CATCHING UP WITH KEITH: The Champion of Barrett-Jackson’s 2023 Fantasy Bid Game

November 8, 2023
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Barrett-Jackson’s Fantasy Bid game, presented by Dodge, offers automotive enthusiasts an exciting opportunity to participate in the auction experience by testing their skills at predicting the winning bids on a selection of vehicles featured on the Barrett-Jackson auction block. The year-long game features an ultimate champion, awarded to the participant who amasses the most points by consistently making predictions that are close to the final sale prices of specific vehicles across all four Barrett-Jackson auctions.

For the 2023 Fantasy Bid game, just one name rose above the many competitors as the champion: Keith R. from Ohio, who won by accumulating the most points through his predictions over the course of the year.

Like many car enthusiasts, Keith’s interest in cars started when he got his driver’s license at age 16. Muscle cars always piqued his interest because he liked the way they looked and how they performed. It was only natural he would find his way to Barrett-Jackson, attending the Scottsdale Auction for the last eight years.

Keith started playing Fantasy Bid during the 2022 Scottsdale Auction. He began in 28th place after the first round without researching the vehicles very much and placing his bids quickly. This prompted him to spend more time analyzing the cars. At the Palm Beach Auction, he ranked in the top 50, and ‒ when combined with his Scottsdale Fantasy Bid results ‒ he rose to 11th place. Keith climbed to sixth place after the Las Vegas Auction, before finishing as the runner-up to Marc Whitford after the game concluded with the Houston Auction in October 2022. That second-place stature in 2022 only fueled Keith’s desire to win and propelled him to compete again in 2023.

Keith didn’t take the top spot on the leader board for any of the 2023 auction rounds of the game. “I finished 10th at Scottsdale, 44th in Palm Beach, third in Vegas ‒ which helped me out a lot ‒ and ninth in New Orleans,” he said. “You don’t have to win an auction round of the game to win the Grand Prize. It’s all about consistent point generation.”

A key component of Keith’s Fantasy Bid strategy is attending each auction and looking at the cars in person. “The photos don’t tell the whole story of the car,” he pointed out, adding that it can be difficult to tell the quality of the restoration, the quality of the paint and the interior, as well as the overall fit and finish. “The photos can give you a general idea of what the car should sell for, but the fine details can either take the price up or down a little bit.” Generally, though, he relies largely on his first instinct of what price the car should bring in.

One of the things Keith loves about playing Fantasy Bid is the live scoring updates that occur after a Fantasy Bid vehicle crosses the Barrett-Jackson block. “You can actually see your movement in the standings and how you did on that car compared to other people,” he said. The live scoring made the final round particularly thrilling for Keith. He was the points leader heading into the New Orleans Auction, and he found out while in attendance that he was the 2023 Fantasy Bid game winner and was taking home the Grand Prize: a 2023 Dodge Charger.

“It was definitely gratifying to be there and find out I won,” Keith said, adding that his favorite part of winning was when Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson, gave him the keys to the Charger and congratulated him. Keith added that it felt like Christmas when Reliable Carriers dropped off his incredible prize. “It feels like Santa Claus has been to my house every time I open my garage and see this beautiful red car sitting there.”

For those interested in playing the next round of the Fantasy Bid game in January 2024, Keith says the best thing is to simply start playing. “It’s free to play and it’s easy to compete,” he added, emphasizing that the more you play, the more you will understand the game and vehicle price trends.

The first round of the 2024 Fantasy Bid game will kick off in Scottsdale, January 20-28.

Visit Promo.BarrettJacksonFantasyBid.com for more information.