KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the fourth time in league history, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour will buck into Knoxville, Tennessee, returning to the Thompson-Boling Arena on February 19, 2022, with the PBR Knoxville Invitational.
For one night only, some of the best bull riders in the world will battle the sport’s rankest bovine athletes in the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast in one of the most exciting live sporting events to witness.
PBR’s Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour last traveled to Knoxville in 2020 when surging Brazilian Joao Henrique Lucas (Bastos, Brazil) captured his career-first victory on the league’s expansion series.
The win was pivotal in Lucas’s rise to prominence on bull riding’s world stage.
He earned a berth to the elite Unleash The Beast and has been a consistent competitor on the premier series since. Lucas concluded the 2020 season with his career-first qualification to the World Finals en route to finishing the year ranked No. 33 in the world. Lucas’s successes continued in the most recent 2021 title race, finishing the year ranked a career-best No. 21 in the standings.
Other past PBR Knoxville Invitational event winners include Dylan Smith (2019 – Ararat, Virginia) and Ryan Miller (2018 – Waterloo, Indiana).
The PBR’s return to Knoxville will come on the spurs of one of the fiercest races for the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour in league history.
While Michael Lane (Tazewell, Virginia) held the No. 1 position in the standings for the majority of the season, he was surpassed during the last out of the year. Adriano Salgado (Batatais, Brazil) used a runner-up finish at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals to surge to the top ranking in the standings. The Brazilian newcomer Salgado finished a slim 26.5 points ahead of No. 2 Lane, who could not compete at the year-end event due to injury.
The Knoxville tour stop will tentatively mark the 14th Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event of the year, with PBR’s fastest-growing tour first stopping in cities including Portland, Oregon; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Jacksonville, Florida; and North Charleston, South Carolina.
The bull riding action for the 2022 PBR Knoxville Invitational begins at 7:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 19, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
On Saturday evening, all 40 competing riders will attempt one bull each in Round 1. Following the opening round, the Top 15 will then advance to the championship round, where they will attempt one final bull, all in an effort to be crowned the event champion.
Tickets for the one-day event go on sale Friday, November 19 at 10:00 a.m. EDT and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at KnoxvilleTickets.com and PBR.com, at the Thompson-Boling Arena Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
PBR Elite Seats are available for $175 for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit. These tickets offer the best seats in the venue, a question-and-answer presentation with some of the top bull riders and stock contractors in the world, a $10 concession voucher, souvenir credential and lanyard, and a post-event photo opportunity from the dirt.
For an enhanced PBR experience, fans can purchase add-on PBR Premium Experiences which will include the Elite Experience on Saturday, February 19.
The Elite Experience, available for $50, will include a Q&A session with a select group of the league’s top riders, bullfighters and stock contractors, photo opportunity, and commemorative credential and lanyard.
For more information on PBR Premium Experiences or to purchase the Elite Experience for the PBR Knoxville Invitational in Tennessee, visit https://pbr.com/tickets/premium-experiences/.
