INDIANAPOLIS – On the final out of the Ariat PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Indianapolis, Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) knocked down a clutch ride to remain perfect on the weekend and win his first event of the 2024 season.
A star for the Austin Gamblers in the separate PBR Camping World Team Series, Kasel tied for third in Round 1 by covering Dream Walkin (Conaway/Ogden/Hart Cattle Co) for 86.25 points.
Now finding his groove, the Texan rumbled out of the chutes on Unhinged (Davis Rodeo Ranch/KHC Bucking Bulls) for another 86.25 points in Round 2 to seize the lead.
Choosing I’m Legit Too (Hart Cattle Co/Hale) as his final animal athlete opponent, Kasel needed 87 points to leap past Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) to win the event. He walked off victorious with a solid 88.25 points. Kasel had never attempted the bull before in his six years at PBR’s elite level.
“I’ve never seen Dalton so ready to get to the next bull and be so dedicated,” said 2016 PBR World Champion Cooper Davis on Sunday’s CBS Sports Network broadcast. “He’s the guy to watch going forward. He’s a force to be reckoned with.”
Kasel’s first win since back-to-back victories in Los Angeles, California, and Little Rock, Arkansas, last season netted the Texan 131.5 points to move him to No. 4 in the Unleash The Beast standings, 341 points behind No. 1 Cassio Dias (Sao F. de Sales, Brazil).
Kasel has now ridden six consecutive bulls after going 3-for-3 the previous weekend in Jacksonville.
“Without the Lord, nothing is possible,” Kasel said. “He gives me the strength to just keep pushing for it.”
Kasel’s clutch ride put him ahead of Aparecido, who finished second.
The Brazilian began his perfect weekend on High Class (Flinn Cattle Co), riding the powerful bovine competitor for 85 points in Round 1.
Searching for his first win since Everett, Washington, last April, the veteran thundered out of the chutes for 84.25 points on Sly (K-C Bucking Bulls/RD Cattle) in the second round.
Entering the championship round No. 7 in the event standings, the Arizona Ridge Riders’ Aparecido converted once again, topping Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/High Voltage/Wetzel/Knott) for a monstrous, event-high 90 points.
The silver finish propelled the Brazilian cowboy 98.5 points up to No. 5 in the standings.
The final rider to go a perfect 3-for-3 was Julio Cesar Marques (Tatui, Brazil).
Sharing a chute with Pneu-Dart’s Chief Wahoo (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls), the rookie bolted out of the chutes for 85.75 points in the opening round.
The Kansas City Outlaw then punched his ticket to the championship round by riding Kodiac (Blake Sharp/UB Bucking Company) for 86 points in Round 2.
In the championship round, the Brazilian rocketed out of the gate for 87.25 points to secure the last spot on the podium.
The third-place finish garnered Marques 81 points, pushing him to No. 10 in the Unleash The Beast standings.
Round 1 winner Alan de Souza (Taubate, Brazil) finished fourth.
A rider for the Nashville Stampede, Souza broke out to an early lead after winning the opening round courtesy of an 87.25-point showing aboard Woody (Flinn Cattle Co.).
While he would make the 8 for 83.5 points on Fat Randy (Jerry Tuttle/Davis Rodeo Ranch) in Round 2, he was flung hard to the dirt on his dismount and was unable to compete in the championship round.
The fourth-place finish garnered Souza 57 points, and he is currently ranked No. 7 in the 2024 gold buckle race.
Rounding out the Top 5 was Vitor Losnake (Bauru, Brazil), who went 2-for-3.
The Arizona Ridge Riders star rode Blue Day (K Bar C Bucking Bulls/2P Cattle) for 84.5 points in the opening round and earned a spot in the championship round by topping Flatliner (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson) for 86.25 points.
Searching for his first premier series event win, Losnake rocketed out of the gate on Chateau Montelena’s Montana Jacket (Vella/Coleman/Ogden/Hart) but was unseated after a thrilling 5.68 seconds.
The buckoff earned the powerful bovine competitor the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the Event title, his first this season.
Losnake left Gainbridge Fieldhouse with 44 points and is currently ranked No. 18 in the Unleash The Beast standings.
Also of note was Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCraken Spring, Utah), who went 2-for-3 and finished seventh.
On the cutline entering Indianapolis, the Arizona Ridge Riders veteran found his groove in Round 1, riding Creek (K-C Bucking Bulls) for 86 points.
In Round 2, the Utahn thundered out of the chutes on Dangerous Medicine (Hart Cattle Company) for 81.25 points to qualify for the championship round.
Steadying himself in the chutes on Dark Thoughts (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson), Whitehorse burst out of the chutes and initially sat tall on the animal athlete before losing the rope after 7.58 seconds.
The seventh-place finish secured the cowboy’s spot on the premier series as he rose 29 points in the standings to No. 27.
