REIGNING WORLD CHAMPION TEXAS RATTLERS BEAT NASHVILLE STAMPEDE ON SATURDAY NIGHT TO COMPLETE SWEEP OF PBR TEAMS HOMESTAND IN FORT WORTH AND CLINCH A CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND BERTH
Austin Gamblers and Oklahoma Wildcatters register upset wins on a sold-out Saturday night, joined in the winner’s circle by the Florida Freedom who also clinch for playoffs in T-Mobile Arena
FORT WORTH, Texas – The 2023 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Teams Champion Texas Rattlers continued their streak of perfection when riding at home Saturday night, improving to a perfect 9-0 in Fort Worth, Texas, in three seasons of league play, as they beat the Nashville Stampede by two ride scores, 175.5-0.00 in front of a sold-out crowd inside Dickies Arena.
With one event remaining in the regular season, the Rattlers clinched a Championship Weekend berth in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas by locking into the Top 6.
PBR Rattler Days also marked the first-ever PBR Teams event in league history to sell-out all three days of game play.
Photo Credit: Brady Fielder rides Wingman for a 87.5 points / Video Courtesy of PBR to Tenn Texas Media
The Rattlers took the game lead in the bottom of the first and never looked back. The pivotal score was an 87.5-point ride from Brady Fielder on Wingman. Fielder, who was 5-for-6 on the weekend, grew his lead in the 2024 PBR Teams MVP race to 109.5 points ahead of No. 2 John Crimber.
Photo Credit: Joao Ricardo Vieira rides Haymaker for 88 points / Video Courtesy of PBR to Tenn Texas Media
Texas secured the game win early after Nashville failed to make the 8 in any of their five outs. Rattlers’ Joao Ricardo Vieira then punctuated the game win with a ride to remember, dominating Haymaker for 88 points.
Texas earned their first victory against Nashville this season in three games, beating the Stampede 175.5.
The Rattlers’ perfect 3-0 weekend allowed them to improve to 15-11 this season, remaining No. 4 in the league. Nashville concluded their time in Fort Worth 0-3, falling to 11-15 this season to slide from No. 6 to No. 7 in the league, now outside the playoff cutline.
Saturday night’s event also featured two thrilling upset wins by the Austin Gamblers and Oklahoma Wildcatters.
The Austin Gamblers logged a dominant, 253.75-point upset win against the league No. 1 Carolina Cowboys, 340.25-86.5.
The Gamblers went a torrid 4-for-5 during the game, propelled to victory courtesy of scores from Kaique Pacheco, Lucas Divino, Ramon de Lima and Jose Vitor Leme. Carolina’s lone score came in the opening frame from 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis.
Austin beat Carolina for the first time this season in four games. They concluded PBR Rattler Days 1-1, now 13-13 this season, to maintain the league No. 5 rank. The Cowboys fell to 1-1 at the event and 17-7-1 across 2024, retaining the No. 1 rank in the league.
The then No. 9 Oklahoma Wildcatters knocked off the No. 2 Kansas City Outlaws by 89.25 points, 175-85.75. The win marked Oklahoma’s second of the season against Kansas City as they improved to 2-1 in the 2024 season.
Oklahoma took control of the game in the top of the first and never looked back. Courtesy of consecutive scores from Eduardo Matos and Bob Mitchell in the first two frames, coupled with Outlaw buckoffs by Sandro Batista and Maikon Calixton Rocha, the J.B. Mauney-led Wildcatters surged to a quick 175-point lead ahead of the third.
In the third, Oklahoma earned a re-ride, after Clay Guiton was unable to leave the chutes on Levy, but Kansas City continued to falter as Koltin Hevalow was bucked off by Ridin’ Salty in 3.64 seconds.
Oklahoma then suffered two buckoffs in the fourth from Wingson Henrique da Silva and closer Cort McFadden, who moved up in the order due to the re-ride. Needing a score, Julio Cesar Marques converted when Kansas City needed it most, keeping their hopes of victory alive in the bottom of the fourth as he rode Cold Creek for 85.75 points.
