LAS VEGAS – Chase Outlaw walked past his buddy Gage Gay and let out a roaring yell just beyond the rider walk off gate inside the arena at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa on Friday night.
“Yes sir! Go get ya some!” Outlaw boomed.
Outlaw had just ridden Bowie Daze for 88.5 points to take the lead during Round 1 of the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour Finals.
It was Outlaw’s seventh consecutive bull ride as he continues his mad dash to qualify for the 2018 PBR World Finals despite missing over eight months this year due to two reconstructive surgeries – one on his right shoulder in the offseason and then another 12-hour procedure this July to repair an estimated 30 broken bones in his face.
Outlaw has surged from 76th in the world standings to No. 33 following his Round 1 win on Friday night in less than a month since returning to competition.
The Hamburg, Arkansas, bull rider is 9-for-13 since coming back 75 days after he underwent facial reconstructive surgery that involved 68 screws, 11 plates and four pieces of surgical mesh.
Two-time World Champion Justin McBride is not surprised one bit by Outlaw’s miraculous climb up the standings.
That kind of intensity, passion, never-say die attitude and grit is exactly what McBride – the coach of the Team USA Eagles – wants on his squad in three months at the 2019 WinStar World Casino & Resort Global Cup USA on Feb. 9-10 in Arlington, Texas.
“Chase brings a level of excitement and can-do attitude, and he’s ready to go mix it up,” McBride said. “He’s the kind of guy that doesn’t back down from anything. Because not only can he ride, but he’s got a great attitude and he thinks he’s supposed to win every time, and he’ll think his team is supposed to win every time.”
Outlaw was officially named to the Eagles squad by McBride on Friday night.
The 26-year-old has been one of the feel-good stories of the past month.
Not many bull riders could have missed as much time as Outlaw did, nor go through a horrific facial injury, and come back riding the way he has.
Regardless, McBride has seen enough from Outlaw over the years that that he had no doubts the 5-foot-7 energizer would come back firing on all cylinders.
“I’m not surprised, but I am impressed,” McBride said. “Given the circumstances when he returned, I would expect him to make the Finals. I think he’s good enough, and there’s not enough depth in the riders to keep him out. If you give him just a handful of chances, he’s going to make them count. Because he can ride, and he’s going to put up good scores every time.
“So I’m not surprised by it. I am impressed by it.”
Outlaw was supposed to ride for Team USA in Edmonton last year before he tore up his right shoulder during his final ride of the 2017 World Finals – a 90.5-point ride aboard Indian Medicine in the championship round.
McBride wanted to put Outlaw on the team for the PBR Global Cup in Sydney this past June, but Outlaw still was not yet ready to make a return to action.
“Injuries kept him off the first two teams,” McBride said. “He was a guy that we wanted to have on there the first two. Due to injuries, one at the Finals, and then of course the other stuff, Cheyenne and everything. He never came back quickly enough from the one at the Finals last year. As soon as he came back, pretty much, he got hurt again at Cheyenne.
“I’m just really glad we’ve got him for this one.”
Outlaw said getting a text message from McBride this week notifying him of his addition to Team USA alongside 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis and No. 8 Cody Nance only has him more amped up to come to the Velocity Tour Finals and clinch himself a seventh consecutive trip to the World Finals.
“That’ll totally fire you up and just get that fire burning,” Outlaw said. “Just get them coals starting.”
The 26-year-old leads No. 36 Cody Jesus, who was bucked off by Heavy D in 1.19 seconds in Round 1, by 117.5 points heading into Round 2.
Outlaw has drawn SW 506 for Round 2.
Fans can watch the finale of the Velocity Tour Finals exclusively on RidePass beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
“We are on to the next one,” Outlaw concluded. “Even if I bucked off, I still would have to take that fight to the next one. Win, lose or draw, we are showing up with our guns drawn the next time we are ready to fight.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko