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KENNEWICK, Wash. – For the third time in history, the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) will buck into Kennewick, Washington, bucking back to the Toyota Center on Sept. 8-9 for the Challenger Series’ PBR Tri-Cities Classic.
For two nights only, some of the best bull riders in the world will battle the sport’s most powerful bovine athletes who are bred to buck in the ultimate David vs. Goliath showdown in a series showcasing one of the most exciting live sporting events to witness.
The PBR Challenger Series will hold more than 60 events from May-October, culminating with its Championship on October 19 in Las Vegas. The PBR Challenger Series provides additional competitive opportunities for bull riders who are both affiliated and unaffiliated with a PBR Team Series team.
PBR has held two prior events inside Toyota Center, bringing the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour to Kennewick in 2021, marking the organization’s first-ever event in the city, followed by a two-day Challenger series event in 2022.
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In 2021, home-state hopeful Cody Casper (Newport, Washington) delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance to win the inaugural PBR Tri-Cities Classic.
Casper first put points on the board in Round 1, covering Teddy Bear (Big Bend/Flying Five) for 80 points. The Washington native then continued his momentum in Round 2, again making the 8 aboard Supreme (H5 Bucking Bulls) for 58.5 points. Despite earning a re-ride, he declined the opportunity, subsequently punching his ticket to the championship round as the lone cowboy with two qualified rides.
The raucous crowd was brought to the edge of their seats as Casper, the last man to leave the chutes, climbed aboard Sitting Bull (Diamond Willow/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger). In near-picture-perfect form, Casper matched the powerful bovine athlete jump-for-jump en route to an 87.5-point score, clinching the victory.
The most recent event in Kennewick was dominated by Bill Henry (Manila, Utah), going a perfect 2-for-2 to collect his first PBR event win.
Henry began his march to victory with an 83.5-point effort aboard Roadkill (Wentz Bucking Bulls) in Round 1. The 8-second effort positioned the 20-year-old tied for eighth as the second round got underway.
Awaiting the Utah native in the final round was Agent 99 (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger). In perfect time with his animal athlete counterpart, Henry delivered his second score in as many attempts, marked 85 points.
While Kennewick has only welcomed the PBR twice prior, Washington is no stranger to world-class Western sports.
Neighboring city Pasco welcomed the developmental Touring Pro Division in 2009 and 2010. After Chris Newsom (Hammon, Oklahoma) won the inaugural event in 2009, Chon Miranda (Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico) captured the title in PBR’s most recent trip to Pasco in 2010.
Yakima is also home to one of the fan-favorite PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour events, having hosted the series from 2015-2017. Those Evergreen State event victors are Bonner Bolton (2015 – Odessa, Texas); Cody Ford (2016 – Stanfield, Oregon), and Joao Ricardo Vieira (2017 – Itatinga, Brazil). Prior to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s debut in Yakima in 2015, the city welcomed the organization’s Touring Pro Division eight times from 2006-2014.
Adding to the region’s familiarity with world-class Western sports, the Tri-Cities has produced the likes of World Championship-contending bull rider Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington). Hailing from nearby Walla Walla, the 26-year-old has qualified for the PBR World Finals eight times, finishing runner-up to the PBR World Championship in 2017, and was a key member of the Oklahoma Freedom in the inaugural 2022 PBR Team Series season.
The bull riding action for the 2023 PBR Tri-Cities Classic begins at 8:00 p.m. PDT on Friday, September 8, and 7:00 p.m. PDT on Saturday, September 9.
All 35 competing bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 on Friday evening and Round 2 on Saturday night. The riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 10 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.
Tickets for the two-day event go on sale Monday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. PDT, and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Toyota Center Box Office or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.