PUEBLO, Colo. – With the PBR Team Series set to invade Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, for Stampede Days Aug. 19-21, the opening quarter of the inaugural Series’ season is officially in the books.
Featuring a variety of PBR World Champions, experienced veterans and young bucks alike, PBR.com is taking a look at each of the eight teams’ top-performing riders through the tour’s first three regular-season events.
While it’s very much a team-first mindset throughout each group, riders are racing to be crowned the first-ever PBR Team Series Most Valuable Player, as the series will award a $50,000 bonus to the top points-earner at the end of the season.
With five of the eight current team point leaders being drafted in the first round, the PBR Team Series has already showcased the importance of team depth, free agent signings and camaraderie.
Jose Vitor Leme currently leads the MVP race and fronts this pack of cowboys who each lead their respective team in aggregate point totals at this point in the campaign:
Jose Vitor Leme – 619 Points, No. 1 (Austin Gamblers)
A two-time PBR World Champion, Leme was the first rider drafted during the PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, when the Austin Gamblers chose to build their franchise around the experienced Brazilian cowboy.
Since selecting Leme with its first overall selection, Austin has seen its leading rider go a series-best 7-for-10, logging six qualified rides during head-to-head matches and adding a qualified Bonus Round ride on July 26, when the cowboy rode Montana for his season-best score of 90.75 points.
Most recently, in Anaheim, California, Leme went 2-for-3 to help his Gamblers squad capture its first event title. The veteran logged an 89-point outing on Tijuana Two-Step Friday in a victory over the Nashville Stampede and quickly followed it up with an 88.75-point ride (Monkey Blues) to help defeat the Kansas City Outlaws on Saturday.
So far, the Gamblers’ selection has paid off, as the veteran leads the MVP race with 619 points, more than 178 points ahead of No. 2 Daylon Swearingen.
Daylon Swearingen – 440.75, No. 2 (Carolina Cowboys)
Despite the Cowboys’ 3-4 start and going 0-for-2 last weekend in Anaheim, Swearingen has largely done his part in starting Carolina off on a good note, as his 5-for-8 record positions him in the No. 2 slot with 440.75 points.
Originally drafted third overall by the Ariat Texas Rattlers, Swearingen was traded to the Carolina Cowboys alongside teammate Mason Taylor. The 2022 PBR World Champion has since teamed up with Taylor, who’s acquired a respectable 349.50 points while climbing to No. 5 in the MVP race, to be Carolina’s one-two punch.
The 23-year-old started the season off in scorching hot fashion, recording an 88-point ride in his first opportunity via the bucking efforts of WSM’s Nasty Wishes before following up the performance with an 87.25-point outing on Oilfield Outlaw’s Yellow Feather.
Setting a league-high score during the series’ opening weekend in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and representing his only attempted extra ride so far this season, Swearingen teamed up with I’m Legit Too in the Bonus Round to record a 92.5-point ride.
Swearingen and the Cowboys will look to get back in the win column this weekend in Nashville, while fellow MVP competitor Alisson De Souza and the Arizona Ridge Riders also look to bounce back from their two-game losing streak.
Alisson De Souza – 418.75, No. 3 (Arizona Ridge Riders)
Marking the only rider on this list not to be selected during the PBR Team Series Draft, the 29-year-old has been the signing of the season for the Ridge Riders.
Boasting an impressive 62.5% ride percentage (5-for-8), Souza helped Arizona to a 4-1 start, as the squad went 3-0 in Kansas City, Missouri, en route to capturing its first event title.
The veteran went 3-for-4 in the event, recording 77.5 (Dark Fantasy), 85.25 (Malaki) and 87-point (Off Campus) rides on the weekend before ultimately being bucked off Manaba during the bonus round in 4.84 seconds.
At first glance, the team’s success could be directly correlated with Souza, but thankfully for the Ridge Riders, a mix of talented individuals have continued to contribute for the squad. Arizona’s first-round draft selection Luciano De Castro ranks No. 7, joining Carolina as the only teams with two riders in the Top 7 heading into Stampede Days.
Derek Kolbaba – 350.50, No. 4 (Oklahoma Freedom)
As the first rider taken in the second round at ninth overall, Derek Kolbaba has provided a spark for a streaking Freedom team that posted a 2-0 record last weekend in Anaheim after starting its season 1-4.
