With the 2024 Unleash The Beast campaign preparing to buck into the historic Madison Square Garden during the sixth event of the season, check out this weekend's top stories, statistics and more!

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RICHARDSON RISES TO NO. 2: Austin Richardson surged to the No. 2 spot in the Unleash The Beast standings courtesy of a flawless 3-for-3 performance in Albany, New York, during the final weekend of 2023. The Dallas, Texas, native kicked off a perfect ending to the year by covering Martini Houdini for a round-high-tying 86.5 points in the opening round. The 23-year-old cowboy then locked in on championship Saturday, winning Round 2 with a then event-high 88 points on Magic Trick, before completing the clean-sweep of the event and winning the final round with an event-high 88.75 points on Ivy League. Claiming at least a share of the top spot in every single round, Richardson became the first rider this season to win multiple rounds in an event. Richardson’s third premier series event win netted him a staggering 157 points in the standings and he is now just 73 points behind No. 1 Cassio Dias. Looking to remain red-hot, Richardson takes on Moonlight Party in Round 1 on Friday

DIAS HOLDS STRONG AT NO. 1: Cassio Dias continued his dominant hold of the No. 1 spot in the Unleash The Beast standings, going 1-for-3 and tying for 11th in Albany last weekend. After being shut out in Manchester, the resilient cowboy bounced back immediately in Round 1, covering Nighttime Crime for 85.75 points. Unable to make the 8 with a heartbreaking 7.99-second buckoff of Black Squirrel in Round 2, Dias couldn’t rebound in the championship round, but he had done enough to maintain his No. 1 ranking in the early race for a gold buckle. He faces Red Mosquito in his Madison Square Garden debut in Round 1 on Friday.

This weekend's PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden, presented by Ariat is set to begin Friday, Jan. 5 at 7:45 p.m. EST, with RidePass on Pluto TV coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST!

Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media