LOS ANGELES – If there’s one thing Dalton Kasel prides himself on, it’s riding rank bulls for big scores.

During the 2022 season, he led the league with ten 90-point rides, and in 2023 is tied for the league lead with three.

It’s a talent that’s earned him the nickname Mr. 90 Points.

“It’s a privilege,” Kasel said. “It’s something that I’ve worked hard for in my life, I’ve had to work for to earn, and it’s been a blessing to be able to be 90 multiple times and have a riding style that helps me do that.”

Mr. 90 Points was in fine form this weekend at the PBR SoCal Showdown at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, going 2-for-3 to notch his first event win of the season.

On Sunday, Kasel won Round 2 with an 89.75-point ride on Kid Knapper – just short of the 90-point threshold but just as effective.

“It was an awesome bull of one of my friends, Bryce Cooper, so I’ve seen that bull a lot,” Kasel said. “A lot of people don’t like him or get along with him, but I try to just stay even-keeled through about everything and not let it bother me what bull I have, and it worked out.”

Kasel may not have won Round 1 on Friday night, but he did ride WSM’s Time in a Bottle for 90 points even, just a shade behind Boudreaux Campbell’s 91.25 points on Shameless.

“California’s been good to me,” Kasel said. “From how it’s been going, I wish we could have events every weekend here.”

Indeed, Kasel has had plenty of success in the Golden State. While his best prior finish in Los Angeles was 13^th in 2022, he has owned Sacramento, winning the event in 2021, placing second in 2022, and winning the 15/15 Bucking Battle in 2023.

That win is one of two 15/15 wins Kasel has scored this season. He also finished second in another.

“It’s the best bulls (in 15/15s), and I’m aggressive whenever I’m on the best bulls, and that always helps,” he said. “I don’t really clamp down on bulls, and I do whatever it takes to get the job done. It might not be the prettiest every time and look just easy, but it’s effective.”

It’s a style he says he cobbled together himself rather than taking inspiration from anyone in particular.

“I just watched a bunch of videos and stuff,” Kasel said. “I never really learned from one person in particular. It was just take a little bit of everything and try my best at it all. Watch people stay on bulls and buck off bulls and take something from everything.”

Even as well as Kasel’s season is going – he’s now ranked No. 4 in the Unleash The Beast standings, up from No. 7 when the weekend began – he’s measured when he talks about what he’s accomplished.

“It’s been decent, in my opinion,” Kasel said of his season. “It’s not where it should be yet. I feel like I have a lot more to accomplish, and I can get a lot better at what I’m doing. That’s something that keeps me striving and driving each and every day to be better each and every day. I’m not sitting No. 1 in the world right now, so it’s not where I need to be. So I’m not getting too comfortable.”

Winning his first event of the year certainly helps that cause. Kasel will head into next weekend’s PBR U.S. Border Patrol Invitational in Little Rock, Arkansas, a cool 14-for-31 (45% riding percentage) and having ridden three of his last five bulls. Round 1 from Little Rock airs Friday, March 3, at 8:45 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV.

While Kasel wants to be more consistent, he takes a relaxed approach to in-season training.

“With a season like this, I don’t really do a whole lot,” he said. “During the week, I just work with bulls and am around bulls each and every day, and I think that helps me ride better because I see how they move. There’s certain things that bulls do and certain little twitches they have, which I think helps me ride better because I have a feel for what’s going to happen next.”

Regardless of what happens next weekend, Kasel will relish his win in a state that’s been so good to him and a city as unique as Los Angeles.

“This place is amazing,” Kasel said. “There’s a bunch of history, there’s been a lot of celebrities and stuff, and it’s cool to be able to show up and show out in a place like this.”

PBR.com continues to celebrate Black History Month by honoring riders who have and continue to impact their communities by excelling on the world’s largest bull-riding stage.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media