PUEBLO, Colo. – On Nov. 19, the 2023 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour season kicks off with the Ouncie Mitchell Memorial Invitational at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas (8:30 p.m. ET, RidePass on Pluto TV).
While we gear up for 2023, let’s look back at 2022. In a race that came down to the wire, Cody Jesus took the 2022 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals event title ahead of Clayton Sellars, who finished second but still won the 2022 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour title.
It was a wild season of rides and wrecks. Here were the top 11.
T1. Cody Jesus rides Johnny Rocket for 91 points – Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals
Cody Jesus ended the 2022 season on one hell of a hot streak, winning the Velocity Tour Finals before heading to Fort Worth, Texas, for the PBR World Finals and nearly winning that too. He went 2-for-3 in Corpus Christi, but that was all he would need thanks to his 91-point ride on Johnny Rocket in Round 2.
T1. Patterson Starcher rides Hey Bartender for 91 points – Cedar Park, Texas
Patterson Starcher got the season off to a hot start at the Cedar Park Chute Out in January, riding Hey Bartender for a career-high 91 points in the championship round. He went 2-for-3 overall and, even with a 91-point score, managed just a fifth-place finish as two riders went 3-for-3 and two others edged him in the aggregate at 2-for-3. Still, the fifth-place performance tied for the best of his career.
3. Alisson de Souza rides Hey Bartender for 90.5 points – Casper, Wyoming
In April, Alisson de Souza exploded for 90.5 points on Hey Bartender at the Casper Invitational. He went 1-for-2 and finished fourth overall thanks to that score. Souza competed mostly on the Velocity Tour in 2022 and went undrafted in the PBR Team Series Draft in May, but this ride hinted at some greater potential. Souza would go on to be drafted by the Arizona Ridge Riders and was a key contributor in their run to a second-place finish at the PBR Team Series Championship.
T4. Dustin Martinez rides True Religion for 90 points – Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals
Dustin Martinez made his PBR debut in 2015, but 2022 was the first time he truly focused on PBR competition. He finished ninth overall at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, riding True Religion for 90 points to win Round 1 and tie his career high.
T4. Dustin Martinez rides Crossover for 90 points – College Station, Texas
Martinez’s other 90-point ride came aboard Crossover at the PBR Boot Barn Classic in Aggieland in April. He narrowly missed the event win, finishing second to Elijah Mora, but it stands as the best PBR event finish in his career thus far.
T4. Josh Frost rides Jackpot for 90 points – Denver, Colorado
Josh Frost might be known for his famous last name, but he’s out there to make a name of his own. At the Denver PBR Chute Out at the National Western Stock Show, Frost rode Jackpot for 90 points in the championship round. Five riders went 3-for-3, including Frost, who finished second overall for the best Velocity Tour finish of his career.
T7. Brandon Davis rides Quick Trigger for 89.5 points – Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals
Brandon Davis rode Quick Trigger for 89.5 points in Round 1 in Corpus Christi, giving him a 10th-place finish overall. Active on the Velocity Tour since 2014, Davis set a career-high with that score, which he then tied at the Challenger Series’ Boos & Bulls in late October.
T7. Lane Nobles rides One Boot Patches for 89.5 points – Wichita, Kansas
At the second-to-last regular-season Velocity Tour event of 2022, Lane Nobles rode One Boot Patches for 89.5 points in Round 1 of the Nexgrill Invitational. He went 2-for-2, finishing third overall.
T7. Alex Marcilio rides Oreo for 89.5 points – Wheeling, West Virginia
Alex Marcilio rode Oreo for 89.5 points at the Wheeling Invitational in March for his highest score on American soil. He went 2-for-3 for a third-place finish, tying his best Velocity Tour showing since winning in Salinas, California, in 2018 – his other third-place finish was in Greenville, South Carolina, this past January.
T7. Boudreaux Campbell rides Hollywood for 89.5 points – Memphis, Tennessee
Boudreaux Campbell showed up at the Bluff City Classic in a big way, riding Hollywood for 89.5 points and going 2-for-2 for the event victory. Campbell struggled with injury in 2022, competing sparingly before being drafted in the third round of the PBR Team Series Draft by the Carolina Cowboys.
T7. Clayton Sellars rides Another Lunatic for 89.5 points – Denver, Colorado
Clayton Sellars won Round 1 in Denver with his 89.5-point ride on Another Lunatic. One of five riders to go 3-for-3 at the event, Sellars finished fourth overall. It was a good omen so early in the season, as he would go on to win the 2022 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour championship – in just six Velocity events, he earned two fourth-place finishes and two second-place finishes.
Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media
