PBR Teams Regular-Season Champions title to be decided on final day of PBR Rattler Days, as Kansas City Outlaws remain in the hunt courtesy of their win against Missouri, coupled with Austin’s defeat
FORT WORTH, Texas – The hometown Texas Rattlers continued to ride lights out Saturday evening as PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Team Series competition continued in Fort Worth, Texas. The Rattlers trounced their in-state rivals and league No. 1 Austin Gamblers by two ride scores to improve to a perfect 2-0 at their Rattler Days, presented by Ariat, homestand.
The Rattlers’ victory, paired with the Kansas City Outlaws’ win tonight over the Missouri Thunder, means the 2023 regular-season championship will go down to the final day of the season tomorrow in Dickies Arena prior to the 2023 PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas (Oct. 20-22).
The Rattlers set the tone for the game early and never looked back. Texas pulled to an early lead in the bottom of the first, compliments of an 88.25-point ride from Joao Ricardo Vieira. The Rattlers’ early success, coupled with four consecutive buckoffs by Austin, gave Texas the chance to clinch the game win early in the bottom of the fourth. Delivering for his team, Braidy Randolph covered Centerfold for 83.5 points to cement the upset win.
Austin prevented a shutout in the top of the fifth when closer Jose Vitor Leme rode Outlaw for 89.25 points. While the score was not enough to reverse the outcome of the game, it did provide the two-time PBR World Champion with crucial points in the 2023 PBR Teams MVP race, extending his lead over No. 2 Cassio Dias to 172.25 points as he attempts to win the individual title in consecutive seasons.
The Rattlers added one more score to their tally, an 88.5-point score from Brady Oleson atop Smooth Over It, to ultimately defeat their instate rivals by 171 points, 260.25-89.25.
Texas is now not only a perfect 2-0 at their homestand, but they are a flawless 5-0 since making their debut inside Dickies Arena in October 2022. Improving to 15-12 this season, the Rattlers will look to complete their perfect sweep of their homestand on Championship Sunday when they play the league’s reigning Champion Nashville Stampede, who also enter Sunday’s matchup 2-0 in Fort Worth.
The Austin loss, coupled with a win earlier in the evening by the Kansas City Outlaws, kept the race for the regular-season Championship alive.
The game prior to the Lone Star State Showdown, Kansas City beat the Missouri Thunder in their own in-state rivalry contest in walk-off form by 85 points to clinch a first-round bye in the 2023 PBR Teams Championship this October.
In their five-on-five showdown, Kansas City claimed an early 87.25-point lead in the bottom of the first, compliments of an 87.25-point ride atop Rank Frank by team newcomer Sandro Batista, now 4-for-5 with the Outlaws. Missouri, however, quickly tied the game in the top of the second, as Briggs Madsen logged a matching 87.25-point effort aboard The Maverick.
The Outlaws retook the lead in the top of the second via an 84.25-point score from 2022 PBR Rookie of the Year Bob Mitchell. With neither team converting in the third or fourth, Missouri closer Kade Madsen delivered in a must-ride position in the top of the fifth, keeping his team’s hopes of victory alive when he covered Electric Avenue for 87.75 points. Via the score, Kansas City trailed by 3.5 points as their closer Dias settled in aboard Pickle Moonshine. Dias rode the powerful animal athlete with ease, reaching the requisite 8 for 88.5 points to walk off with the win, 260-175.
Before PBR Rattler Days began, Austin needed just one win or one Kansas City loss to clinch the title. Kansas City, meanwhile, needed to win out and Austin to be shut out to complete their come-from-behind surge for the No. 1 rank at the end of the 10-event regular season. With two games now complete, Austin is 0-2 and Kansas City is 2-0, keeping the fate of the regular-season Championship still undetermined.
After starting the 2023 season 13-1, the Gamblers then went 5-8, losing four of their last five games.
The regular-season title will be decided on Championship Sunday when Kansas City, now 17-10 this season, plays the Oklahoma Freedom and the Austin Gamblers, now 18-9 in 2023, take on the Missouri Thunder.
PBR Rattler Days began with a showdown between the Nashville Stampede and Carolina Cowboys. Compliments of key scores fromKaiden Loud and Silvano Alves, the Stampede won by 89.5 points, 174-84.5. The red-hot momentum has propelled Nashville to a perfect 2-0 at PBR Rattler Days and 11-16 this season ahead of their Championship Sunday showdown against the host Texas Rattlers.
