Avg finish

top 42%

overall standings

Best overall

697.1316 / 720

Master · Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest

Perfect 180s

2 🔥

Current form

577.20 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 621.02 (-43.83)

Walk rate

100%

contests with a top-10 call

Top-10 streak

best run (overall)

Best single call

180.0000 🔥

Brisket · Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival

Consistency

±117.49

std dev of Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 173.99 · weakest Chicken (166.42)

Road miles

641

mi across 9 mapped stops · furthest 173 mi

Schedule strength

31%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1542)

Master avg

621.02 / 720

9 Master contests · 1 GC

⚔ Compare with another team

Storylines (13 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.

Perfect scores on the board

2 perfect 180s

2 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, all in brisket.

Brisket ×2

Against the odds

26-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 74 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest (2013-09-27) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 26-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, LOTTA BULL BBQ.

Giant slayer

48 teams beaten in one weekend

Took the Grand Championship over a 48-team field at Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest.

2013-09-27

Signature meat

25% brisket entries won

2 wins from 8 entries

When brisket is on the table, watch out — they've won it in 25% of their entries (2 of 8).

best 180.0000
average 173.99
7 calls

They almost always walk

100% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 9 of 9 contests

A top-10 category call in 100% of their 9 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

697.1316 career-best overall

96.8% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 697.1316 at Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest — 96.8% of a perfect 720.

Master
2013-09-27

Their season

2015 their best year

2015 was the year it came together: 3 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 2 category wins, at an average finish in the top 30%.

3 contests
2 overall top-10s
2 category wins
average top 30%

A tough matchup

5–0 behind in the head-to-head

Q-BONES BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

Q-BONES BBQ has come out ahead in 5 of their 5 shared contests.

The weak link

−7.6 points behind their best meat

Chicken is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 7.58 points below their brisket, and turns into a call 50% of the time against 88%.

Chicken avg 166.42
Brisket avg 173.99
4 calls in 8 entries

The drought

8 contests since the last title

Their last Grand Championship came at Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest on 2013-09-27 — 8 contests and 12.9 years ago.

last GC 2013-09-27
12.9 years ago

Announced themselves early

1st at their very first contest

Finished 1 of 48 at their very first tracked contest, Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest (2013-09-27).

2013-09-27
48-team field

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

ACE BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

Boom or bust

±16.32% swing around their own average

Their overall swings ±16.32% 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 86.3% of a perfect score
best 96.8%

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.

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

Gryphon Smokehouse

#2157 of the rated field

1532 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 9
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 89%
Peak: 1541

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 9 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 9 contests
last seen 2022-08-06
on a 4-contest top-10 run

⚔ Head-to-head

MADCOW BARBEQUE

#2170 of the rated field

1532 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 60%
Peak: 1542

No shared contest yet.

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

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2019-07-20

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKIN BONES COOKING TEAM

#2178 of the rated field

1531 ▼ 0 power rating

Contests: 10
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 10%
Peak: 1535

No shared contest yet.

Level with The Rack Pack on power rating, which is the whole reason they're on the list.

rated over 10 contests
last seen 2017-09-01

⚔ Head-to-head

HAT CREEK Q

#2165 of the rated field

1532 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 15
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1536

No shared contest yet.

15 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 8 contests
last seen 2023-09-27

⚔ Head-to-head

SMOKE ON THE LAKES

#2162 of the rated field

1532 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 8
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1538

No shared contest yet.

Their last contest in the data was back in 2014, 4 years before The Rack Pack's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 8 contests

⚔ Head-to-head

Team Smoke Showin'

#2158 of the rated field

1532 ▲ 0 power rating

Contests: 11
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 18%
Peak: 1539

No shared contest yet.

Careers of much the same size, 11 contests to 9, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 11 contests
last seen 2026-04-25

⚔ Head-to-head

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
RAZORRACKS	7	2	5	29%	⚔ compare
ACE BBQ	6	5	1	83%	⚔ compare
Smokin Through The Night	6	4	2	67%	⚔ compare
C & J BACKYARD SMOKERS	6	3	3	50%	⚔ compare
TOTALLY SMOKIN	5	4	1	80%	⚔ compare
PORK AVENUE	5	3	2	60%	⚔ compare
FIRE DANCER BBQ	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
KILLER HOGS	5	2	3	40%	⚔ compare
Q-BONES BBQ	5	0	5	0%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	8	4	0	0	172.5944	144.5372	166.42	top 42%
Pork Ribs	9	5	2	3	179.4400	158.8000	169.70	top 29%
Pork	8	3	0	0	171.9772	154.8112	167.32	top 45%
Brisket	8	7	2	5	180.0000 🔥	168.0000	173.99	top 15%

“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
AR	8	1	top 42%
MO	1	0	top 42%

