PUEBLO, Colo. – Featuring 22 conversions overall, with Daylon Swearingen teaming up with Midnight Magic to earn the opening round honors, Unleash The Beast officially kicked off its seventh event of the 2024 campaign in stunning fashion!

From several riders ridding their respective buckoff streaks to a few of the tour’s hottest riders looking as consistent as ever while seeing the the rookie class continue to represent, it’s a great time to be a fan of bull riding.

Whether you’re chasing down some late-night sodas or enjoying with an early cup of joe, PBR.com is taking a brief look at some of Friday night’s biggest takeaways during Round 1 of the Tractor Supply Co. PBR Chicago.

Party for Cort, Please: Featured front and center in this weekend’s What to Watch For after heating up this fall during some Touring Pro Division appearances and capping off his streaky start to 2024 this week by bringing home a pair of buckles at the PBR Denver Chute Out at The National Western Stock Show, it sure is a good time to be Cort McFadden. Surviving the requisite 8 during his UTB debut after going just 1-for-10 this summer during his rookie season with the Austin Gamblers, he posted a quality 86.75-point score dancing with Nightmare Friday night to kick his premier series career off in the ride column! Successful in 10 of his last 11 PBR-sanctioned outs, he’s undoubtedly one of the hottest riders on tour right now.

Class of 2024: It’s no secret that this year’s loaded rookie class is arguably one of the most talented groups in recent memory, with three of the Top-10 ranked riders coming into the weekend being first-year regulars and another four ranked within the Top 20. Building on that reputation Friday night, McFadden, Sage Steele Kimzey (85.5 points), John Crimber 83.5 points), Ednelio Almeida (83.25 points) and Paulo Eduardo Rossetto (80.25 points) each started their weekends off with a qualified ride. Apart from Dias’ 87-point journey abord IHOP, none of the scores exploded off the daysheet, with McFadden’s 86.75-point effort marking the next highest, good enough for a sixth-place result, but more importantly, they’ll help the rookies have a leg up on the 21 riders who exited Round 1 without a score.

87.25: Coming into the weekend with just five qualified rides in his first six events of the season, Boudreaux Campbell brought some momentum from his 2-for-3, ninth-place finish inside Madison Square Garden into the confines of Allstate Arena. Posting a nice 87.25-point mark paired with Bubba G after declining a 67-point mark en route to accepting his re-ride opportunity, the 25-year-old took home 17.5 UTB points for his second-place-tying effort, now successful in 3 of his last 4. One of the most consistent riders last season before turning in a 10th-place finish at the 2023 World Finals: Unleash The Beast, Friday night’s showcase was a good sign for Campbell fans as the Monster Energy athlete got the job done. With the chilly winter storms invading the Windy City, the Crockett, Texas, native will look to stay warm during his Saturday night matchup.

Not Too Late for 48: Ranked No. 48 overall entering the seventh event of the premier series slate, Keyshawn Whitehorse nearly shared the Round 1 honors with Campbell by notching his second conversion of the season Friday night, if not for some late-event heroics from the 2022 World Champion. Scored an identical 87.25 points, the crowd seemed to show Whitehorse some extra love as he looked to break out of his slow start to the season. Taking home a matching 17.5 UTB points for his successful showcase, Whitehorse has an opportunity to extend his overall streak to four-straight, since the McCracken Spring, Utah, resident logged a 2-for-2 fifth-place finish the night before during the 45th iteration of the PBR Stockyards Showcase.

Delays, Trains & Automobiles: Seemingly coming out of nowhere (no, literally, the tour had to move Daylon Swearingen to the final flight of the night Friday because he was one of many event attendees dealing with weather-based travel troubles) Swearingen stole the show while looking like his old self again. Securing the Round 1 win during the third-from-final out of the evening, he matched his opening round opponent, Midnight Magic, step-for-step en route to earning his round-winning 88.25-point mark. Representing his fifth qualified ride of the season, the Piffard, New York, native ended night one ranked No. 21 as he attempts to climb his way back to world title-contending form. 

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media