Carolina slipped to 1-1 in Fort Worth and are now a matching 11-16 this season. They conclude the regular season for the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series with a game against the Arizona Ridge Riders.
The Oklahoma Freedom rebounded from an opening night loss on Saturday by beating the Arizona Ridge Riders in walk-off form. Trailing by 76.25 points in the bottom of the fifth, Freedom closer Caden Bunch carried his team to victory with a crucial 86.5-point ride atop Ink Spot.
Oklahoma is now 1-1 at the regular-season finale and 14-13 this season, while Arizona is 0-2 in Texas and 12-15 in 2023.
PBR Rattler Days, presented by Ariat, concludes Sunday, Oct. 7, at 1:45 p.m. CDT. Tickets for the crucial, final 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series regular-season event are still available and start at $22; taxes and fees not included. They can be purchased online at TicketMaster.com and PBR.com, at the Dickies Arena Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
Before the bucking begins, the Rattler Days Fan Festival, featuring music, games, vendor activations and more, outside Dickies Arena at Simmons Bank Plaza will open at 11 a.m. CDT. Programming will be headlined by Cowboy Church, as led by LeAnn Hart Ministries, at 11 a.m. CDT.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Teams Camping World Series action from Fort Worth, Texas. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.
SCORE BULLETINS
League’s Reigning Champion Nashville Stampede Continue to Ride Red-Hot, Defeating the Carolina Cowboys by One Ride Score on Second Night of PBR Camping World Team Series Action
Nashville Stampede: 174
Carolina Cowboys: 84.5
The league’s reigning Champion Nashville Stampede are once again catching fire when it counts. Continuing to ride red-hot Saturday evening in Fort Worth, Texas, the Stampede beat the Carolina Cowboys by one ride score on the second night of PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Team series action. Eager to continue their momentum from Friday night, Carolina tasked Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) with the team’s bovine athlete opponent Smooth Rumbull (Shuler Bucking Bulls), and Campbell make the 8 with ease, giving his team an early 84.5-point lead. Nashville then looked to answer in the bottom of the frame. While Chase Outlaw (Hamburg, Arkansas) struggled in the chutes with Midnight Magic (Richard & Teri Braun/Jenkins Cattle), he nodded confidently. While Outlaw came down prior to the whistle, hitting the ground in a hard-fought 7.53 seconds, the bull fouled himself mid-out, earing Nashville a re-ride. Outlaw, however, was stepped on after coming down and in visible pain, ultimately carried out by PBR’s Sports Medicine Team. An injury-plagued Nashville had no alternate rider to activate and was unable to accept the re-ride. After a dramatic start to the game, the scoreboard then went unchanged through the second, as Flavio Zivieri (Balsamo, Brazil) was tossed for Carolina and Mason Moody (Letcher, South Dakota) failed to convert for Nashville. In the top of the third, Carolina turned to Josh Frost (Randlett, Utah) to reclaim the team’s early momentum and extend their lead. But Frost did not prove to have enough to get past Whip (Richardson Land & Cattle Co.), hurled to the ground in 4.09 seconds. The league’s reigning Champions snapped their two-out buckoff streak in the bottom of the third, surging to a 3.5-point lead as 18-year-old sensation Kaiden Loud (Kaufman, Texas) covered Black Ice (BMC Bucking Bulls/Jenkins Cattle Co.) for a commanding 88 points. Both teams then exchanged buckoffs in the fourth, setting up a high-pressure final frame. As the fifth got underway, seven-time PRCA champion Sage Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma) was in a must-ride position for Carolina to keep their hopes of victory alive. Matched up with Yelawolf (Blake Sharp/Talley Ho Bucking Bulls), Kimzey burst into the arena, but was sent airborne at the 2.06-second mark, delivering Nashville the win. With the win in hand, three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) looked to end the game with a score for Nashville as he settled in atop Bubba G (Dakota Rodeo/Brian & Ashley Pintar/Clay Struve/Chad Berger). With just 1 second left on the chute clock, Alves called for the gate. Matching the bull jump-for-jump, the veteran Brazilian reached the whistle to record his 501st qualified ride in PBR premier competition, awarded 86 points. The final scoreboard read an 89.5-point Nashville win, 174-84.5. The score improved Nashville to a perfect 2-0 at PBR Rattler Days, presented by Ariat, while Carolina fell to 1-1. Both teams are now 11-16 during the 2023 season. On Championship Sunday, Carolina will look to conclude the league’s regular-season finale with a win when they play the Arizona Ridge Riders, while the Stampede will look to complete their perfect weekend with a win against the host Texas Rattlers.
