CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – For the third consecutive season, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) will hold the marquee Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, in Corpus Christi, Texas, uniting with the iconic Buccaneer Days celebration to bring the expansion series’ season-ending event to American Bank Center Arena on May 3-4, 2024.

The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals will feature 45 of the world’s best bull riders vying for the title of PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals event champion, the coveted honor of PBR Velocity Tour Champion, and a combined $150,000 event purse.

PBR’s premier expansion tour begins its 2024 season with dual events in Lexington, Kentucky, Jan. 5-6, and Portland, Oregon, Jan. 6. Established stars of the sport, and emerging newcomers, will compete across 30 events spanning coast-to-coast of the United States, with all roads leading to beautiful Corpus Christi for the year-end PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers. 

The return of the Velocity Tour Finals to Corpus Christi comes on the spurs of one of the organization’s most dynamic individual seasons in 2023, as, riding the surging popularity of Western Sports, the Velocity Tour broke and reset numerous attendance and competition records en route to its most successful season to date.

Regarded as the “Championship before the Championship,” the expansion series’ year-end event also represents the final opportunity for riders to qualify for the sport’s most prestigious event, the PBR World Finals.

Via the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, five riders will also earn a berth to the PBR World Finals, which will culminate May 18-19 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In 2023, Josh Frost (Randlett, Utah) emerged the supreme competitor, delivering a clutch ride on the final day of the campaign in Corpus Christi, Texas, to be crowned the 2023 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Champion, earning the accompanying $50,000 bonus.

He was joined on the podium by Joao Lucas Campos (Porto Feliz, Brazil) who made his debut on U.S. soil and rode to the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals event win. Campos went 2-for-3 en route to the victory, sweeping Championship Saturday, earning $37,250.

A complete list of past PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Champions is: Jason Malone (2014 – Pleasanton, Texas), Gage Gay (2015 – Staley, North Carolina), Chase Outlaw (2016 – Hamburg, Arkansas), Alex Marcilio (2017 – Macaubal, Brazil), Alisson de Souza (2018 – Taubate, Brazil), Jose Vitor Leme (2019 – Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), Mason Taylor (2020 – Maypearl, Texas), Adriano Salgado (2021 – Batatais, Brazil) and Clayton Sellars (2022 – Fruitland Park, Florida).

Bull riders who have won the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals event are: Gay (2015), Outlaw (2016 & 2018), Sage Kimzey (2017 – Strong City, Oklahoma), Leme (2019), Taylor (2020), Boudreaux Campbell (2021 – Crockett, Texas), Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona).

The 2023 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals will mark the fourth consecutive season PBR and Buc Days have united to bring a Velocity Tour event to the iconic celebration.

In 2021, PBR and Buc Days first joined forces, holding a much-anticipated, regular-season Velocity Tour event to begin the renowned, week-long celebration. Keeping the raucous crowd inside American Bank Center Arena on the edge of their seats, Caic Cassio Carvalho (Tres Ranchos, Brazil)delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance to collect his first victory on the league’s expansion series.

The bull riding action for the 2024 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals begins at 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4 at American Bank Center Arena.

Forty-five of the world’s best bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 on Friday, May 3, followed by Round 2 on Saturday, May 4. At the conclusion of the second round, 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 being crowned at the 2024 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Champion and Finals event winner.

Tickets for the 2024 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, are on sale now, and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at PBR.com and Ticketmaster.com, at the American Bank Center Arena Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.

PBR Elite Seats are available for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit. These tickets, available in three tiers, offer premium seats, personal on-site concierge at the PBR fan loyalty booth, and more. For more information on elite seats, call 1-800-732-1727, or to purchase, visit ticketmaster.com.

For more information about the PBR and the 2024 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour schedule, visit PBR.com.  

Stay tuned to PBR.com for the latest news and results, and be sure to follow the sport on all social media platforms at @PBR.

Photo courtesy of Andre Silva & Bull Stock Media