BILLINGS, Mont. – Here are three things we learned from the Stanley Performance In Action Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, this weekend at Rimrock Auto Arena.
Pacheco up to fourth in world standings thanks to seventh consecutive ride
Kaique Pacheco has no plans on slowing down any time soon so it appears.
With two events remaining until he heads home to Brazil for the summer break, the perennial world title contender is beginning an aggressive push up the world standings ladder.
Pacheco rode Gambini for 86.5 points in the championship round on Sunday for his seventh consecutive ride and an eventual second-place finish (362.5 world points).
He has ridden 14 of his last 16.
The 23-year-old also earned 120 world points by tying with Ramon de Lima for the 15/15 Bucking Battle victory on Saturday night, and the No. 4 bull rider in the world trails new No. 1 Claudio Montanha Jr. by 475.83 points.
“He is back,” PBR Director of Livestock Cody Lambert said. “That is how he used to ride and that is what we expected out of him for so long and then it was just gone. It was the weirdest deal ever. When he rode, it was almost like he didn’t know how to ride. It was a weird mental block. I have seen specials on pitchers and golfers that just lose control and they just never get it back. It looks like he dealt with it for a while, but it looks like he has got it back.”
Pacheco has the most 15/15 victories in PBR history with five.
“5?” Pacheco said in disbelief. “I am very happy. They help bull riders a lot. You make points and money. I like the great bulls and try to focus 100 percent on my bull.”
Pacheco had to focus on Gambini as well when the 6-year-old bovine athlete surprised him and turned into his right-hand, instead of away.
“That is a great bull of Chad Berger’s and I rode him three weeks ago,” Pacheco said. “I had the opportunity to pick him another time. I see Valdiron (de Oliveira) and Marco (Eguchi) ride him to the left, but today he went to the right.”
Montanha Jr is the new world No. 1 bull rider
Claudio Montanha Jr. couldn’t stop smiling on Sunday afternoon once he was told he was the new world No. 1 bull rider.
Montanha had just ridden Catfish John for 89.5 points to win his second event of the season and move to the No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career.
“It is amazing because I knew he wasn’t an easy bull to ride,” Montanha said with Paulo Crimber translating. “That bull has been ridden 90-plus all the time when somebody covers him. I rode him once and just got an opportunity to get on him again. I knew I had to ride him and make everything right to pull that ride off.
“I finished strong and everything worked out great. I am just thankful and happy to be in the position I am today.”
Montanha advanced out of Round 1 Friday with 87 points on Hammer Down. He then earned the top spot for the championship round draft by riding Blue Stone in Round 2 for 86.25 points.
The 28-year-old leads No. 2 Ramon de Lima by 145.83 points in the world standings after earning a season-high 750 points toward the world standings.
“It is so much at one time to understand,” Montanha said. “But I am just going to try and focus on all of my bulls and just go one by one and try to stay in this position until the end.”
Montanha clinched the victory when Keyshawn Whitehorse was bucked of by Midnight Rain in 3.96 seconds.
Rounding out Top 5 behind Montanha and Pacheco was Alex Marcilio (2-for-3, 290 world points), Whitehorse (2-for-3, 225 world points) and Joao Ricardo Vieira (2-for-3, 150 world points).
Sean Willingham wins Round 2 three years after breaking his neck in Billings
Sean Willingham never wanted to retire after he broke his neck in Billings three years ago, but as injuries began to pile up since then – including a torn groin – the 36-year-old sure did start to doubt if he would ever get back to the premier series.
Well, a week after getting back into the Top 35 with a 2-for-3 showing in Tacoma, Washington, Willingham continued his push to remain on tour during his final season before calling it a career at the end of 2018.
The Summerville, Georgia, bull rider won Round 2 with an 86.5-point ride on Force Awaken to propel himself to a sixth-place overall finish in Billings.
“Man this is a lot better way to go out then a broken neck,” Willingham said. “It feels good to be back in Billings. It was almost three years to the date of my first return to the Unleash The Beast tour. I am here now and I am glad to be back.”
Willingham (1-for-3) slapped Big Black Cat at the 5.79-second mark in the championship round.
He will head into next weekend’s Columbus Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, ranked 29th in the world standings.
Injury Updates
Eduardo Aparecido will undergo an MRI this week on his riding hand after injuring it attempting to ride Lester Gillis in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Colten Jesse did not compete in Round 2 because of a concussion in Round 1 he sustained attempting to ride Big Sky.
