RIB RUNNERS

RIB RUNNERS is a competition barbecue team with 18 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2013 and 2017. Their best overall finish is 7th of 52 at the Smokin' on the River (2013). They are ranked #2782 of 6,491 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

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At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#2,782

of 6,491 rated · rankings

Rating

1512

peak 1531 · rated over 18 contests

Contests

in the data

First seen

Jun 14, 2013

latest Jun 16, 2017 · 4 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#488

Master 2013 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve

Category wins

4 podiums

Overall top-10s

11% of 18 contests

Best top-10 run

straight overall top-10s

Avg finish

top 53%

overall standings

Best overall

684.5484 / 720

Master · The River Grill before the Big Chill

Perfect 180s

Current form

655.09 ▼

last 5 Master vs avg 657.45 (-2.37)

Walk rate

72%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

179.4286

Pork Ribs · Smokin' on the River

Consistency

±12.87

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Chicken

avg 166.17 · weakest Brisket (159.82)

Road miles

1,200

across 18 mapped stops · furthest 124 mi

Schedule strength

40%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1553)

Master avg

657.45 / 720

18 Master contests · 0 GCs

Storylines (11 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

They almost always walk

72% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 13 of 18 contests

A top-10 category call in 72% of their 18 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

684.5484 career-best overall

95.1% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 684.5484 at The River Grill before the Big Chill — 95.1% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 10, 2014

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

WHISKEY WHISKERS BBQ COMPANY has finished one call ahead of RIB RUNNERS 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

Their season

2013 their best year

2013 was the year it came together: 5 contests, 0 Grand Championships and 1 category win, at an average finish in the top 35%.

5 contests
2 overall top-10s
1 category win
average top 35%

A tough matchup

13–0 behind in the head-to-head

BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ ahead in 100% of their meetings

BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ has come out ahead in 13 of their 13 shared contests.

The weak link

−6.3 points behind their best meat

Brisket is where the weekend gets away from them — it averages 6.35 points below their chicken, and turns into a call 11% of the time against 22%.

Brisket avg 159.82
Chicken avg 166.17
2 calls in 18 entries

A strong matchup

9–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 75% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of ACME BBQ in 9 of their 12 shared contests.

Show 4 more storylines

Chicken nemesis

9 of 12 shared chicken entries lost

THUNDER HOG BBQ ahead 75% of the time

Even in their strongest meat, THUNDER HOG BBQ has out-cooked them in 9 of 12 shared chicken entries.

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

HOGAHOLICS has landed one call behind them 2 times.

The metronome

±1.79% swing around their own average

Their overall lands within ±1.79% of a perfect score of their own average — whatever the field, you know roughly what they'll turn in.

averages 91.3% of a perfect score
18 contests

A standing appointment

5 years running at one contest

They've cooked Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness every year from 2013 to 2017 — the contest they never miss.

5 visits in all
best finish 8th

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

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2017 ↗	Master	#1602 (145 pts)	#1657 (150 pts)	#1683 (145 pts)	#1359 (215 pts)	#1794 (120 pts)
2016 ↗	Master	#867 (406 pts)	#960 (376 pts)	#704 (571 pts)	#688 (586 pts)	#966 (361 pts)
2015 ↗	Master	#1094 (269 pts)	#706 (534 pts)	#1256 (244 pts)	#1100 (304 pts)	#1240 (239 pts)
2014 ↗	Master	#1647 (149 pts)	#1370 (219 pts)	#1448 (199 pts)	#1289 (244 pts)	#1500 (184 pts)
2013 ↗	Master	#488 (634 pts)	#687 (479 pts)	#357 (859 pts)	#556 (594 pts)	#595 (539 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to RIB RUNNERS, each with one reason worth a look.