For the third time in the showdown, Oklahoma had the chance to clinch the win early, but Guiton could not get past re-ride draw Snuggles, hitting the ground at 7.6 seconds. Kansas City then had the chance to win the game in walk-off form, with their fate resting in the hands of their closer and 2024 PBR World Champion Cassio Dias who less than 24 hours prior made PBR history, logging the second highest-marked ride in the organization’s more than 30-year history on Man Hater for a monstrous 98.25 points.
Dias, however, was bucked off in an uncharacteristic 5.7 seconds by Lever Action, delivering Oklahoma the upset win, 175-85.75.
Oklahoma improved to 1-1 at PBR Rattler Days and 10-15-1 this season, remaining No. 8 in the league following the three nights of action. Kansas City, fell to 1-2 at the event and 17-9 this season, but they remain ranked No. 2 rank in PBR Teams.
The opening game of Saturday night’s PBR Rattler Days between the Florida Freedom and Missouri Thunder had numerous playoff implications. With a 2.75-point win against Missouri, 265.25-262.5, Florida clinched a spot inside the coveted Top 6, preventing the team from having to compete in the league’s Ride-in-Round on Oct .17 in Las Vegas at South Point Hotel and Casino. Florida’s win also gave the host Texas Rattlers a direct berth to ride at the 2024 PBR Teams Championship getting underway Oct. 18 at nearby T-Mobile Arena in Sin City.
Florida took control of the game early, jumping to an 88.5-point lead in the top of the first as Alex Cerqueira covered Always Been Crazy. Missouri, however, responded in the next out, inching within 1 point of tying the game lead as Paulo Eduardo Rossetto went the distance on Hay Ring for 87.5 points. The Freedom’s momentum continued to roll on as they grew their lead to a game-best 89.75 points in the top of the second courtesy of an 8.75-point ride from Joao Lucas Campos aboard Buckshot. Missouri then became the first team to stumble in the bottom of the second as Boudreaux Campbell was launched in 3.31 seconds by Fire Zone.
Following Florida’s first buckoff of the game in the top of the third, Missouri rebounded in the bottom of the frame, crawling within 0.75 points of tying the game as Andrew Alvidrez went the distance on Exodus for a game-best 89 points.
The Freedom responded in the top of the fourth, when Elizmar Jeremias put the team back ahead by a full ride score in making the whistle on Blue Suede Shoes for 88 points. Missouri didn’t grow their aggregate score in the bottom of the frame, but did earn a re-ride after Desert Twister fouled himself during his trip with Briggs Madsen.
Florida had the chance to amplify the pressure on Missouri in the top of the fifth, forcing the team into two must-ride situations, but their closer John Crimber uncharacteristically bucked off, tossed by Ridgeway in 3.25 seconds. Missouri then had two chances to win the game in come-from-behind form. First out was Felipe Furlan aboard Rock ‘n Roll, but he was tossed in a close 7.17 seconds. Grayson Cole then took on the team’s re-ride draw Feeds Red River, and while he didn’t make the 8, he earned the team’s second re-ride. The showdown then came down to Dawson Gleaves on Rafter P Construction’s Smooth Over It. While Gleaves made the 8, his 86-point score was not enough to walk off the win for Missouri.
Courtesy of the 265.25-262.5 victory, Florida improved to a perfect 3-0 against Missouri in 2024. They concluded PBR Rattler Days 1-1, now 15-10 this season, remaining No. 3 in the league. The Thunder went 1-1 in the Metroplex, now holding a 11-15 season record. After travelling to Texas No. 7 in PBR Teams, they rose one spot to No. 6.
Saturday night of PBR Rattler Days concluded with the Shootout Round featuring one rider from each of the evening’s winning teams. Giving the hometown fans a night to remember, the Rattlers’ Fielder won the special round with a monstrous 91.75-point ride on Magic Hunter, completing a 5-for-6 weekend. The Freedom’s Crimber finished second in the Shootout Round, covering Tulsa Time for 89.75 points. Fielder now leads No. 2 Crimber by 111.5 points in the 2024 PBR Teams MVP race.
