BILLINGS, Mont. - For a record 17th year in a row, the Professional Bull Riders will bring the nationally televised Built Ford Tough Series, featuring the world's best bull riders and bulls, to Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark on May 4-6 for the Stanley Tools and Security Invitational. The 17 appearances are the most total appearances and consecutive appearances than in any other city.

Leading the way into Montana is 19-year-old rookie sensation Lachlan Richardson, who competed in and won his very first BFTS event last weekend in Uncasville, Conn. The native of Gresford, Australia, was the only rider to cover all four of his bulls to win the Mohegan Sun Invitational presented by Cooper Tires. He earned $38,900 for the victory, and jumped up to 31st in the BFTS season standings.

Nineteen-year-old Lachlan Richardson will attempt to duplicate last week's success this week in Billings.

Tickets begin at $10 and are available at the MetraPark box office, www.MetraPark.com, and by telephone at (406) 256-2422 or (800) 366-8538. Tickets can also be purchased at the Rimrock Mall customer service counter, and at Cellular Plus stores. Bull riding will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Fans will witness thrilling 8-second rides and jaw-dropping wrecks throughout the adrenaline-soaked performance as the PBR's insanely brave cowboys risk it all against monstrous animal athletes that can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds.

Competing for more than $140,000 in total prize money, each of the Top 35 riders in the world will ride on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday will also include the PBR 15/15 Bucking Battle, which has the Top 15 riders in the world competing against the 15 highest-ranked bulls at the event. It will be held immediately following Round 1, and will be broadcast in its entirety on CBS at 1 p.m. ET this Saturday, May 5. Following Round 3 on Sunday, the riders with the 10 highest cumulative scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round, where they will each compete with one more bull. The overall event winner will be the rider with the highest combined score from all four regular-format rounds.

In addition to prize money, the winner of the Stanley® Tools & Security Invitational will receive $2,500 in Stanley® FatMax® tools, and a $1,000 Kwikset Home Security Makeover. If the rider who selects the bull Stanley FatMax in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round on Sunday makes a qualified ride, he will receive $2,500 in Stanley® FatMax® tools. If the rider fails to reach 8 seconds, the $2,500 in Stanley® FatMax® will be presented to Stanley® FatMax® owner Jeff Robinson, the reigning PBR Stock Contractor of the Year.

The BFTS features the best and highest-paid bull riders on the planet, including current PBR World Champion Silvano Alves, who reached $2 million in 23 months and 58 events, which is faster than any bull rider in history. He also earned $1 million faster than any rider, achieving it in 18 months and 47 events. The 24-year-old is the only rider to win the PBR World Championship in the season immediately after earning PBR Rookie of the Year.

J.B. Mauney made it to 5 seconds with his right hand down in Uncasville, Conn., last week. Can he make 8 in Billings?

Top-ranked Valdiron de Oliveira will not compete in Billings after being stepped on following a second-place ride in Round 3 at Uncasville, Conn., on Sunday. Oliveira is expected to undergo surgery this week to repair a fracture of his eye socket.

The injury to Oliveira provides an opportunity for No. 2 Alves and No. 3 L.J. Jenkins to gain ground on the leader. Alves climbed from fifth to second in the season standings after finishing third at Uncasville, while Jenkins moved up from fourth to third after tying for seventh. Alves trails Oliveira by 1,167.25 points while Jenkins is 1,406 points behind. 
   
J.B. Mauney is planning to compete for the second week in a row after switching to riding with his right hand down. Mauney, broke a bone in his customary left riding hand, was unsuccessful in four outs last weekend, lasting just over 5 seconds in his longest attempt.

Billings is the fifth of nine scheduled PBR 15/15 Bucking Battles. The special round, which has an additional purse of $21,000, replaces the usual first short round. Points and money earned in the PBR 15/15 Bucking Battle do not count toward the event result, but they do count toward the BFTS season standings, and qualification for the Built Ford Tough World Finals.

Round 1 will be broadcast in its entirety live on YouTube at the Professional Bull Riders Channel this Friday, May 4, at 10 p.m. ET. CBS Sports Network will broadcast action from Round 2 at 10 p.m. ET this Saturday, May 5, with an encore airing at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 6. CBS Sports Network will broadcast action from Round 3 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round at 6 p.m. ET this Sunday, May 6. There will be encore airings on Sunday, May 6, at 9 p.m. ET, and on Monday, May 7, at 9 p.m. ET.

The past four PBR World Champions are scheduled to compete in Billings, including Alves, Renato Nunes (2010), Kody Lostroh (2009), and Guilherme Marchi (2008).

The Stanley Tools and Security Invitational is the 17th stop on the BFTS, which opened the 2012 season on Jan. 6-8 with capacity crowds at Madison Square Garden in New York. The BFTS will make 28 stops in 23 states before the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 24-28, 2012. The World Finals are where the PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded the coveted Championship Buckle and a $1 million bonus. The richest bull riding event in the world, the World Finals has a total purse of more than $2 million.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, NBC Sports Network, and YouTube. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.