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

QUE THE SMOKE

#2,773 of the rated field

1512 power rating

Contests: 18
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1520

Careers of much the same size, 18 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 18 contests
last seen Aug 25, 2017

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THE RIB DOCTOR LLC

#2,795 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 20
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 0%
Peak: 1533

20 contests and no Grand Championship yet.

rated over 20 contests
last seen May 31, 2019

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D-DON'S PIT CREW

#2,797 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 21
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 19%
Peak: 1512

This is the highest they've ever been rated, 21 rated contests in — a team sitting at its own career peak.

rated over 21 contests
last seen Sep 7, 2018

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BBQguru.nl

#2,798 of the rated field

1511 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 31%
Peak: 1549

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

rated over 15 contests
last seen Nov 30, 2019

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Wolf Valley BBQ

#2,768 of the rated field

1512 power rating

Contests: 14
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 29%
Peak: 1533

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

rated over 14 contests
last seen May 15, 2026

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Slowburn BBQ - AR

#2,783 of the rated field

1512 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 23%
Peak: 1531

Careers of much the same size, 13 contests to 18, so neither rating has had more chance to settle than the other.

rated over 13 contests
last seen Sep 30, 2026

⚔ Compare careers

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

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
SQUEALERS AWARD WINNING BARBEQUE	13	2	11	15%	⚔ compare
BIG JT'S SMOKIN BBQ	13	0	13	0%	⚔ compare
ACME BBQ	12	9	3	75%	⚔ compare
FARMER'S RETREAT SMOKIN BARBEQUE	12	7	5	58%	⚔ compare
THUNDER HOG BBQ	12	2	10	17%	⚔ compare
WeQ4U	11	6	5	55%	⚔ compare
YELLOW RIVER BBQ	11	1	10	9%	⚔ compare
Extra Mile BBQ	10	4	6	40%	⚔ compare
HUG HOGS	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
GREY STREET BBQ	10	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
ABLE ACRES BBQ	9	1	8	11%	⚔ compare
One2BBQ	9	0	9	0%	⚔ compare
LITTLE BOB'S BBQ	8	5	3	63%	⚔ compare
Making Meat BBQ	7	5	2	71%	⚔ compare
SMOKE-N-PEPPERS	7	3	4	43%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	18	4	0	1	173.7028	157.6568	166.17	top 49%
Pork Ribs	18	7	1	2	179.4286	150.2628	165.41	top 47%
Pork	18	7	0	1	172.5484	156.5484	166.05	top 43%
Brisket	18	2	0	0	173.1544	150.7772	159.82	top 60%

“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 field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Medium (20–39)	11	0	top 63%
Large (40+)	7	0	top 37%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
IN	17	0	top 55%
OH	1	0	top 27%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness	5	8	top 52%	Jun 16, 2017
Wine,Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	3	13	top 52%	Jul 15, 2016
Balloons, Blues & BBQ	2	14	top 70%	Sep 9, 2016

More numbers

Busiest season 2016 5 contests

Contests a season 3.6 across 5 seasons in the data

Most contests held in IN 17 of 18 contests · 2 states in all

Contests visited 11 3 of them more than once

Opponents faced 300 finished ahead 352 times, behind 325

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

20171 milestone

Jun 16 Most recent contest Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness

20151 milestone

Jun 26 10th tracked contest Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness

20142 milestones

Oct 10 Career-best overall score684.5484 The River Grill before the Big Chill
Oct 10 Peak power rating (1531) The River Grill before the Big Chill

20136 milestones

Jun 14 First tracked contest Smokin' on the River
Jun 14 First call Smokin' on the River
Jun 14 First category win (Pork Ribs) Smokin' on the River
Jun 14 First overall top-10 Smokin' on the River
Jun 14 First overall past 90% of a perfect score680.5710 Smokin' on the River
Jun 14 Career-best single call (Pork Ribs)179.4286 Smokin' on the River

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+12.7	Smokin' on the River	Jun 14, 2013
+8.9	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	Jul 19, 2013
+8.4	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	Jun 28, 2013
+7.9	The River Grill before the Big Chill	Oct 10, 2014
+4.9	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	Jun 26, 2015

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-8.7	Rockin' BBQ for Riley	May 8, 2015
-7.6	Wine,Brew & Bar-B-Que Too!	Jul 15, 2016
-5.5	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness	Jun 27, 2014
-4.8	Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness	Jun 16, 2017
-4.1	Marshall County	Sep 20, 2013

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)