On-demand replays of all the PBR Teams action will be available the following day on the Merit+ app. RidePass on Pluto TV will also air Teams replays five days later. Viewers can watch on the Merit+ app or go to https://www.meritstreetmedia.com/channel-finder to find the Merit Street Media cable channel in their area.
The PBR Camping World Team Series next travels to Glendale, Arizona, for Ridge Rider Days, the league’s regular-season finale. The event will begin on Friday, October 4, at 6:45 p.m. MST, Saturday, October 5 at 5:45 p.m. MST, and Sunday, October 6, at 11:45 a.m. MST.
The game matchups for the opening night of competition in Glendale on October 4 are:
Nashville Stampede vs. Missouri Thunder
Oklahoma Wildcatters vs. Austin Gamblers
Carolina Cowboys vs. Florida Freedom
New York Mavericks vs. Arizona Ridge Riders
Note: The Kansas City Outlaws and Texas Rattlers will have byes on the first night of competition in Glendale.
FORT WORTH TEAM STANDINGS – SEPTEMBER 28:
Here are the Team standings for the final day of competition for the PBR Camping World Team Series event in Fort Worth, Texas:
Texas Rattlers, 1-0-0-267.25
Florida Freedom, 1-0-0-355
Austin Gamblers, 1-0-0-340.25
Oklahoma Wildcatters, 1-0-0-175
Missouri Thunder, 0-1-0-262.5
Carolina Cowboys, 0-1-0-86.5
Kansas City Outlaws, 0-1-0-85.75
Nashville Stampede, 0-1-0-0.00
Note: The Arizona Ridge Riders and New York Mavericks had byes on September 28.
PBR TEAMS SEASON STANDINGS:
Here are the current Team standings for the regular season after the final day of competition for PBR Rattler Days in Fort Worth, Texas:
Under the leadership of President, Chad Blankenship, the Ariat Texas Rattlers are coached by PBR co-founder Cody Lambert and owned by the Fisher Family and Leonard Firestone. In 2023, the Rattlers etched their name in the history books, crowned the 2023 PBR Teams Champions. The Ariat Texas Rattlers team, based in Fort Worth, will host its third Rattler Days homestand event September 26-28, 2024, at Cowtown Coliseum and Dickies Arena.
Fisher Family investments include footwear and apparel, real estate, timberland and forest products, and education and sports, including ownership of the Oakland Athletics (MLB) and San Jose Earthquakes (MLS). Through its Ariat brand, the Official Boot of PBR, the Fisher family have been longtime supporters of PBR. The family is actively involved with a number of philanthropic causes, including SFMOMA, The KIPP Foundation, and UCSF. Leonard Firestone is a Fort Worth entrepreneur and civic leader. He was a co-founder of the Firestone & Robertson Distilling Company, which is the producer of the highly regarded TX Whiskey and TX Bourbon brands. A former Fort Worth City Councilman, Firestone currently serves on the Board of Managers for the John Peter Smith (JPS) Health Network serving the healthcare needs of Tarrant County.
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 games leading to a Team Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. During the 2024 season, the league’s third, each of the 10 teams – Austin Gamblers of Austin, TX; Arizona Ridge Riders of Glendale, AZ; Carolina Cowboys of Greensboro, NC; Florida Freedom of Sunrise, FL; Kansas City Outlaws of Kansas City, MO; Nashville Stampede of Nashville, TN; New York Mavericks of Brooklyn, NY; OK; Oklahoma Wildcatters of Oklahoma City, OK; Missouri Thunder of Springfield, MO; and Texas Rattlers of Fort Worth, TX– will host a homestand. Neutral-site games in Anaheim, CA and Duluth, GA are planned as well.
PBR Teams, 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. All PBR Teams events are carried on either the CBS Television Network, streaming live on Paramount+, or Merit Street Media.
PBR is part of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
