With the 14th showdown of the 2024 Unleash The Beast campaign set to bring two days of thrilling action to Gainbridge Fieldhouse March 2-3, the best bull riders in the world are primed to put on a show for the great fans of Indianapolis, Indiana! Ahead of the midwestern meet-up, PBR.com is taking a closer look at the rankest rides, biggest stories and beyond ahead of the Ariat PBR Indianapolis:

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CRIMBER PERFECT IN JACKSONVILLE TO WIN FIRST PREMIER SERIES EVENT: Young phenom John Crimber overtook Austin Richardson for the No. 2 spot in the Unleash The Beast standings with a perfect 3-for-3 performance in Jacksonville, Florida, last weekend. Crimber roared out of the chutes to tie for the event lead with 87 points on Flatliner. The 18-year-old cowboy made the 8 for 87.75 points, the second-best score of the round, to hold the event lead heading into the championship round. Choosing Doze You Down as his final animal athlete opponent, Crimber stormed out of the chutes one last time, converting for an event-high 91 points to net his first premier series victory, flinging his helmet towards the heavens in celebration in front of a roaring VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena crowd. Throughout his perfect weekend, the Texan showed incredible mastery of his animal athlete opponents, posting an impressive rider over bull (ROB) score of 3.08.

DIAS MAINTAINS NO. 1 RANKING: While John Crimber may have closed the gap, No. 1 Cassio Dias still holds a commanding lead in the gold buckle race after going 1-for-2 and finishing 26th in Jacksonville. The Brazilian rookie bounced back after bucking off Big Worm in 1.92 seconds in the opening round, riding Hunted Down for 82.5 points in Round 2. However, it wasn’t enough to punch a ticket to his eleventh championship round, so he had to watch from the sidelines as fellow-rookie Crimber took home the buckle. In Los Angeles, the Brazilian cowboy had extended his lead, going 2-for-3 to win his fourth event of the season. The rising superstar topped Hell Storm for 87.25 points in Round 1, the second-best score of the evening, but was dispatched by Ghost Face in 3.04 seconds in Round 2 on Saturday. Knowing he most likely needed a monstrous score to take over the No. 1 spot, Dias showed no fear and selected the 2024 YETI PBR World Champion Bull frontrunner, Man Hater, who hadn’t been covered before. The dynamic duo burst out of the gate in the championship round in front of a roaring Crypto.com Arena, posting a mind-boggling, 94.75-point score, the highest-marked ride since Jose Vitor Leme topped Ridin’ Solo for 94.75 points in Oklahoma City in February of 2022 and the highest ride in PBR history in California. With the Top-50 ride in premier series history, Dias put a stamp on his season that could end with a gold buckle.

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media