Behind the Chutes: Billings, Day 2
BILLINGS, Mont. – Here are three things we learned from Round 1 and the 15/15 Bucking Battle Saturday night at the Stanley Performance In Action Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires.
Whitehorse wins Round 1 in Billings; Round 2 draw set
Keyshawn Whitehorse had the night off on Saturday seeing as he was part of the Group A riders that rode in Round 1 on Friday night.
However, Whitehorse’s 87.75-point ride on Blue Stone wound up holding up to be his first career Unleash The Beast round win as only three additional riders rode their bulls in Saturday’s Group B of Round 1.
“It’s an achievement, and I am really happy that I have it, but I look forward to much more,” Whitehorse said. “I will take this moment, appreciate it and know that this is just a stepping stone.”
Whitehorse earned 120 world points for the victory and moved up to 19th in the world standings.
The 20-year-old agreed that there were pros and cons to having Saturday night off. He and Lonnie West were the only two riders that posted qualified rides on Friday night that were not competing on Saturday night.
“If you are hurt and sore – I am pretty sore myself – then it does feel good to take a night off, but then again there is the momentum,” Whitehorse said. “With that being said, you keep the same mindset going into tomorrow and you should be fine. Keep that same mindset and keep pushing more. No matter how tomorrow goes, I know I did my best. But we are going to keep going and keep pushing and keep moving forward.”
Whitehorse has drawn Embers for Round 2. Embers has been ridden in all three of his career outs.
There were 11 riders that advanced to Round 2 with a qualified ride – Whitehorse, Claudio Montanha Jr. (87 points on Hammer Down; 100 world points), Dakota Buttar (86 points on Grey Ghost; 80 world points), Lonnie West (85.5 points on Big Slick; 70 world points), Jess Lockwood (85 points on Blackberry Smoke; 60 world points), Kaique Pacheco (84.25 points on Devour; 50 world points), Joao Ricardo Vieira (84 points on Yesterday’s Wine; 35 world points), Tye Chandler (84 points on Smoke Wagon; 35 world points), Ramon de Lima (83.25 points on Money Talks; 20 world points), Junio Quaresima (80.75 points on Carbon Copy; 10 world points) and Alisson Souza (76 points on Rooster Tail; 5 world points).
Souza actually placed third at the Real Time Pain Relief Velccity Tour event in Des Moines on Saturday night and was making the 14-hour drive back to Billings throughout the night.
RELATED: Round 2 Daysheet
Seeing as there were only 11 qualified rides in Round 1 over the two days of competition, the top 19 highest-ranking riders in the world standings at the start of the event also advanced to Round 2, according to the official ground rules for the event.
Those riders are: No. 2 Cody Nance, No. 3 Luciano de Castro, No. 6 Eduardo Aparecido, No. 11 Cooper Davis, No. 12 Brennon Eldred, No. 13 Ryan Dirteater, No. 14 Derek Kolbaba, No. 16 Valdiron de Oliveira, No. 17 Stetson Lawrence, No. 21 Tanner Byrne, No. 24 Fabiano Vieira, No. 26 Marco Eguchi, No. 27 Alex Marcilio, No. 32 Sean Willingham, No. 34 Lucas Divino, No. 36 Cody Heffernan, No. 40 Cody Campbell, No. 41 Brock Radford and No. 42 Colten Jesse.
Bruiser closes the gap on Pearl Harbor
Two-time World Champion SweetPro’s Bruiser didn’t have to use any tricks to dispatch Claudio Montanha Jr. in 4.69 seconds during the 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Instead, Bruiser’s natural strength came to the forefront as he left the bucking chute to the left and sent Montanha to the dirt after a few spins.
Bruiser was marked 46.25 points to close the gap on world No. 1 Pearl Harbor, who was pulled out of the 15/15 Bucking Battle because of a neck strain, to a mere .03 points.
“He is a great bull,” Montanha said with the help of Paulo Crimber translating. “If I get another chance to pick him, I will because he is just perfect. I had been dreaming of getting on him. I got him into the spin too much. I was trying to prepare for him to jump out of it. But he didn’t jump out as soon as I thought he would, maybe because he felt me outside and that got me.”
It was the second-fastest buckoff for Bruiser this season, and his six consecutive.
Pacheco wins PBR-record fifth 15/15 Bucking Battle of his career; Lima extends world lead
Kaique Pacheco won’t go as far as saying Jack Shot is his favorite bull in the PBR, but he sure had a hard time trying to think of a different one following his 87-point ride in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Pacheco tied with world leader Ramon de Lima (87 points on Big Dutch) for the event victory and 120 world points.