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

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Season	Contests	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2017	2	0	0	50%	top 65%	90.6%	90.6%
2016	5	0	0	60%	top 64%	92.9%	91.4%
2015	3	0	0	100%	top 65%	92%	90%
2014	3	0	0	67%	top 47%	95.1%	92.7%
2013	5	2	1	80%	top 35%	94.5%	91.5%

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

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Jun 16, 2017	Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	18 / 25 (652.4688)	17 (165.6800)	19 (159.9772)	7 (170.2972)	24 (156.5144)
Apr 7, 2017	CCS Fest Indianapolis, IN	26 / 45 (652.4228)	28 (161.6800)	24 (162.8228)	26 (163.9772)	24 (163.9428)
Sep 9, 2016	Balloons, Blues & BBQ Bloomington, IN	14 / 20 (658.1828)	11 (169.1312)	9 (167.4172)	8 (165.0972)	15 (156.5372)
Aug 19, 2016	Madison Ribberfest BBQ & Blues Festisval Madison, IN	29 / 63 (669.0172)	22 (170.8228)	28 (166.8344)	23 (169.1200)	35 (162.2400)
Jul 15, 2016	Wine,Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	34 / 39 (643.3372)	22 (165.7028)	34 (160.5488)	25 (163.9772)	36 (153.1084)
Jul 8, 2016	Sam's Club National BBQ Tour Indianapolis, IN	18 / 30 (655.3252)	25 (157.6568)	8 (169.7372)	3 (172.5484)	23 (155.3828)
Jun 24, 2016	Smoke on the Square: In memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	17 / 31 (662.7772)	25 (162.8000)	6 (173.1428)	19 (165.6800)	20 (161.1544)
Sep 12, 2015	Balloons, Blues & BBQ Bloomington, IN	16 / 23 (649.6116)	6 (171.9888)	9 (170.2972)	18 (156.5484)	22 (150.7772)
Jun 26, 2015	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	14 / 34 (662.2284)	3 (173.7028)	28 (152.5256)	9 (170.8228)	16 (165.1772)
May 8, 2015	Rockin' BBQ for Riley Warsaw, IN	23 / 27 (633.1200)	9 (166.8800)	25 (154.2628)	20 (160)	21 (151.9772)
Oct 10, 2014	The River Grill before the Big Chill Cincinnati, OH	13 / 49 (684.5484)	21 (167.4056)	6 (177.1428)	28 (166.8456)	9 (173.1544)
Jul 18, 2014	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	24 / 51 (663.3144)	15 (172)	12 (169.7144)	24 (165.0972)	37 (156.5028)
Jun 27, 2014	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	23 / 34 (654.2056)	18 (167.9772)	33 (150.2628)	7 (170.8228)	15 (165.1428)
Sep 20, 2013	Marshall County Plymouth, IN	17 / 27 (639.9084)	19 (157.6684)	20 (157.0972)	8 (166.8456)	13 (158.2972)
Aug 16, 2013	Madison Ribberfest: Barbeque & Blues Madison, IN	29 / 60 (644.5028)	39 (158.8456)	21 (165.6800)	25 (162.2628)	31 (157.7144)
Jul 19, 2013	Wine, Brew & Bar-B-Que Too! New Palestine, IN	13 / 57 (662.2972)	26 (163.9656)	14 (165.7144)	8 (168.0228)	17 (164.5944)
Jun 28, 2013	Smoke on the Square: In Memory of David Harness Franklin, IN	8 / 32 (666.2860)	10 (169.1428)	2 (174.8574)	11 (168)	23 (154.2858)
Jun 14, 2013	Smokin' on the River Jeffersonville, IN	7 / 52 (680.5710)	17 (168)	1 (179.4286)	30 (162.8568)	8 (170.2856)

RIB RUNNERS

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Best top-10 run

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Master avg

Storylines (11 found in their record)

They almost always walk

High-water mark

The one to beat

Their season

A tough matchup

The weak link

A strong matchup

Chicken nemesis

Looking over their shoulder

The metronome

A standing appointment

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

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

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

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

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

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

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score — tap a meat to add it)

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

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

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

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