Oklahoma Freedom Defeat the Arizona Ridge Riders in Walk-Off Form on Second Night of PBR Camping World Team Series Competition
Oklahoma Freedom: 86.5
Arizona Ridge Riders: 76.25
In one of the night’s two dramatic walk-off wins, the Oklahoma Freedom defeated the Arizona Ridge Riders courtesy of a bottom-of-the-fifth ride, 86.5-76.25, on the second night of PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Team Series action in Fort Worth, Texas. The first frame featured coach’s challenges on each side of the bucking chutes.
The game began with reigning PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) in the lead-off role for Arizona. While Tetz appeared centered aboard Flyin Wired (Tommy Julian/BS Cattle Co.), he was ultimately hurled to the dirt prior to the 8-second whistle at 6.61 seconds, resulting in no score.
Ridge Riders coaches Colby Yates and Paulo Crimber, disagreeing with the call, threw the yellow challenge flag. Upon review, PBR’s officials upheld the initial call, with Arizona remaining scoreless and losing their challenge for the remainder of the game. In the bottom of the first, it was Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) paired with two-time reigning YETI World Champion BullRidin Solo (Bill McCarty/McCoy Rodeo).
After the high-flying animal athlete upended Cerqueira short of the whistle in 5.51 seconds, Freedom coaches Cord McCoy and Kody Lostroh challenged the call, contending that Ridin Solo fouled himself. After careful inspection, PBR’s officials agreed, awarding Oklahoma a re-ride. The scoreboard then went unchanged through both the second and third, with Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) and Vitor Losnake (Bauru, Brazil) unable to convert for Arizona and Grayson Cole (New Ringgold, Pennsylvania) and Coy Pollmeier (Fort Scott, Kansas) bucked off for Oklahoma.
Before the fourth got underway, Cerqueira attempted Oklahoma’s re-ride earned in the first, paired against High Plains Drifter (Flying C/Tom Baker). With just 1 second left on the chute clock, Cerqueira nodded, but he was quickly unseated, bested in 2.78 seconds. In the top of the fourth, Arizona’s Leandro Machado (Nova Esperança, Brazil) became the first to log a score, covering Jacy’s Pet (Classic Jack Cattle/Viducic Bucking Bulls) for 76.25 points to give his team the lead.
Arizona was awarded a re-ride but in a business decision elected to keep the score. Trailing, Roscoe Jarboe (New Plymouth, Idaho) couldn’t deliver for Oklahoma, hitting the ground in 3.66 seconds atop Miller Time (A&E Bucking Bulls/BS Cattle Co.). In the top of the fifth, Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah) had the chance to clinch the game win for the Ridge Riders.
Erupting from the chutes atop Red Mosquito (Zach Muegge/McCoy Rodeo), Whitehorse appeared centered but was ultimately dislodged at 7.41 seconds, opening the door for Oklahoma to win the game in walk-off form. Arizona was also unable to challenge the call, having lost that option in the first frame.
The final out of the game featured Oklahoma’s closer Caden Bunch (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) atop Ink Spot (Mason Bucking Bulls), and he dominated the bull for 86.5 points to deliver a walk-off win for Oklahoma by 10.25 points, 86.5-76.25. Via the win, Oklahoma improved to 1-1 at PBR Rattler Days, presented by Ariat, while Arizona remains shut out inside Dickies Arena, now 0-2. With just one game remaining in the regular season, Oklahoma is now 14-13 across 2023, while Arizona is 12-15. On Championship Sunday, Oklahoma will play the Kansas City Outlaws, while Arizona will square off against the Carolina Cowboys.
Kansas City Outlaws Clinch First-Round Bye at 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series Championship with Walk-Off Win Against Their In-State Rival Missouri Thunder on Second Night of League Competition in Fort Worth, Texas
Kansas City Outlaws: 260
Missouri Thunder: 175
The Kansas City Outlaws continued to ride lights out Saturday night in Fort Worth, Texas, clinching a first-round bye at the 2023 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Team Series Championship and remaining in contention for the regular-season championship with a walk-off win against their in-state rival Missouri Thunder, their fifth consecutive game win. Entering the Battle for the Show Me State, the Kansas City Outlaws had more than a game win on the line.
Should they win, they would not only clinch a first-round bye at the PBR Team Series Championship in late October in Las Vegas, but they would also keep their bid for a come-from-behind regular-season title alive.