The No. 8 rider in the world standings has a PBR-record five career 15/15 Bucking Battle victories in his four-year career.
Saturday was the seventh time Pacheco has matched up against Jack Shot, and he now has four qualified rides aboard the D&H Cattle Company bull.
Pacheco won the Sacramento, California, 15/15 Bucking Battle with 88.5 points on the 6-year-old bovine athlete.
“He is a really good bull, but he is hard,” Pacheco said. “I don’t know, but the Brazilians ride better on this bull. He bucks like a Brazilian bull. He is strong. I have to use good timing to ride him.”
Meanwhile, Lima tied for the victory aboard Big Dutch, who sustained a leg injury during the ride.
Lima originally had matched up with Desperado in the 15/15 Bucking Battle and was awarded Big Dutch as a re-ride.
The 27-year-old leads No. 2 Cody Nance by 284.17 points in the world standings heading into Championship Sunday.
Behind the Chutes: Billings, Night 1 (4-21-18)
BILLINGS, Mont. – Here are three things we learned from Round 1 of the Stanley Performance In Action Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, on Friday night at Rimrock Auto Arena.
Lockwood does morning chores before riding in home state
Jess Lockwood may be the 2017 and reigning PBR World Champion with over $1.8 million in career earnings, but the 20-year-old still has to make sure he does his chores at home before heading to the arena.
Lockwood’s dad, Ed, woke him up at 7:30 in the morning Friday and Jess had to get to work at feeding 70 to 80 of the family’s 2-year-old heifers at their ranch in Volborg, Montana.
“I had to feed all the cows before I came here,” Lockwood said. “Me and Weston (Hartman) had to do some ranch work then. No days off at home. I may have to drive home tonight. I get to live in the house for free, so I have to work to pay for it.”
Volborg is about a little under three hours from Billings.
Lockwood is the only Montana cowboy riding this weekend, and he brought Rimrock Auto Arena to life on a night where there were only eight rides.
The 2016 Rookie of the Year rode Blackberry Smoke for 85 points and is sitting in fifth place in Round 1.
Round 1 concludes on Saturday night when 25 additional riders will get on their first bull of the weekend.
RELATED: Breaking down the special event format in Billings
“He usually goes left and he tricked me and got around there and I really had to make some moves,” Lockwood said. “He felt good. He made me ride really correct seeing as I don’t feel 100 (percent).
Lockwood said that he is not sick or necessarily tired, but that he was more drained and dehydrated from working in the morning and then spending some time in his sauna.
He also didn’t eat much before heading to the arena for his home state event.
“I am pretty tired, honestly,” Lockwood said. “I felt weak, but whenever I feel weak I ride really correct and ride really good.”
Lockwood did make a beeline dive to the PBR Sports Medicine room to get his injured riding hand from the Tacoma Invitational looked at, but he said he was fine and will be good to go for Saturday night’s 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Lockwood has drawn Milky Jones (20-5, PBR UTB) for the 15/15 Bucking Battle, which airs Sunday on CBS national television at 2 p.m. ET.
“That hematoma blew up again,” Lockwood said. “Tandy told me it was going to be sore, but during the ride it feels good. Afterwards, I can feel something.”
Lockwood may have some chores to do at home, but he is perfectly ok with that seeing as it means he gets to ride in front of some of the closest people in his life.
The third-year pro’s dad was in attendance, while Jess’s mom, Angie, is in Iowa for Saturday night’s Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour event in Des Moines where Jake Lockwood is set to compete.
“Heck, I get to ride in front of my family and friends,” Jess said. “What more motivation do you need? What else do you need to use to make a bull ride?”
Whitehorse converts on re-ride to take the lead in night 1
Keyshawn Whitehorse pushed his poker chips all in on Friday night and it paid off big time.
Whitehorse originally rode Sarah’s Terror for 78 points, and he could have kept the score and likely guaranteed himself a spot in Sunday’s Round 2.
Instead, just getting to Round 2 wasn’t going to be good enough for the No. 1 rookie in the world right now.
Whitehorse came to win.
Therefore, Whitehorse accepted his re-ride option and converted aboard Blue Stone with an 87.75-point ride to finish night one atop the event leaderboard.
