Kasel’s PBR-best fifth 90-point ride of the season propels him to No. 2 in the 2023 PBR World Championship Race
By Kacie Albert
NEW ORLEANS – As PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Unleash The Beast returned to New Orleans for the first time in 13 years Friday evening, no rider was more dominant than the Austin Gamblers’ Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas). He delivered his PBR-best fifth 90-point ride of the season to win Round 1 of the Union Home Mortgage Invitational and surge back to No. 2 in the heated World Championship race.
As one of the final riders to leave the chutes inside Smoothie King Center, Kasel was tasked with Raven (M Rafter E/Rockin’ L Bucking Bulls). Remaining in perfect time with the animal athlete, Kasel reached the requisite 8 for a monstrous 90 points.
The score netted Kasel 29 Unleash The Beast points, allowing him to leapfrog Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) for the No. 2 rank in the race for the season’s gold buckle. Kasel is now within 64.5 points of No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil).
Leme remained No. 1 in the title race via his 72.5-point effort aboard Hog Wild (Ogden Ranch/Hart Cattle Co.). Declining the re-ride opportunity, Leme was not awarded any Unleash The Beast points.
Reigning PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) continued to shine in the Big Easy. On the spurs of his career-best sixth-place finish on the Unleash The Beast last weekend in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Tetz finished second in Round 1 in New Orleans.
Tetz and Sonny B (Shuler Bucking Bulls) proved the perfect pair, teaming for an 88-point score. Tetz’s latest 8-second effort earned him 18 Unleash The Beast points. He rose from No. 50 to No. 44 in the standings as he continues to chase his first PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast qualification this May.
Third was Jesse Petri (Dublin, Texas).
As the first rider to convert in Louisiana, Petri rode Dr. X (Universal Pro Rodeo) for 87.75 points to collect 17 Unleash The Beast points. He rose one position in the 2023 PBR World Championship battle, climbing from No. 14 to No. 13.
Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) and Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) rounded out the Top 5, tying for fourth.
Each earning 15.5 Unleash The Beast points for their 87.25-point rides, Alvidrez topped re-ride opponent Hundred Bad Days (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.) and Mitchell dominated Short Circuit (D&H Cattle/McWhorter).
Alvidrez remained No. 4 in the standings, now within 159 points of No. 1 Leme, and Mitchell solidified his No. 35 rank.
Action for the PBR Union Home Mortgage Invitational will conclude with Round 2 and the championship round on Saturday, March 18. Action gets underway at 6:45 p.m. CDT.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
PBR Unleash The Beast
PBR Union Home Mortgage Invitational
Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, Louisiana
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
- Dalton Kasel, 90-0-0-90.00-29 Points.
- Nick Tetz, 88-0-0-88.00-18 Points.
- Jesse Petri, 87.75-0-0-87.75-17 Points.
- Andrew Alvidrez, 87.25-0-0-87.25-15.5 Points.
(tie). Ezekiel Mitchell, 87.25-0-0-87.25-15.5 Points.
- João Ricardo Vieira, 86.5-0-0-86.50-13.5 Points.
(tie). Ramon de Lima, 86.5-0-0-86.50-13.5 Points.
- Colten Fritzlan, 86.25-0-0-86.25-12 Points.
- Kyler Oliver, 86-0-0-86.00-11 Points.
- Cooper Davis, 85.5-0-0-85.50-9.5 Points.
(tie). Eli Vastbinder, 85.5-0-0-85.50-9.5 Points.
- Rafael Jose de Brito, 84-0-0-84.00-8 Points.
(tie). Dener Barbosa, 84-0-0-84.00-8 Points.
- Eduardo Aparecido, 82.25-0-0-82.25-8 Points.
- Wingson Henrique da Silva, 82-0-0-82.00-8 Points.
- Jose Vitor Leme, 72.5-0-0-72.50
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Tate Pollmeier, 0-0-0-0.00
Sandro Batista, 0-0-0-0.00
Koltin Hevalow, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0.00
Braidy Randolph, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0.00
Flavio Zivieri, 0-0-0-0.00
Tyler Manor, 0-0-0-0.00
Griffin Smeltzer, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Wimer, 0-0-0-0.00