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	1	0	top 42%
Medium (20–39)	4	0	top 55%
Large (40+)	4	1	top 29%

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

Contest	Visits	Best	GCs	Avg finish	Last visit
*Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival	2	3	0	top 47%	2017-09-29
Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	2	8	0	top 36%	2016-06-10

The story so far (18 numbers that describe this team)

On the trail 5 yrs 2013-09-27 → 2018-09-28

Busiest season 2015 3 contests

Contests a season 1.5 across 6 seasons in the data

Cooks most in AR 8 of 9 contests · 2 states/provinces in all

Contests visited 7 2 of them cooked more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 9 entries · 2 wins · 5 calls

Strongest meat Brisket averages 173.99 · weakest Chicken (166.42)

Walk rate 100% a top-10 call in 9 of 9 contests

Overall top-10 rate 56% 5 of 9 contests

Wins it all 11% 1 Grand Championship · 0 reserve

First title 2013-09-27 Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest

Best top-10 run 3 straight contests

Master average 621.02 out of 720 · 9 contests · 1 GC

Perfect 180s 2 every judge at the table handing back a nine

Opponents faced 204 205–119 across every shared overall standing

Road miles 641 9 mapped stops · furthest 173 mi

Schedule strength 1542 average field rating faced — tougher than 31% of rated contests

Power rating 1532 peak 1558 · #2169 of 6,413 rated

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

2013
Sep 27 First tracked contest Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 First call Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 First category win (Pork Ribs) Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 First overall top-10 Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 First overall podium Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 First Grand Championship Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 First overall past 90% of a perfect score697.1316 Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 Biggest field won (48 teams) Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
Sep 27 Career-best overall score697.1316 Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest
2015
Jun 12 First perfect 180 (Brisket) Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGE LIST IS FULL)
2016
Sep 30 Peak power rating (1558) *Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival
2018
Sep 28 Most recent contest *Jonesboro Downtown BBQ Festival

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+16.4	Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest	2013-09-27
+13.4	*Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival	2016-09-30
+12.2	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGE LIST IS FULL)	2015-06-12
+12.1	Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival	2015-09-25
+5.7	Fin to Fur Red White and Blue BBQ Blowout	2014-07-04

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-13.7	*Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival	2017-09-29
-13.1	*Jonesboro Downtown BBQ Festival	2018-09-28
-1	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest	2016-06-10
-0.4	Biggest Buck and Best Rack	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	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2018	1	0	0	0	100%	top 89%	45.8%	45.8%
2017	1	0	0	0	100%	top 88%	69.8%	69.8%
2016	2	0	1	0	100%	top 32%	95.4%	94.6%
2015	3	0	2	2	100%	top 30%	95.9%	94.6%
2014	1	0	1	1	100%	top 42%	90.8%	90.8%
2013	1	1	1	1	100%	top 2%	96.8%	96.8%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2018-09-28	*Jonesboro Downtown BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR	40 / 45 (329.6572)	7 (170.8456)	25 (158.8116)	—	—
2017-09-29	*Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR	29 / 33 (502.7772)	—	12 (165.1316)	8 (168.5256)	7 (169.1200)
2016-09-30	*Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR	3 / 44 (686.8228)	4 (171.4172)	2 (178.2972)	15 (169.1084)	17 (168.0000)
2016-06-10	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest Wynne, AR	22 / 39 (675.9200)	10 (172.5944)	34 (158.8000)	17 (170.8228)	10 (173.7028)
2015-09-25	Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival Jonesboro, AR	4 / 38 (690.8000)	17 (166.8228)	4 (174.8572)	15 (169.1200)	1 (180.0000)
2015-09-11	Biggest Buck and Best Rack Alma, AR	16 / 25 (666.1940)	20 (165.1084)	8 (170.2744)	22 (154.8112)	2 (176.0000)
2015-06-12	Delta Smoke BBQ Contest (JUDGE LIST IS FULL) Wynne, AR	8 / 49 (686.2172)	24 (167.4172)	11 (171.4056)	29 (167.3944)	1 (180.0000)
2014-07-04	Fin to Fur Red White and Blue BBQ Blowout Thayer, MO	5 / 12 (653.6916)	12 (144.5372)	1 (170.3200)	7 (166.8228)	2 (172.0116)
2013-09-27	Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Fest Jonesboro, AR	1 / 48 (697.1316)	7 (172.5944)	1 (179.4400)	6 (171.9772)	3 (173.1200)

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	#1954 (60 pts)	#1418 (165 pts)	#1996 (60 pts)	—	—
2017 ↗	Master	#2801 (58 pts)	—	#1809 (123 pts)	#1637 (153 pts)	#1599 (163 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#1242 (235 pts)	#1406 (210 pts)	#1239 (260 pts)	#2061 (110 pts)	#2112 (100 pts)