The game began with Missouri’s Joao Lucas Campos (Porto Feliz, Brazil) tasked withLittle Bit (Mason Bucking Bulls). Campos was unable to answer the call for his team, tossed in 2.4 seconds. Kansas City, however, began the game in commanding form. Sandro Batista (Pedra Preta, Brazil) covered Rank Frank (Jenkins Cattle Co.) to give the Outlaws an early 87.25-point lead. Missouri answered rapidly. In the top of the second, Briggs Madsen (Tremonton, Utah) rode The Maverick (McCoy Rodeo/World Deer Expo/RL Cody Cattle Company) for a matching 87.25 points to tie the game.
Kansas City quickly reclaimed the lead, pulling ahead by 84.25 points as Bob Mitchell (Steelville, Missouri) gritted to the whistle atop I’m A Baller (Mason Bucking Bulls). The scoreboard then went unchanged through both the third and fourth, as Felipe Furlan (Sales Oliveira, Brazil) and Paulo Eduardo Rosseto (Colorado, Brazil) bucked off for Missouri and Leonardo Castro Ferreira (Cassilandia, Brazil) and Koltin Hevalow (Smithville, Missouri) were tossed for Kansas City.
To add the dramatics to Hevalow’s out, Kansas City lost their challenge after PBR’s officials disagreed with the Outlaws’ coaching staff’s belief that Hang ‘em High (Bryan T. Smith/Nathan Doss) fouled himself during the trip. As a result, the game entered a crucial fifth frame. In the opening position, Kade Madsen (Honeyville, Utah) was in a must-ride position for the Thunder.
Rising to the occasion, the younger Madsen dominated Electric Avenue (Eldred Cattle) for 87.75 points to give his team a 3.5-point lead with Kansas City having just one out remaining. In the high-pressure position for Kansas City was their closer, Cassio Dias (Sao F. de Sales, Brazil). Poised, Dias nodded confidently atop Pickle Moonshine (Shuler Bucking Bulls), remaining in perfect time with the powerful animal athlete.
Reaching the requisite 8 with ease, Dias was awarded a game-best 88.5 points to deliver the Outlaws the walk-off win and clinch the first-round bye at the PBR Teams Championship. The win also kept Kansas City’s hopes of making a come-from-behind push to the regular-season No. 1 rank alive.
To earn the title, Kansas City needed Austin to lose their remaining two games, while the Outlaws squad would need to conclude the season with a win. The score also kept Dias’s hopes of being crowned the 2023 Teams MVP alive, temporarily edging him within 83 points of leader Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil).
Via the win, Kansas City is now a perfect 2-0 at PBR Rattler Days, presented by Ariat, while Missouri remains shut out, now 0-2. Across the 2023 season, with just one regular-season game remaining, Kansas City is now 17-10 while Missouri is 8-19. On Championship Sunday, the Outlaws will play the Oklahoma Freedom, while the Thunder will take on the Austin Gamblers.
Texas Rattlers Trounce In-State Rival Austin Gamblers on Second Night of PBR Camping World Team Series Homestand to Earn Upset Victory and Improve to a Perfect 2-0 in Fort Worth, Texas
Texas Rattlers: 260.25
Austin Gamblers: 89.25
The Texas Rattlers once again astonished their hometown crowd Saturday night as PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Team Series competition continued in Fort Worth, Texas, trouncing their in-state rival Austin Gamblers by two ride scores to earn an upset victory against the league’s No. 1 team.
The Lone Star State Showdown began with Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) in the lead-off role for Austin and veteran Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) out first for the Rattlers. Following a 4.13-second buckoff for the Kasel atop Risky Business (Hookin’ W Ranch/Diamond L), Vieira gave the Rattlers an early 88.25-point lead as he dominated WSM’s Sun Country (WSM Auctioneers/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger). In the second, neither team made the whistle, with the scoreboard remaining unchanged via a buckoff from Ezekeil Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas) for Austin and an unsuccessful effort by Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland, Australia) for host Texas.
In the top of the third, Cort McFadden (Novice, Texas) couldn’t correct course for the Gamblers, upended by Fowl Play (BMC Bucking Bulls/Jenkins Cattle Co.) in a close 6.09 seconds. While Texas didn’t add points to their tally in the bottom of the third, they were awarded a re-ride when Rockville (Blake Sharp/Know Wetzel/Giovanni/Morris) fouled himself during his out with Eli Vastbinder (Statesville, North Carolina).