“I got off the first bull and confidence was an issue since the past weekend. I took it mainly because I knew it was the right decision to make,” Whitehorse said. “I am here to stay, so I need to get points. Me not taking a re-ride is not going to get me any points. That is the reason. I was like might as well try to go for the win. I need the points. I need the money. That is why I am here. I am here to win.”
Whitehorse entered the weekend having ridden only two of his past 10 bulls on the premier series. Now he is in a strong position to go after his first career victory on Championship Sunday.
It was an opposite approach from Alisson Souza.
Souza – another potential Rookie of the Year contender – decided to turn down his re-ride option and keep his 76 points on Rooster Tail for the first ride of his career.
The gamble may pay off in his favor seeing as there were only eight qualified rides on Friday night, but he likely will not earn any world points for his round finish if six riders post higher scores than him on Saturday night in the conclusion of Round 1.
Souza will now have to get another qualified ride in Round 2 if he is going to qualify for the championship round on Sunday afternoon and try and pursue his own first career victory.
Montanha Jr. hot on Lima’s heels in title race
World leader Ramon de Lima got the job done on Friday night with a mellow 83.25 points on Money Talks, but No. 6 Claudio Montanha Jr is in a strong position heading into Round 2 on Sunday at possibly moving into the world No. 1 ranking.
Montanha finished night 1 in second place with an 87-point ride on Hammer Down.
The 28-year-old had been mired in a 4-for-15 slump since winning the Duluth Invitational last month until cashing in aboard Hammer Down.
“It is two things,” Montanha said with the help of Paulo Crimber translating. “He bucked me off once and I rode him tonight. I studied how to ride him so I don’t make the same mistake again. It worked out great and I am looking forward to being in the No. 1 position soon.”
Three other riders picked up a qualified ride on Friday night – Dakota Buttar (86 points on Grey Ghost), Lonnie West (85.5 points on Big Slick) and Kaique Pacheco (84.25 points on Devour).
West is making his PBR debut, while Buttar had missed last weekend’s event because of a sinus infection.
Pacheco has now ridden 11 of his last 13 bulls on the 25th PBR: Unleash The Beast.
Willingham back on tour; 14 riders set to debut (4-19-18)
PUEBLO, Colo. – The Sean Willingham retirement tour has officially made its way back to the PBR’s top level.
Willingham’s 2-for-3 performance in Tacoma, Washington, last weekend pushed the 36-year-old from No. 50 in the world standings to 31st.
“It is still the same no matter how long it has been,” Willingham said in Tacoma. “It is bull riding. We are not waiting any more. It had been a while since I have actually rode a bull at this level. Let’s not talk about how many I bucked off in a row. Let’s talk about how many I have rode in a row.”
Willingham ended his streak of 17 consecutive buckoffs with an 87.25-point ride on Jasper in Round 1 at the Tacoma Dome. He then covered Lil Hank in Round 2 for 85.5 points before bucking off Like A Boss in 3.37 seconds during the championship round. Willingham had entered the final round atop the event leaderboard.
It had been over three years since Willingham last reached the 8-second mark on the premier series.
Despite coming up short of the event victory, Willingham is now one step closer toward qualifying for the PBR’s marquee event of the year for the 12th and final time.
Willingham announced in November that he is retiring after the 2018 season.
Since last qualifying for the PBR World Finals in 2014, Willingham has battled a laundry list of injuries that have included a dislocated hip, broken neck and a torn left groin.
Willingham could have easily retired in 2015 when he broke his neck (C-7) and torn ligaments in his neck attempting to ride Cowboy Up in Billings, Montana.
“Everybody else at home thought I should retire and be done with it,” Willingham said in 2015 when he returned to competition. “When you hear someone breaking their neck, everybody is freaking out and thinks you are done,” Willingham said. “I never once questioned retirement when I broke my neck. I had a lot of people trying to convince me, but from day one I never thought about retiring. I was thinking about getting better and coming back and getting on some bulls.”
Instead, he is set to return to Billings for the first time since that injury this weekend, and he will continue his push to end his career on his terms when he takes on Hostile (0-0, PBR UTB) on Saturday night.
Willingham will be competing in the Group B pool of Round 1 riders in Billings.
The PBR announced a special format for this weekend’s event.
Round 1 is going to be split across two nights of competition with two groups of riders. The 60 highest-ranking riders in the world standings available to compete have qualified for the event.
On Friday night, riders competing in Saturday night’s 15/15 Bucking Battle will compete alongside 20 other pre-selected riders from the draw in Round 1 Group A.
