BISMARCK, N.D. – Mason Taylor walked off the back of the bucking chutes Friday night inside the Bismarck Event Center with a big grin on his face.
Taylor and Carolina Cowboys teammate Daylon Swearingen had started the Dakota Community Bank & Trust PBR Team Series Preseason Event off with a bang for their team. Taylor had ridden Delbert Sr. for 86.25 points to begin the preseason against the Texas Rattlers before Swearingen pushed the Cowboys up further with 88.25 points on Cold Shot.
“Man, Lambert could have had both of us,” Taylor said with a big laugh. “I am just kidding. The trade worked out great for both teams.”
Swearingen – the 2022 PBR World Champion – and Taylor were the centerpieces of the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, trade on May 23. The Rattlers sent their top two draft picks to Carolina to get Joao Ricardo Vieira, Cody Jesus and the No. 26 overall pick in the draft.
The Cowboys defeated the Rattlers 256-173.5 Friday night in Bismarck on the backs of Taylor and Swearingen. Vieira and Jesus were unavailable for the Rattlers.
“It’s not really bragging rights,” Taylor said. “We’re just happy that we’re all a team, and the whole team stepped up. Everybody tried their butt off, and man, when you got the reigning World Champ on your team, it makes you try just a little harder.”
Swearingen added with a grin, “Scoring is the message.
“Bismarck’s always a great event. It’s a great way to start the Team Series off with the team. The whole team, we all tried our butts off, and that’s all we can ask for at the end of the day.”
PBR Team Series Preseason action in Bismarck continues Saturday night live on RidePass on Pluto TV (8:30 p.m. ET).
The 22-year-old had been hoping he could end up with Carolina coach Jerome Davis on the Cowboys, and the trade was great news for him in Arlington last month at Texas Live!
Swearingen is looking forward to representing his team during the team’s host event – Cowboy Days – in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on Sept. 9-11.
“It’s really cool to be with Jerome and Austin Dillon too – he’s competing (in NASCAR), so he has the same mentality that we have, and he definitely transfers it to us,” Swearingen said.
Davis admitted it was good to see the trade show some early returns this weekend in Bismarck because trading away talented riders like Vieira and Jesus was not easy.
“We let two really good guys go that day, with JRV and Cody, and we just hope it’s going to work, and hey, it’s paying dividends now,” Davis said.
Wingson Henrique da Silva was the other rider to chip in a score for the Cowboys (3-for-5), riding Short Nights for 81.5 points.
“I’m pumped,” Davis said. “This is the first game for the PBR deal, and for us to win with our team, I’m just excited. This is really cool, and I feel good about our team. We’ve got some improvement to do, but we got us a W today, and we’re going to move forward with it.”
The Rattlers (2-for-5) were led by the red-hot Ednelio Almeida (88.25 points on Sam I Am) and Jake Morinec (85.25 points on Quickfire). Texas had a chance to snatch the victory on the final ride of the game before Oilfield Outlaw’s Yellow Feather took down 2021 PBR Canada champion Cody Coverchuk in 4.89 seconds.
“You know what was cool? It came right down to the last bull, and I thought they had us,” Davis said. “I really did, four seconds into it, and things went backwards for them. It was good. It was exciting. I like this whole concept. I think it’s going to be really, really good for the fans also.”
Lambert went up to Davis following the game and slapped his longtime friend on the shoulder.
“It’s just like 30 years ago. You kicked my ass again,” Lambert said with a chuckle.
CAROLINA GETS TEST VS. MISSOURI ON SATURDAY NIGHT
On Saturday, the Cowboys will face an impressive Missouri Thunder squad, which defeated the Arizona Ridge Riders 261-83.75 on Friday, before the preseason schedule shifts to Tryon, North Carolina, on June 24-25 (RidePass on Pluto TV).
Missouri led all teams in Bismarck Friday with an aggregate score of 261 points.
Saturday, June 18 (8:30 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV)
Arizona Ridge Riders (0-1) vs. Texas Rattlers (0-1)
Carolina Cowboys (1-0) vs. Missouri Thunder (1-0)
Kansas City Outlaws (1-0) vs. Oklahoma Freedom (1-0)
Austin Gamblers (0-1) vs. Nashville Stampede (0-1)
Following the four games, a Bonus Round will take place. Each team will select one rider to attempt to ride one more bull. This rider does not have to be one of the five riders who competed earlier in his team’s respective games and instead can be an alternate (bench) rider.
The overall event-winning team in Bismarck will be the team with the best overall win-loss record. In the event of a tie in the event standings, a team’s bonus points will be the first tiebreaker. If there is still a tie, the second tiebreaker will be the team’s total aggregate score from its two games. The next and final tiebreaker will be combined buckoff time from a team’s games.
Based on Saturday’s game schedule, the winners of the Carolina vs. Missouri and Kansas City vs. Oklahoma games will compete for the Bismarck overall event title in the Bonus Round, as the winners of each game will be 2-0.
The preseason does not affect the PBR Team Series championship race and standings. These games are strictly exhibitions for the eight teams to prepare for the upcoming season.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media