Austin remained shut out in the top of the penultimate frame as Ramon de Lima (Rio Branco, Brazil) was sent airborne in 3.82 seconds by Bandito Bug (Chris Utz/Carey Brothers/Mike Chaney/Blake Sharp). The buckoff gave the Rattlers the opportunity to clinch the game win early in the bottom of the fourth. In the possible game-winning position was Braidy Randolph (Stephenville, Texas) atop Centerfold (Blake Sharp/Michael Floyd). Remaining in perfect time with the animal athlete, Randolph reached the requisite 8 with ease, awarded 83.5 points to cement the win.
Despite having lost, the Austin Gamblers’ closer Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) looked to conclude the win on a positive note for his team in the top of the fifth. Leme, who was knocked out cold on Friday night after recording a qualified ride, prevented a shutout for his team, covering Outlaw (Big Sky Bulls, LLC) for a game-best 89.25 points. The score also allowed Leme to grow his lead in the 2023 PBR Teams MVP race to 172.25 points over No. 2 Cassio Dias (Sao F. de Sales, Brazil).
The game then concluded with back-to-back outs for the Texas Rattlers. After Brady Oleson (Blackfoot, Idaho) grew his team’s margin of victory to 171 points with an 88.5-point effort atop Smooth Over It (Shuler Bucking Bulls), Vasbinder concluded his team’s outing aboard their re-ride draw Trump Train (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) but hit the ground in a heartbreaking 7.88 seconds. The win improved the Texas Rattlers to 2-0 at their second annual homestand, now a perfect 5-0 inside their home Dickies Arena since the inception of PBR Teams.
Now 15-12 this season, the Rattlers will look to continue their sweep on Championship Sunday when they play the league’s reigning Champion Nashville Stampede, who are also 2-0 thus far in Fort Worth. Via the loss and a Kansas City win earlier in the evening, Austin was unable to clinch the regular-season No. 1 rank. Now 0-2 in Fort Worth, the Gamblers slipped to 18-9 across 2023. The regular-season title will be decided on Championship Sunday when Austin plays the Missouri Thunder. The Gamblers can clinch the title via a win against the Thunder or with a Kansas City loss to the Oklahoma Freedom earlier in the afternoon.
Fort Worth Team Standings:
Here are the current Team standings for the Fort Worth PBR Camping World Team Series event after the second day of competition for PBR Rattler Days, presented by Ariat:
- Kansas City Outlaws, 2-0-0
Nashville Stampede, 2-0-0
Texas Rattlers, 2-0-0
- Carolina Cowboys, 1-1-0
- Oklahoma Freedom, 1-1-0
- Austin Gamblers, 0-2-0
- Missouri Thunder, 0-2-0
- Arizona Ridge Riders, 0-2-0
PBR Teams Season Standings:
Here are the current Team standings for the regular season after the second day of competition for PBR Rattler Days, presented by Ariat, in Fort Worth, Texas:
- Austin Gamblers, 18-9-0-4,282.25
- Kansas City Outlaws, 17-10-0-5,029
- Texas Rattlers, 15-12-0-4,595.25
- Oklahoma Freedom, 14-13-0-3,180.5
- Arizona Ridge Riders, 12-15-0-3,468.25
- Carolina Cowboys, 11-16-0-3,635
- Nashville Stampede, 11-16-0-3,107
- Missouri Thunder, 8-19-0-2,348.5
October 8 Game Schedule:
Here are the game matchups for the final day of action for PBR Rattler Days, presented by Ariat, in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday, Oct. 8:
Kansas City Outlaws @ Oklahoma Freedom
Arizona Ridge Riders @ Carolina Cowboys
Austin Gamblers @ Missouri Thunder
Nashville Stampede @ Texas Rattlers
About the PBR Camping World Team Series:
The PBR Camping World 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 – Austin Gamblers of Austin, TX; Arizona Ridge Riders of Glendale, AZ; Carolina Cowboys of Greensboro, NC; Kanas City Outlaws of Kansas City, MO; Nashville Stampede of Nashville, TN; Oklahoma Freedom of Oklahoma City, OK; Missouri Thunder of Ridgedale, MO; and Texas Rattlers of Fort Worth, TX – will host a three-day homestand. There are also neutral-site games in Cheyenne, WY and Anaheim, CA. The Nashville Stampede are the current 2022 defending champions.
The league format, 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. In events staged in a tournament-style format, all teams compete 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 Reserve riders. 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 events. All PBR Team Series events are carried on either the CBS Television Network, streaming live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, or RidePass on Pluto TV.