Saturday night will then feature the remaining 25 riders in the draw competing in Round 1 Group B prior to the 15/15 Bucking Battle.
The Top 30 individual scores from Group A and B will advance to Round 2 on Sunday. Should fewer than 30 qualified rides be recorded, the remaining slots will be filled according to the PBR world standings at the start of the event.
The championship round will then consist of the Top 15 riders in the event average based on their two rides.
Below is a look at which riders are expected to compete in Billings and on what days.
Friday night Round 1 Contestants (Group A)
No. 1 Ramon de Lima
No. 2 Cody Nance
No. 3 Luciano de Castro
No. 5 Eduardo Aparecido
No. 6 Claudio Montanha Jr.
No. 7 Jess Lockwood
No. 9 Kaique Pacheco
No. 11 Cooper Davis
No. 12 Brennon Eldred
No. 13 Ryan Dirteater
No. 14 Derek Kolbaba
No. 15 Valdiron de Oliveira
No. 16 Stetson Lawrence
No. 18 Dakota Buttar
No. 20 Tanner Byrne
No. 21 Keyshawn Whitehorse
No. 41 Brock Radford
No. 42 Michael Lane
No. 47 Wallace de Oliveira
No. 48 Fernando Henrique Novais
No. 50 Ueberson Duarte
No. 51 Rubens Barbosa
No. 57 Troy Wilkinson
No. 58 Alisson Souza- !
No. 59 Bryan Titman
No. 59 Ryan Miller
No. 63 Ricky Aguiar
No. 64 Jesse Tillman- #
No. 65 Cristiano Figueredo- !
No. 67 Lonnie West - !
No. 72 Taylor Toves - #
No. 72 Danilo Carlos Sobrinho- !
No. 76 Dakota Eagleburger- !
No. 79 Daniel Tinsman- !
No. 80 Luke Bradley- !
! – Making PBR career premier series debut
# - Making 25th PBR: Unleash The Beast season debut
There are seven riders making their career debuts in Billings on Friday night – Alisson Souza, Cristiano Figueredo, Lonnie West, Danilo Carlos Sobrinho, Dakota Eagleburger, Daniel Tinsman and Luke Bradley.
Souza is a talented rider from Taubate, Brazil, who is 5-for-14 since making his United States debut at The AMERICAN Semi-Finals.
The 24-year-old won the prestigious Barretos rodeo last year by going 4-for-5 with an event-winning 92 points in the championship round.
Souza also won the April 7 Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour event in Casper, Wyoming.
He will make his premier series debut against Rooster Tail (0-1, PBR UTB).
Figueredo is 9-for-27 at all levels of competition this season and is two rides away from a new career-high. The 29-year-old will take on Twisted.
West is one of the up-and-coming riders in Canada and was selected by Team Canada coach Aaron Roy for the upcoming Sydney, Australia, Global Cup event (June 9-10).
The 22-year-old won the New Town, North Dakota, Velocity Tour event back in November and is 11-for-29 at all levels this season.
The Cadogan, Alberta, native comes from a prestigious rodeo family. West’s father, Kevin, won the Calgary Stampede in 1989, and Lonnie is one of three bull riding brothers.
West has drawn Udder Lover (15-5, PBR UTB) for Round 1.
Sobrinho is competing in PBR-sanctioned events for the first time. The Tupa, Brazil, bull rider is 6-for-11 in five non-premier series events in 2018.
The 31-year-old won the 2014 Brazilian championship in the Top Team Cup association and was teammates with Castro and Dener Barbosa during a two-year span when the group was part of a winning team at Barretos.
Sobrinho is slated to face Hell Bound (1-0, PBR UTB) in Round 1.
Eagleburger is 4-for-17 this season on the Velocity Tour, including a second-place finish in Lexington, Kentucky. The 23-year-old is 4-for-17 (23.55 percent) in 11 non-premier series events.
The Fair Grove, Missouri, bull rider rode Vegas Outlaw for 87.75 points at Matt Scharping’s annual hometown rodeo in Arlington, Minnesota, last September as well.
Eagleburger has drawn Whiskey Bent (8-2, PBR UTB) for Round 1.
Tinsman is 5-for-14 on the Velocity Tour with two fourth-place finishes in March. The 22-year-old from Farmland, Indiana, will face Blue Boy (0-0, PBR UTB) in Round 1 and comes from a family of bull riders.
