Stampede shore up their Championship-winning lineup while speculation swirls on the rider to be drafted by the Cowboys
FORT WORTH, Texas – Sports – Ahead of the 2023 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series Draft to be held in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 17, the Carolina Cowboys and Nashville Stampede have made a blockbuster trade, with the Cowboys’ Mason Taylor and Ednelio Almeida going to the Nashville Stampede in exchange for the Stampede’s 2023 No. 1 draft pick.
Competing for the Cowboys during the inaugural PBR Team Series season, Taylor went 14-for-33, helping Carolina to a 15-13 record in the regular season as the team reached the second round of the PBR Team Series Championship. He finished the 2022 individual season No. 12 in the world, qualifying for the PBR World Finals for the fourth time.
The 23-year-old Texan was also involved in an earlier blockbuster PBR Team Series trade orchestrated by Carolina Cowboys General Manager Austin Dillon at the inaugural 2022 PBR Team Series Draft. In the second round, with the 14th overall pick, the Texas Rattlers sent their top two selections, Daylon Swearingen and Taylor, to Carolina, in exchange for Joao Ricardo Vieira, Cody Jesus and the No. 26 overall pick in the draft.
Almeida began his PBR Team Series career with the Texas Rattlers before being traded to the Carolina Cowboys for Junior Patrik Souza in late August. He was assigned to Carolina’s practice squad. Competing in the 2022 PBR Challenger Series, he went 6-for-15 and won back-to-back events on June 12 in Fort Worth and June 15 in Erick, Oklahoma.
“Mason Taylor and Ednelio Almeida are both exceptional bull riders who have the talent and determination needed to excel in the PBR Team Series,” Dillon said. “We want to thank them for their time with the Carolina Cowboys. Mason, in particular, has been with our team since day one as one of our original Carolina Cowboys, so we will certainly miss his presence with the team. We wish him and Ednelio the best of luck with their new home at the Nashville Stampede. We’re excited for the upcoming talent in the 2023 PBR Team Series draft and are looking forward to having the No. 1 overall pick.”
“In and out of the arena, Mason’s riding ability and character embody what we we’re building in Nashville,” said Nashville Stampede General Manager Tina Battock. “He and Ednelio are exciting, dynamic additions to our roster and team. We can’t wait to see them ride in Stampede blue.”
“I’m happy to have them on our team,” said Nashville Stampede Head Coach Justin McBride. “They give our roster real depth, and we’re looking forward to the 2023 season.”
With the first of three Team Series combines scheduled during March and April now under way in Archdale, NC, there are more than 70 newly declared Team Series riders eligible to be drafted on May 17. Riders who are not drafted will be unrestricted free agents on May 18.
The 2023 PBR Team Series season begins in Cheyenne, WY (July 24-25), and after a 10-event regular season culminates with the Championship in Las Vegas (Oct. 20-22).
The Nashville Stampede finished the 2022 regular season 7-20-1, entering the PBR Team Series playoffs in last place. The underachieving squad then caught fire to become dominant in the eight-team progressive-elimination tournament in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena, riding to upset wins against the Top 3 teams to be crowned the first-ever PBR Team Series Champions.
The team’s Stampede Days homestand returns to Bridgestone Arena August 18-20. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Bridgestone Arena Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
For more information about Nashville Stampede, visit www.NashvilleStampede.com, Nashville Stampede on Facebook, @NashvilleStampede on Instagram, or @Nash_Stampede on Twitter.
Stacked with talent, including two PBR World Champions, the Carolina Cowboys will host their debut PBR Cowboy Days homestand in Greensboro, North Carolina at Greensboro Coliseum on Sept. 22-24. Tickets are on sale now and be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Greensboro Coliseum Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
For more information on Carolina Cowboys, and for ticketing updates on the upcoming PBR Cowboy Days, visithttps://pbr.com/teams/carolina-cowboys, Carolina Cowboys on Facebook, @carolinacowboyspbr on Instagram, or@CARCowboysPBR on Twitter.
About the PBR Team Series
The PBR Team Series is an elite league featuring the world’s top bull riders competing on teams in five-on-five bull riding games during an 11-event season beginning in July and culminating in a team championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas October 20-22. During the 2023 season, the league’s second, each of the eight teams representing teams in Austin, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Glendale, AZ; Greensboro, NC; Kansas City, MO; Nashville, TN; Oklahoma City, OK; and Ridgedale, MO; will host a three-day homestand. There are also neutral-site games in Cheyenne, WY and Anaheim, CA.
The PBR Team Series, which launched in July 2022, builds on the existing structure of professional bull riding with the same basic rules for judging and scoring qualified 8-second bull rides. Events are staged in a tournament-style format with all teams competing in head-to-head matchups against a different opponent each day. Each game features five riders per team squaring off against another team. Full team rosters are comprised of seven riders on the Protected Roster and five riders on the Practice Roster. The team with the highest aggregate score of qualified rides among its riders is declared the winner of each game. The event winner is the team with the most game wins across an event, with a special bonus round designed as a tie-breaker to determine final event standings. All PBR Team Series events are carried on the CBS Television Network, streaming live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, or RidePass on Pluto TV.
About the Nashville Stampede:
Nashville Stampede are based at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, where the team will hold its second Stampede Days homestand on August 18-20, 2023, the fourth event of the 10-event 2023 PBR Team Series regular season. The reigning PBR Team Series Champion Stampede are coached by two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride. Under the leadership of General Manager Tina Battock, the Stampede are owned by Morris Communications Company, LLC (MCC), which is part of a privately held company with diversified holdings in media, real estate, property development and agribusiness. MCC is based in Augusta, Georgia. MCC’s current media holdings include Morris Media Network (MMN) which reaches millions of consumers with diversified content brands in print, digital, products and live events including Western Horseman, Barrel Horse News, Quarter Horse News, Road to the Horse, EquiStat and the National Barrel Horse Association. A portfolio of lifestyle publications and digital assets serve outdoor/sporting/travel enthusiasts withAlaska Magazine, Milepost, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Charlotte Magazine, Orlando Magazine, Savannah Magazine, Where Visitor publications and more, including the Nashville Stampede, one of eight founding teams in the new PBR Team Series.
About the Carolina Cowboys:
The Carolina Cowboys are based in Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., where the team will hold its second Cowboys Days homestand on September 22-24, 2023, the eighth event of the 10-event 2023 PBR Team Series regular season. The Cowboys are coached by PBR co-founder Jerome Davis. Under the leadership of General Manager Austin Dillon, the 2018 Daytona 500 Champion, the team is owned by Richard Childress and Jeff Broin. From a one-man team in 1969, Richard Childress grew Richard Childress Racing (RCR) into one of the most-respected organizations in NASCAR, with nearly 400 team members supporting full-time operations in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. As a car owner, Childress, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017, has earned more than 200 victories in NASCAR’s top-three national series, 16 championships, three Daytona 500 championships and three Brickyard 400 championships. Away from the track, Childress is a businessman, philanthropist and conservationist – he loves wine, the outdoors, supporting the military, and investing in America’s youth. Childress’ properties include the award-winning Childress Vineyards. He sits on the board of directors of Growth Energy and holds an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Northwestern Ohio. Entrepreneur and agriculturalist Broin is the founder and CEO of bioprocessing giant POET, the world’s largest biofuel producer. Broin and RCR have a longstanding partnership through NASCAR and worked together to upgrade the league to 15% bioethanol.
