PUEBLO, Colo. – Twenty-four of the PBR’s top bull riders will be embarking upon the USS Lexington this weekend for the PBR Air Force Reserve Cowboys for A Cause team competition.

The group of riders will be split into eight teams who will be competing for crucial points toward the world standings and the race to the 2021 PBR World Finals, while, more importantly, helping raise money for and awareness for Farmer Veteran Coalition.

Farmer Veteran Coalition is a national nonprofit non-governmental organization in the United States that mobilizes veterans to feed America and transition from military service to a career in agriculture.

Here is a look at the event format and tentative list of teams slated to ride on a bull riding arena constructed on the 910-foot-long flight deck of the famed “Blue Ghost.”

COWBOYS FOR A CAUSE EVENT FORMAT

• All three riders on each team will attempt to ride one bull in the first round of competition.
• The three teams with the highest aggregate score in Round 1 will advance to the Championship Round.
• In the Championship Round, each rider for every remaining team in the competition will get on one bull apiece.
• The team with the highest aggregate score in the Championship Round will be the winning team. (Essentially, the slate is wiped clean for the three teams and it will be winner-take-all).
• The Rider/ Bull matchups will be by random draw via computer by PBR personnel.

WORLD POINTS AVAILABLE

Unlike the inaugural Cowboys for a Cause event earlier this year, this weekend’s bull riding will offer world points to the contestants.

In Round 1, riders will earn world points based on individual ride scores and round place placement.

In Round 2, riders will only earn bonus world points for a qualified ride. Therefore, for any 90-point ride a rider will earn nine world points. Any 80-89.75-point ride will be worth eight points, and any 70-79.75-point ride will earn seven world points.

World leader Jose Vitor Leme takes a 519.5-point lead on No. 2 Kaique Pacheco into Cowboys for a Cause.

Bulls outs during Cowboys for a Cause will also count towards the 2021 YETI World Champion Bull race. No. 2 Chiseled will be the primary World Champion Bull contender bucking in Corpus Christi. He will be out in the Championship Round. Chiseled most recently was marked 46.25 points for bucking off Eli Vastbinder in 7.06 seconds last weekend in Fort Worth.

COWBOYS FOR A CAUSE TEAM ASSIGNMENTS

Team Bad Boy Mowers: Claudio Montanha Jr., Mauricio Moreira and Eli Vastbinder

Team Boot Barn: Alex Cerqueira, Joao Henrique Lucas and Kaique Pacheco

Team Pendleton Whisky: Cooper Davis, Jesse Petri and Mason Taylor

Team South Point: Cole Melancon, Eduardo Aparecido and Jose Vitor Leme

Team Wrangler: Cody Jesus, Silvano Alves and Thiago Salgado

Team Kubota: Ezekiel Mitchell, Junior Patrik Souza and Taylor Toves

Team Zip Recruiter: Austin Richardson, Dalton Kasel and Joao Ricardo Vieira

Team Lucas Oil: Cody Teel, Marcelo Procopio Pereira, Andrew Alvidrez

Four riders competed at the inaugural Cowboy for a Cause this past November: Teel, Aparecido, Mitchell and Moreira.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media