The Professional Bull Riders announced that it will bring the nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series to Thackerville, Okla., for The WinStar World Casino Invitational on July 29-30. Money and points earned in the event will count toward qualification for the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals, and determination of the PBR World Champion.

“We are extremely pleased to announce the addition of new event to the 2011 Built Ford Tough Series schedule,” said PBR President and Chief Operating Officer Sean Gleason. “WinStar has been a great partner to PBR and their interest in hosting a major event fell in line perfectly with our scheduling. It is a great opportunity to deliver another event for our riders, fans and television audience.”

Bull riding will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday, July 29, and Saturday, July 30. The event will be held in an outdoor facility, adjacent to the WinStar World Casino.

PBR Fan Club members will be able to purchase tickets beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday. Tickets are $35 and $45 and seating will be general admission. To purchase tickets please telephone (800) 732-1727.

Tickets will be available to the general public on Monday, May 16, at 10 a.m. at www.WinStarWorldCasino.com or by telephone at (800) 622-6317.

Each of the 40 riders will ride on Friday and Saturday. Following Round 1 on Friday, the riders with the 10 highest scores will each compete with one more bull. Following Round 2 on Saturday, the riders with the 10 highest cumulative scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round where they will compete with one more bull. The overall event winner will be the rider with the highest combined score.

The action will be televised in HD on VERSUS at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 30, and Sunday, July 31. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR by David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 30-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer and creative lead.

The WinStar World Casino Classic will be the 20th of 29 stops on the 2011 BFTS schedule, which began at world-famous Madison Square Garden on Jan. 7-9. The season concludes Oct. 26-30 in Las Vegas with the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals, and the crowning of the 2011 PBR World Champion. The World Finals are the richest bull riding event on the planet with the winner receiving the World Championship PBR Buckle and a $1 million bonus.

About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 100 million viewers annually watch over 400 hours of primetime PBR programming on VERSUS, NBC, CBS and networks around the world. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money, and 20 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million – the most of any western-sports athlete in history. The PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards, alongside the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Nearly 2 million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/TEAMPBR.