NASHVILLE –  When the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Stampede Days kicked off Friday night inside Bridgestone Arena, the race to be crowned the inaugural PBR Team Series Champions intensified as the league’s top team was upset, a rising contingent won their fourth straight game and a streaky team of top talents recorded a string of qualified rides putting the entire league on notice.

In the opening game in Music City, the Ariat Texas Rattlers earned a crucial victory, upsetting the No. 1 Missouri Thunder 174.25-0.

Backed by a strong start to the game, logging back-to-back qualified rides, the Kansas City Outlaws won the second game of PBR Stampede Days, beating the Oklahoma Freedom 174.75-87.25.

In a clutch fifth-frame ride, Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) propelled the Austin Gamblers to the team’s fourth-consecutive victory, defeating the Arizona Ridge Riders 175.25-85.25.

The final game of the evening featured the hometown debut of the Nashville Stampede, the city’s newest professional sports team. Despite a quick start to the game, as both Kaique Pacheco and Thiago Salgado converted in the contingent’s opening two outs, the Stampede inevitably fell to the Carolina Cowboys 324-176.25.

In the game, the Cowboys went a near perfect 4-for-5, covering 80% of their bulls.

PBR Stampede Days continues Saturday, August 20 at 6:45 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Bridgestone Arena Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.

Prior to Saturday’s event, Stampede Days will host free-to-attend, family-friendly programming at the Bridgestone Arena Plaza starting at 11:00 a.m. CT. The musical performers include: John Haywood (11: 00 a.m.), Carson Beyer (12:00 p.m.), Kimberly Kelly (1:00 p.m.), Will Jones (2:30 p.m.), Mae Estes (3:30 p.m.) and Chancie Neal (4:15 p.m.).

In addition to musical acts on Aug. 20, fan fest patrons will be able to take part in three line-dancing lessons (2:00 p.m., 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.) under the instruction of Darcy Leasure, a featured professional from the Wildhorse Saloon.

PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Nashville, Tennessee. Check https://pluto.tv/en/live-tv/pbr-ridepass for the latest programming schedule.

Kansas City Outlaws: 174.75

Oklahoma Freedom: 87.25

Compliments of back-to-back qualified rides in the opening two frames of the game, the Kansas City Outlaws defeated the Oklahoma Freedom by one ride score, 174.75-87.25, during the first night of competition for the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series event in Nashville, Tennessee.

As the game got underway, the Freedom’s Matt Triplett (Canton, South Dakota) was the first to leave the chutes inside Bridgestone Arena.

Conquering Dr. X (Universal Pro Rodeo/Pepper/Freeman Cattle Co.) for 87.25 points, Triplett gave the Freedom an early lead. The Outlaws, however, were quick to respond.

Returning to competition for the first time since sustaining sidelining injuries in late July, Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) rapidly proved why he was the J.W. Hart-coached contingent’s first-round draft pick. Covering Spice (Flying C/Flying P Bucking Bulls) for 89.25 points, Kasel put his team 2 points ahead.

In the second frame, after Briggs Madsen (Tremonton, Utah) failed to continue the Freedom’s success, bucked off by Draco (Blake Sharp/Koe Wetzel/Hurt/Wilson/Lee) in a quick 2.79 seconds, Marcus Mast (Middlebury, Indiana) kept the Outlaws’ red-hot momentum alive.

The clutch rider for the Outlaws covered Prisoner (K-C Bucking Bulls) for 85.5 points to give his team an 87.5-point lead. As the scoreboard remained unchanged through the third and fourth cycle of riders, the game came down to Casey Roberts (Munford, Alabama), in a must-ride position for the Freedom at the top of the fifth.

Matched up with Ivy League (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) by Head Coach Cord McCoy, Roberts was unable to keep his team’s hopes alive, brought down in a quick 2.91 seconds.

After Koltin Hevalow (Smithville, Missouri) was bested in the final out of the game, the Kansas City Outlaws emerged supreme, winning the game 174.75-87.25.

During the second slate of games for PBR Stampede Days on Saturday, August 20, the Outlaws (3-5) will take on the Arizona Ridge Riders (4-4), while the Freedom (3-5) will look to reverse their fortunes when they face off against the Missouri Thunder (6-2) who were also defeated Friday evening.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media