CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – PBR (Professional Bull Riders) today announced the league’s elite Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals will move to Corpus Christi, Texas and American Bank Center starting in 2022, uniting with the region’s iconic Buccaneer Days (Rodeo Corpus Christi) western festival. Reflecting the PBR’s previously announced comprehensive schedule restructure, the two-day championship event will be held in May in the Lone Star State, crowning a Velocity Tour champion for the first time in 2022.

Las Vegas will remain the home of the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals in 2021, hosting the year-end event Oct. 30-31 at the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center where the ferocious race for the year’s Velocity Tour Championship comes to a climactic finish.

“As Mayor of Corpus Christi, I am honored to welcome the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) to our beautiful city and to see them join the exciting line-up during our legendary Buccaneer Days festivities,” said Paulette Guajardo, Mayor of Corpus Christi. “It is truly a pleasure and big win for Corpus Christi to welcome such a prestigious organization and event.”

"We are excited to crown the season-ending Champion as host to the PBR Velocity Tour Finals during our 2022 Buc Days,” said Johnny Philipello, President & CEO of Buccaneer Commission. “This move is an indication of the strengthening partnership between the PBR and the Buccaneer Commission (Rodeo Corpus Christi). This partnership will continue to enhance the Buc Days experience and help raise scholarships for Coastal Bend students.”

“On the spurs of a successful debut PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event held in conjunction with Buc Days in 2021, we are excited to bring the expansion series’ crown jewel, the Velocity Tour Finals, to the great city of Corpus Christi in 2022,” said Robert Simpson, General Manager of the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour. “Through our incredible partnership with Buc Days, we are eager to expand our presence at this iconic Western sports extravaganza and bring Corpus Christi a prestigious Championship event that will not only crown the 2021 Velocity Tour Champion, but also play an integral role in shaping the ultimate race for the PBR World Championship.”

The inaugural PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals in Corpus Christi will be held May 6-7, 2022 at American Bank Center. The expansion series’ year-end event will mark the final PBR event of the season held prior to the sport’s World Finals, scheduled to debut in Fort Worth from May 13-22, 2022 at Dickies Arena.

Launched in 2014, the PBR’s Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour is the league’s fastest-growing tour. South Point Arena & Equestrian Center in Las Vegas has been home to the Velocity Tour Finals since 2016, with the exception of 2020 when the year-end event was held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions. The inaugural Velocity Tour Finals were held in Louisville, Kentucky in 2015.

The Velocity Tour plays a crucial role in shaping the year’s broader World Championship race, providing the sport’s athletes crucial point opportunities throughout the year, and awarding five riders berths to the PBR World Finals via their effort at the Velocity Tour Finals.

Throughout the 2022 season, which will now span from January to May in line with the organization’s previously announced restructure, the Velocity Tour will hold 26 events across the United States before bringing the tour’s most prestigious event, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, to Corpus Christi in early May.

In 2021, PBR and Buc Days joined forces for the first time in history, holding a much-anticipated, regular-season Velocity Tour event to begin the renowned, week-long festival. Keeping the raucous crowd inside American Bank Center on the edge of their seats, Caic Cassio Carvalho delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance to collect his first victory on the league’s expansion series.

Corpus Christi has also twice hosted the league’s annual Cowboys for a Cause charity event, which has raised more than $750,000 for deserving causes and organizations in the two iterations of the team-formatted event held atop the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi Bay.

Ticketing information for the 2022 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals in Corpus Christi and regular season Velocity Tour events, in addition to a complete season schedule, will be announced in the coming weeks.

PBR will hold events in the months following the 2022 PBR World Finals in May until the next regular season begins in late 2022. The league will provide updates on those plans in the near future.

Tickets are still available for the 2021 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals. Marking the year-end event’s final time in Las Vegas at South Point Arena & Equestrian Center, tickets for the two-day event range in price from $33 to $125. Fans can purchase tickets at the South Point Hotel & Casino Box Office, pbr.com, at Ticketmaster.com, or by phone through the PBR Customer Service Department at 800-732-1727.