Last week’s event winner, No. 2 John Crimber (Decatur, Texas), went 1-for-3 and finished 10th.
After bucking off Mike’s Motivein the opening round, the rookie battled back, covering Boomerang (Blake Sharp/Stacy Utz/Rachel Farris/Tristen Jones/Stacey Rickman) for 86.25 points in Round 2 to earn a spot in the championship round.
Tasked with Cy Young (Blake Sharp/Robbie Ray/Doug Wilson), the young gun roared out of the chutes but was quickly dispatched in 2.07 seconds.
The 10th-place finish netted Crimber 18.5 points to help close the gap to 276.5 points behind No. 1 Dias.
The PBR’s Unleash The Beast’s next stop, the 15th event of the 24-event season, is the PBR Milwaukee, presented by Cooper Tires, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday, March 9 at 6:45 p.m. CST and Sunday, March 10, at 1:45 p.m. CST.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
Elsewhere in the PBR, the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour held events in both Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Knoxville, Tennessee, while PBR Canada’s Cup Series was in action in Lethbridge, Alberta.
At the first-ever Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Hunter Ball (Carsonville, Michigan) and Grayson Cole (New Ringgold, Pennsylvania) emerged the supreme competitors, tying for the event win at the PBR Bridgeport in front of a sold-out Saturday night crowd.
Both Ball and the Florida Freedom’s Cole went 1-for-3 to garner 93 Velocity Global points. Ball delivered the top score in Round 1, besting Juicy Fruit (C-B Bucking Bulls) for 84 points. Cole posted his matching 84-point ride to top the leaderboard in Round 2 by going the distance aboard Nighttime Crime (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls).
In Knoxville, the Florida Freedom’s Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil) went 2-for-2 to win the Kubota PBR Knoxville inside Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
Salgado won Round 1 after going the distance aboard Kapt’n Krunch (Young Cattle/Rocking A) for 86 points. The reserved Brazilian’s dominance continued in the championship round when he posted a round-best 88-point ride on Whip (Richardson Land & Cattle Co.) to cement his event win, collecting 136 Velocity Global points in the race for the 2024 Velocity Tour Championship.
The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour will next travel to Bangor, Maine, on March 8-10 and Mobile, Alabama, on March 9.
Action for PBR Bangor at Cross Insurance Center begins at 8 p.m. EST on Friday, March 8, 7 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 9, and 2 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 10. PBR Mobile will take over the Mobile Civic Center Arena on Saturday, March 9, at 7 p.m. CST.
In Lethbridge, in front of a sold-out Saturday night crowd inside ENMAX Centre, Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta) went a perfect 3-for-3 to win the Cup Series’ PBR South Country Co-op Showdown, presented by VisitLethbridge.com. Tetz has now won each of the four Cup Series events held in Lethbridge since 2022.
Marking his debut on Canadian soil in 2024, the Arizona Ridge Riders’ Tetz first put points on the board in Round 1 when he bested Lord Fear (Vold Rodeo) for 79 points. Tetz then climbed the leaderboard in Round 2 when he topped Irish Car Bomb (Wilson Rodeo) for 85 points.
In the championship round bull draft, Tetz elected to go head-to-head with Grand Funk (Kinky Buckers). He reached the requisite 8 with ease for an event-best 89 points to clinch another win in Lethbridge.
With the golden finish, Tetz earned a crucial 130 national points, rising from unranked to No. 4 in the race for the 2024 PBR Canada Championship, along with the accompanying $100,000 bonus. Tetz is now within 186.5 points of No. 1 Cody Coverchuk (Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan).
