| 100% | BLUESHELL | 9 | Colorful item in some 45-Across games that seeks out the racer in first place (2 wds.) |
| 79% | BLUESHELL | 9 | Colorful item in some 45-Across games that gives players a chance to catch the racer in first place (2 wds.) |
| 40% | POLECAR | 7 | The vehicle that is first out on the track in Indy racing, say: 2 wds. |
| 36% | CASHCAB | 7 | Game show that takes place in a taxi: 2 wds. |
| 35% | CLOUDNINE | 9 | Blissful place that's high in the sky: 2 wds. |
| 35% | RAINBOWROAD | 11 | Colorful racetrack found at the end of each 45-Across game (2 wds.) |
| 34% | ONTOP | 5 | In first place: 2 wds. |
| 34% | TEABAG | 6 | Item that's placed in a cup of hot water to brew a drink: 2 wds. |
| 33% | FAKELOVE | 8 | 2018 BTS hit that was their first top 10 single in the US: 2 wds. |
| 33% | DALLASCOWBOYS | 13 | NFL team that hosted their first 40-Across game in 1966 (2 wds.) |
| 33% | DETROITLIONS | 12 | NFL team that hosted their first 40-Across game in 1934 (2 wds.) |
| 33% | JOHNNYMANZIEL | 13 | First freshman to win the 15-Across, in 2012: 2 wds. |
| 33% | BECKYHAMMON | 11 | First woman to act as head coach in an NBA game, for the San Antonio Spurs in 2020: 2 wds. |
| 33% | SMOKEYROBINSON | 14 | "I Second That Emotion" singer who won one of the first Grammy Legend Awards, in 1990: 2 wds. |
| 33% | HEROSDUTY | 9 | First-person shooter video game in 20-Across: 2 wds. |
| 32% | ALYSSANAKKEN | 12 | First woman to coach on the field of a Major League Baseball game, for the San Francisco Giants in 2020: 2 wds. |
| 32% | BYA | 3 | Win ___ nose (barely come in first place): 2 wds. |
| 32% | GOLDENKNIGHTS | 13 | Winners of the 2023 41-Across that was also the first major sports franchise in Nevada (2 wds.) |
| 32% | LISALESLIE | 10 | Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who was the first player to dunk in a WNBA game: 2 wds. |
| 32% | DONKEYKONG | 10 | Classic arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981 that features the adventures of a gorilla character: 2 wds. |
| 32% | DONKEYKONG | 10 | Video game with a gorilla that first featured the main character of 43-Across (2 wds.) |
| 32% | ONTOP | 5 | In first place (2 wds.) |
| 32% | WILLHARDY | 9 | First-time NBA head coach hired by the 46-Across in 2022: 2 wds. |
| 32% | DARVINHAM | 9 | First-time NBA head coach hired by the 14-Across in 2022: 2 wds. |
| 32% | ASONG | 5 | "Sunrise: ___ of Two Humans," 1927 silent romantic drama that won the first Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1929: 2 wds. |
| 32% | FUZZYZOELLER | 12 | Pro golfer who won the Masters his first time out and who is "catching some Z's": 2 wds. |
| 32% | HOUSTONASTROS | 13 | AL West team that lost 111 games in 2013, then won the World Series four years later: 2 wds. |
| 32% | CHICAGOCUBS | 11 | NL Central team that lost 101 games in 2012, then won the World Series four years later: 2 wds. |
| 32% | DENVERNUGGETS | 13 | Northwest Division team that won the franchise's first-ever NBA Championship in 2023, after 56 years: 2 wds. |
| 32% | TEXASRANGERS | 12 | AL West team that won the franchise's first-ever World Series in 2023, after 62 years: 2 wds. |