Bradley (2-for-13) notched his two rides this year on RVT during his second-place finish in Wheeling, West Virginia. The 24-year-old from Seligman, Missouri, has drawn White Tie (0-0, PBR UTB).
Saturday night Round 1 Contestants (Group B)
No. 24 Fabiano Vieira
No. 26 Marco Eguchi
No. 27 Alex Marcilio
No. 29 Joao Ricardo Vieira
No. 31 Sean Willingham
No. 33 Lucas Divino
No. 33 Tye Chandler
No. 36 Cody Heffernan
No. 40 Cody Campbell
No. 42 Colten Jesse
No. 44 Paulo Lima
No. 45 Justin Granger
No. 52 Junio Quaresima - !
No. 55 Jorge Valdiviezo - #
No. 59 Ezekiel Mitchell - !
No. 66 Cody Jesus
No. 67 Cody Casper - !
No. 67 Lawson Nobbs - !
No. 67 Lachlan Richardson
No. 74 Garret Lange
No. 76 Austin Richardson - !
No. 80 Kache Moosman - !
No. 85 Cody Brewer - !
No. 88 Zane Lambert -#
! – Making PBR career premier series debut
# - Making 25th PBR: Unleash The Beast season debut
There are seven riders making their career debuts in Billings on Saturday night – Junio Quaresima, Ezekiel Mitchel, Cody Casper, Lawson Nobbs, Austin Richardson, Kache Moosman and Cody Brewer.
Quaresima earned a trip to Billings after earning 120 world points in his victory in Roanoke, Virginia, last weekend. The 25-year-old went 2-for-3 for his first PBR victory on American soil on his birthday,
2018 is the Meridiano, Brazil, native’s first in the United States. Quaresima finished 2017 fourth in PBR Brazil.
Quaresima has drawn Carbon Copy (0-1, PBR UTB) for Round 1.
Mitchell is making his debut after beginning the season 8-for-18 (44.44 percent). The 21-year-old finished first and third at the ABBI Spring Fling event in Stephenville, Texas, by riding Church Bells for 86 points and The Accountant for 82 points.
The Baytown, Texas, bull rider will meet up against Check It Out.
Casper – a 25-year-old from Newport, Washington – is 10-for-29 at non-premier series events and will take on Clover Mountain Beau (3-2,PBR UTB) in Round 1.
Nobbs is 7-for-27 (25.93 percent) at all levels of competition, but the Moura, Australia, 21-year-old has bucked off seven in a row. He will look to buck that streak when he faces Get Shorty (7-1, PBR UTB).
Richardson is the youngest competitor in Billings. This weekend is the 18-year-old’s fifth at any level, and he earned his way to Billings by finishing in second-place at last week’s RVT event in Roanoke, Virginia.
The Wilmer, Texas, native has trained and practiced alongside 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi.
Richardson takes on Like A Boss (10-8, PBR UTB) in Round 1.
Moosman is competing in only his fifth event and is 4-for-8 this season. The 27-year-old from Price, Utah, is in his first PBR season after primarily competing in PRCA rodeos. He has drawn Uncle Si (8-0, PBR UTB).
There are 15 riders – Radford, Lane, Wallace Oliveira, Novais, Duarte, Wilkinson, Titman, Miller, Aguiar, Tillman, West, Toves, Sobrinho, Eagleburger, Bradley that are also entered in the Saturday Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour event in Des Moines, Iowa.
Brewer got the call to compete in Billings after winning the Elmira, New York, Touring Pro Division event last weekend. It was the 27-year-old’s first victory of his career. The Knoxville, Tennessee, native will take on Check Mate (2-1, PBR UTB).
There are 12 riders inside the Top 35 not competing in Billings: No. 4 Jose Vitor Leme (torn left ACL), No. 8 Dener Barbosa (broken right foot), No. 10 Cody Teel (broken left ankle), No. 17 Guilherme Marchi (fractured sternum/broken rib/right sternoclavicular sprain), No. 19 Gage Gay (right reconstructive knee surgery), No. 22 Emilio Resende (left shoulder surgery), No. 23 Nathan Burtenshaw (broken right clavicle), No. 25 Silvano Alves (bruised neck), No. 28 J.B. Mauney (broken back T1/T2), No. 30 Fraser Babbington (ineligible), No. 32 Chase Robbins (right elbow) and No. 35 Juan Carlos Contreras (right hip pointer).
World leader Ramon de Lima has drawn Muddy Water (0-0, PBR UTB).
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko