CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – For the first time in its history, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) will hold the marquee Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, in Corpus Christi, Texas, uniting with the iconic Buccaneer Days western festival to bring the expansion series’ season-ending event to American Bank Center Arena on May 6-7, 2022.

The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals will feature 45 of the world’s best bull riders vying for the title of PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals event champion and the coveted honor of PBR Velocity Tour Champion, receiving an accompanying $50,000 bonus.

Throughout the 2022 season of PBR’s premier expansion tour, now spanning January-May, established stars of the sport and emerging newcomers will compete across more than 25 events spanning coast-to-coast of the United States, vying for their chance to compete at the year-end Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals. 

Regarded as the “Championship before the Championship,” the expansion series’ year-end event also represents the final opportunity for riders to qualify to the sport’s most prestigious event, the PBR World Finals.

In 2021, SouthPoint Arena & Equestrian Center held the final iteration of the Velocity Tour Finals in Las Vegas.

While 2020 PBR Rookie of the Year Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) won the event, Adriano Salgado (Batatais, Brazil) delivered an impressive come-from-behind surge to be crowned the 2021 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Champion.

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 as Salgado 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.

Salgado earned the coveted title of Velocity Tour Champion and his career-first berth to the famed PBR World Finals. Salgado concluded his breakthrough season ranked a career-best No. 32 in the world.

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 was home to the Velocity Tour Finals since 2016, except in 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.

A complete list of past PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Champions is: Jason Malone (2014 – Pleasanton, Texas), Gage Gay (2015 – Staley, North Carolina), Chase Outlaw (2016 – Hamburg, Arkansas), Alex Marcilio (2017 – Macaubal, Brazil), Alisson de Souza (2018 – Taubate, Brazil), Jose Vitor Leme (2019 – Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) and Mason Taylor (2020 – Maypearl, Texas).

A complete list of past PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals event winners is: Gay (2015), Outlaw (2016 & 2018), Sage Kimzey (2017 – Strong City, Oklahoma), Leme (2019) and Taylor (2020).

The 2022 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, will mark the second consecutive season PBR and Buc Days have united to bring a Velocity Tour event to the iconic Western festival.

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

The bull riding action for the 2022 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, begins at 7:30 p.m. CST on Friday, May 6, and 6:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, May 7 at American Bank Center Arena.

Forty-five of the world’s best bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 on Friday, May 6, followed by Round 2 on Saturday, May 7. At the conclusion of the second round, the riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled, with the Top 10 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at being crowned at the 2022 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Champion and Finals event winner.

Additionally, via the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, five riders will also earn a berth to the PBR World Finals, scheduled for May 13-22 in Fort Worth, Texas, at Dickies Arena.

Tickets for the season-culminating, two-day event go on sale Friday, December 17 at 10:00 a.m. CST, and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the American Bank Center 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, $10 concession voucher, souvenir credential and lanyard, and 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 both Friday, May 6, and Saturday, May 7.

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.