CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – In a sport that’s all about finishing, it was Randlett, Utah, native Josh Frost who exited Saturday night’s Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, as the 2023 Velocity Tour Champion.
Earning $50,000 and bragging rights for the year by closing out the competition with the most Velocity Global points on the season, via the revisited format allowing riders to earn points for favorable finishes in PWVT, Touring Pro Division and various international competitions, but not factoring into the Unleash The Beast world rankings, Frost was able to close out his campaign with the title despite going 1-for-3 in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“It feels great, it’s been the goal all year and I’ve been to fewer events than some of the guys because I’ve been rodeoing a bunch,” Frost said.
RELATED: Josh Frost crowned 2023 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Champion
Competing in just a combined 11 events (eight PWVT, three TPD – USA) this season, the talented 27-year-old logged eight fewer appearances than No. 2 Claudio Montanha Jr., whom he held an 85.5-point advantage over heading into the final event of the expansion series circuit.
Beginning his slate Friday night via a showdown with Sugar Smack, he was dispatched from the bovine in a quick 3.57 seconds. Visually frustrated with the attempt, all while seeing Montanha record a quality 86.25-point ride atop High Hopes during the out prior, he knew he would have to lock it in in order to find success atop for his Round 2 opponent, Simp.
“Came in here, was leading it (the season-long race), stubbed my toe Friday night on a really good bull and knew I had to stay on tonight (Saturday) to still have a chance,” Frost shared.
Eventually willing himself into the championship round with his 86.75-point conversion aboard the Platinum Bull Co. talent, Frost met the 8-second mark and celebrated with the crowd.
Pairing up with Highwire in the championship round, Frost nearly made it two in a row to close out the season with a bang, but was upended by the animal athlete in a heartbreaking 7.34 seconds. Thankfully for the champ, Montanha failed to convert against Ah Hell, granting him the long-awaited win.
“I capitalized in the long round and they bucked me off at the end in the short round,” he said.
“I would’ve liked to have ridden a little better through the weekend, but I came in clutch when I needed to, got some points and finished strong.”
While the qualified ride was clutch indeed, it ended up being his win at the Clovis Rodeo PBR the week prior, which netted him 130 Velocity Global points, that made the ultimate difference.
After garnering 55 Velocity Global points Saturday night for his sixth-place tie with Wingson Henrique da Silva, Frost finished 113.5 points ahead of Montanha for the year-end honors.
Potentially just as important as securing his first PWVT championship, Frost qualified for next week’s 2023 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast, set to take place in Fort Worth, Texas, May 12-21.
While it’s been a productive, and celebratory weekend for the cowboy, he recognizes his journey is far from over.
“Just keep it going. Winning the deal here builds a lot of momentum and one really good ride is the start of a couple of good ones,” Frost added after everything was said and done.
“I really love riding bulls and I’m super blessed to get ahead to Fort Worth. Eight nights of the rankest bulls in the world: That’s what you dream about. It’s the stuff you tell your grandkids about.”
Joining Frost in qualifying for World Finals and chasing a first gold buckle of their own, Montanha, Nick Tetz, Joao Lucas Campos and Dawson Branton sealed the deal inside American Bank Center as well.
With the elite-talented bovines of the UTB waiting, Frost will get a few practice outs in throughout the week, and then it’s right back to business.
“I gotta fly out first thing in the morning back to Utah, we’re going to crack a few more practice bulls and be back down to Fort Worth on Wednesday,” Frost offered.
As much as he’s excited to perform well during his second trip to the largest stage in the industry, he’s boiling it down to the simplest of approaches when next week’s finale comes around.
“Just riding bulls. I love it and it’s a lot of fun, and in reality, it’s the easiest job in the world if you stay on for eight seconds,” he concluded.
“It’s whoever rides the most bulls makes the most money. I do really well when I don’t focus on the money, just focus on the process and focus on my job, which is making the whistle. The more times I do that, the more money I win and the better I place in the world standings.”
While Frost has been around the bull riding scene for a few years now, paired with his dominant season and demonstrated track record, he enters Friday’s opening round as a force to be reckoned with.
Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels throughout the week as the organization prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary within the Fort Worth Stockyards and throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area next week as the 2023 World Finals get underway.
Limited tickets remain for the exclusive showdown, and with two separate weekends of UTB action, not to mention the endless pool of musical talent, bullfighting entertainment and everything cowboy, it’s going to be a party you WON’T want to miss!
World Finals action is slated to begin on Friday, May 12 at 7:30 CST, with the best bull riders and bovines in the world set to duke it out for eight elite rounds of bull riding.
Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media