At 4-for-9 on the year, the 26-year-old has oddly posted an exact 87.75 points in his last three qualified rides, with the cowboy’s last two rides coming via the efforts of Navajo Joe on August 12 and 13.
The weekend prior, in Kansas City, the squad’s top rider teamed up with American Gangster on August 7 for the first of three identical scores.
“I want to start it off and show the guys what we’re striving for each game and if that boosts everybody else’s confidence and makes them ride a little bit better, then perfect,” Kolbaba shared last weekend in Anaheim.
“For me, it’s just going in there and getting the job done and believing in myself that I can do it every time.”
RELATED: Confident Kolbaba has Freedom on track for success
Cody Jesus – 343, No. 6 (Texas Rattlers)
Bringing 343 points and a 4-for-7 record into Nashville’s Stampede Days, Cody Jesus has risen to the occasion for his Ariat Texas Rattlers and continues to lead his team in points through three official PBR Team Series competitions.
Originally drafted seventh overall by Carolina, Jesus was traded to Texas during the PBR Team Series Draft and has immediately become the face of the franchise.
With Jesus starting the season on a slow note, going 0-for-2 in Cheyenne, so did his Rattlers squad, as Texas began the year 0-3 through its first three games.
Since the young rider has logged qualified rides in four of his last five outings, including a 3-for-3 showing at Outlaw Days, the Rattlers have posted a 2-2 record, leaving the team at 2-5 and ranked seventh in the series standings.
Of Jesus’s four qualified rides, two came in at the 87-point mark, as the cowboy rode Lone Survivor on August 6 in a matchup against Carolina and matched the score last weekend in Anaheim aboard Harold’s Genuine Risk.
Colten Fritzlan – 341.50, No. 8 (Missouri Thunder)
Chosen with the fifth pick in the PBR Team Series Draft, Colten Fritzlan racked up 341.50 points in four qualified rides (4-for-8) while leading his Missouri Thunder team through the first quarter of the season.
After bucking off in both of his appearances in Cheyenne, Fritzlan has recorded rides in four of his last six outings, including a 2-for-2 showing last weekend when he logged an 85.25-point ride Friday on Orca before teaming up with Ridin’ Dirty Saturday for 82.5 points.
While it may seem odd that the 6-1 squad’s top-performing rider currently ranks eighth overall in the MVP race, it’s more so a testament to the team’s consistent, talented roster.
Approaching this weekend’s Stampede Days showcase, the Thunder are the only team with four riders ranked in the Top 20.
Kaique Pacheco – 259.25, No. 10 (Nashville Stampede)
Arguably the most surprising start to the season, No. 2 overall selection Kaique Pacheco currently ranks 10th in the MVP race after beginning the campaign with a 3-for-10 showing.
The veteran got off to a productive start to the year, logging an 86.5-point ride (Mr. Winston) in his first ride of the year with Nashville, but failed to make the whistle in his next three outings.
Again, starting the weekend strong, Pacheco managed an ever-important 85.75-point ride aboard Whip in Kansas City, as the Stampede defeated the Rattlers by one ride score.
The 27-year-old finished the weekend with a bang, logging an 87-point outing via the efforts of Tested’s Viper, but has been bucked off in his last four attempts.
Pacheco and his Nashville crew will look to rally behind the support of its home crowd this weekend as Bridgestone Arena is set to host Stampede Days Aug. 19-21.
Bob Mitchell – 247.25, No. 11 (Kansas City Outlaws)
The 2022 PBR Rookie of the Year has taken the success from his first Unleash The Beast campaign and built upon it during his team-leading start to the PBR Team Series.
With teammates Dalton Kasel and Kyler Oliver out of the lineup with injuries, the fourth-round, 29th-overall draft selection has moved himself up the depth chart while filling in with a bang.
After taking his first three rides of the year to familiarize himself with his team, format and extra entertainment that comes along with the exciting new circuit, Mitchell has evolved his game, logging qualified rides in three of his last four outings.
With a 2-for-2 performance last weekend in Anaheim, Mitchell climbed aboard Melanie’s Dream for a cool 83 points before following the ride up Saturday with an 86.75-point outing matched up with Elvis.
RELATED: Outlaws’ Mitchell leads Kansas City to team’s second PBR Team Series victory
Despite holding a 2-5 record through its first five head-to-head games, the Outlaws could easily be sitting higher in the standings, as the club has lost its last two games by .25 points (171.50-171.25) and 4.25 points (257.75-253.5).
Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media