The 2024 PBR Canada Sup Series will next travel to Brandon, Manitoba, and Keystone Centre for the PBR Mazergroup Chute Out on Saturday, May 25. Action will get underway at 7 p.m. CST.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast, Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour and Canadian Cup Series event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
PBR Unleash The Beast Ariat PBR Indianapolis Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Dalton Kasel, 86.25-86.25-88.25-260.75-131.5 Points. 2. Eduardo Aparecido, 85-84.25-90-259.25-98.5 Points. 3. Julio Cesar Marques, 85.75-86-87.25-259.00-81 Points. 4. Alan de Souza, 87.25-83.5-0-170.75-57 Points. (tie). Vitor Losnake, 84.5-86.25-0-170.75-44 Points. 6. Luciano De Castro, 84.75-85.5-0-170.25-33 Points. 7. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 86-81.25-0-167.25-29 Points. 8. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-87.25-0-87.25-33 Points. 9. Clay Guiton, 86.75-0-0-86.75-22 Points. 10. John Crimber, 0-86.25-0-86.25-18.5 Points. (tie). Daylon Swearingen, 86.25-0-0-86.25-18 Points. 12. Cort McFadden, 0-86-0-86.00-14.5 Points. 13. Koltin Hevalow, 85.75-0-0-85.75-13.5 Points. 14. Jesse Petri, 85.5-0-0-85.50-11.5 Points. (tie). Marco Eguchi, 85.5-0-0-85.50-11.5 Points. 16. Felipe Furlan, 85.25-0-0-85.25-10 Points. (tie). Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-85.25-0-85.25-12 Points. 18. Caden Bunch, 85-0-0-85.00-8.5 Points. 19. Brady Fielder, 82.75-0-0-82.75-8 Points. (tie). Ramon de Lima, 0-82.75-0-82.75-9 Points. 21. Conner Halverson, 0-81.5-0-81.50-8 Points. (tie). Silvano Alves, 81.5-0-0-81.50-8 Points. 23. Boudreaux Campbell, 81.25-0-0-81.25-8 Points. 24. Alex Cerqueira, 0-80.75-0-80.75-8 Points. Cassio Dias, 0-0-0-0.00 João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0-0-0.00 Wingson Henrique da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00 Ednélio Almeida, 0-0-0-0.00 Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0.00 Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 0-0-0-0.00 Bob Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00 Callum Miller, 0-0-0-0.00 Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0.00 Lucas Divino, 0-0-0-0.00 Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0.00 2024 PBR Unleash The Beast World Finals Standings (Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings) 1. Cassio Dias, 14, 4, 5, 858.83, $231,742.67 2. John Crimber, 11, 1, 4, 582.33, $153,797.33 3. Austin Richardson, 8, 2, 3, 533.50, $188,437.00 4. Dalton Kasel, 12, 1, 4, 517.50, $127,006.33 5. Eduardo Aparecido, 13, 0, 3, 447.00, $77,521.67 6. João Ricardo Vieira, 12, 1, 3, 380.00, $88,701.67 7. Alan de Souza, 12, 0, 3, 372.00, $58,326.33 8. Koltin Hevalow, 14, 1, 3, 367.50, $70,292.00 9. Cody Jesus, 10, 0, 3, 327.00, $59,803.00 10. Julio Cesar Marques, 14, 0, 3, 323.32, $44,076.33 11. Caden Bunch, 13, 1, 2, 282.83, $59,555.17 12. Brady Fielder, 13, 1, 2, 281.16, $58,604.67 13. Kaiden Loud, 13, 0, 2, 264.50, $41,359.00 14. Wingson Henrique da Silva, 12, 1, 3, 263.83, $61,151.00 15. Leonardo Castro, 4, 1, 1, 257.50, $121,005.00 16. Alex Cerqueira, 14, 0, 2, 245.00, $34,528.00 17. Clay Guiton, 8, 0, 3, 223.66, $30,132.33 18. Vitor Losnake, 12, 0, 2, 223.50, $23,457.67 19. Daylon Swearingen, 14, 0, 1, 220.50, $24,037.00 20. Boudreaux Campbell, 14, 0, 1, 217.00, $20,543.00 21. Cort McFadden, 8, 0, 2, 215.00, $23,510.00 22. Felipe Furlan, 12, 0, 2, 197.50, $31,429.00 23. Ednélio Almeida, 13, 0, 2, 177.00, $17,679.50 24. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 12, 0, 0, 176.00, $21,488.33 25. Kaique Pacheco, 8, 0, 1, 166.33, $24,783.33 26. Jose Vitor Leme, 4, 0, 1, 147.00, $19,903.67 27. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 8, 0, 2, 146.66, $21,094.33 28. Conner Halverson, 13, 0, 1, 144.50, $12,010.00 29. Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, 14, 0, 1, 143.50, $10,832.83 30. Bob Mitchell, 14, 0, 1, 135.50, $8,915.00 31. Sage Steele Kimzey, 7, 0, 1, 132.00, $18,569.17 32. Luciano De Castro, 10, 0, 0, 125.33, $13,953.33 33. Callum Miller, 6, 0, 1, 115.00, $16,400.00 34. Jesse Petri, 12, 0, 0, 113.50, $8,600.00 35. Silvano Alves, 11, 0, 0, 112.50, $7,275.00 36. Eli Vastbinder, 12, 0, 0, 105.83, $4,550.00 37. Braidy Randolph, 5, 0, 0, 92.50, $10,321.33 38. Marco Rizzo, 4, 0, 1, 83.83, $13,010.00 39. Mason Taylor, 6, 0, 0, 75.00, $5,780.00 40. Kyler Oliver, 5, 0, 1, 72.33, $8,634.00 41. Wyatt Rogers, 10, 0, 0, 69.50, $3,505.00 42. Ezekiel Mitchell, 8, 0, 0, 66.00, $6,450.00 43. Dawson Branton, 4, 0, 0, 65.00, $6,410.00 44. Lucas Divino, 10, 0, 0, 56.00, $2,660.00 45. Brady Oleson, 9, 0, 0, 55.83, $3,025.00 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour PBR Bridgeport Total Mortgage Arena – Bridgeport, Connecticut Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3- Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Hunter Ball, 84-0-0-84.00-93 Points. (tie). Grayson Cole [1], 0-84-0-84.00-93 Points. 3. Matt Hennelly, 83.5-0-0-83.50-54 Points. 4. Paulo Rodriguez, 82.5-0-0-82.50-36 Points. (tie). Bruno Roberto, 0-82.5-0-82.50-37 Points. 6. Wyatt Rogers [2], 0-0-81.5-81.50-40 Points. 7. Marcelo Procopio Pereira [2], 79.5-0-0-79.50-20.5 Points. (tie). Matt Allgood, 0-79.5-0-79.50-21.5 Points. 9. Dalton Krantz, 0-76-0-76.00-12 Points. 10. Caleb Cantrell, 70-0-0-70.00-9 Points. Grayson Cole [2], 0-0-0-0.00 João Paulo Fernandes, 0-0-0-0.00 Marcelo Procopio Pereira [1], 0-0-0-0.00 Josh Stepp, 0-0-0-0.00 Ueberson Duarte, 0-0-0-0.00 Wyatt Rogers [1], 0-0-0-0.00 Eder Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00 Cash Keeling, 0-0-0-0.00 Trent Nugent, 0-0-0-0.00 Warley Oliveira da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00 Travis Wimberley [1], 0-0-0-0.00 Travis Wimberley [2], 0-0-0-0.00 Bennie Shetler [1], 0-0-0-0.00 Bennie Shetler [2], 0-0-0-0.00 Wesley Goncalves, 0-0-0-0.00 Perry Schrock [1], 0-0-0-0.00 Perry Schrock [2], 0-0-0-0.00 Kane Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00 Brandon Ferguson, 0-0-0-0.00 Geferson Damascena, 0-0-0-0.00 Cristhian Felipe Pereira Maia, 0-0-0-0.00 Gustavo Santos Borges, 0-0-0-0.00 Douglas da Silva Barreto, 0-0-0-0.00 Wegner Souza, 0-0-0-0.00 Andrew Stutzman, 0-0-0-0.00 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Kubota PBR Knoxville Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center – Knoxville, Tennessee Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2- Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Thiago Salgado, 86-88-174.00-136 Points. 2. Andy Bohl, 80-74-154.00-72 Points. 3. Quincey McDonald, 66.5-80.5-147.00-58 Points. 4. Jean Fernandes Pereira, 63-82.5-145.50-43 Points. 5. Ednei Caminhas, 0-87-87.00-35 Points. 6. Dener Barbosa, 85.5-0-85.50-30 Points. 7. Dustin Herman, 83-0-83.00-22 Points. (tie). Flavio Zivieri, 83-0-83.00-22 Points. Marco Rizzo, 0-0-0.00 Kyler Oliver, 0-0-0.00 Brandon Chambers, 0-0-0.00 Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0.00 Kyle Eaton, 0-0-0.00 Thor Hoefer II, 0-0-0.00 Justin Ethridge, 0-0-0.00 Bruno Carvalho, 0-0-0.00 Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0.00 Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0.00 Dylan Smith, 0-0-0.00 Trace Redd, 0-0-0.00 Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0.00 Max Castro, 0-0-0.00 Dustin Martinez, 0-0-0.00 Marcos Gloria, 0-0-0.00 Guilherme Valleiras, 0-0-0.00 Cole Devlin, 0-0-0.00 Jason Landing, 0-0-0.00 Colton Dougherty, 0-0-0.00 João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0.00 Lucas Fideles Souza, 0-0-0.00 Cleber Henrique Marques, 0-0-0.00 Adilson Junior, 0-0-0.00 Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0.00 Brylee Smith, 0-0-0.00 Alvaro Ariel, 0-0-0.00 PBR Canada Cup Series PBR South Country Co-op Showdown, presented by VisitLethbridge.com ENMAX Centre – Lethbridge, Alberta Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Nick Tetz, 79-85-89-253.00-130 Points. 2. Cody Coverchuk, 86-83.5-0-169.50-88.5 Points. 3. Ashton Sahli, 86-0-0-86.00-51.5 Points. (tie). Weston Davidson, 0-86-0-86.00-56.5 Points. 5. Jordan Hansen, 0-85.5-0-85.50-35 Points. 6. Dakota Buttar, 85-0-0-85.00-25.5 Points. (tie). Tanner Eno, 85-0-0-85.00-17.5 Points. 8. Wyatt Laughlin, 0-83.5-0-83.50-20.5 Points. 9. Jared Parsonage, 0-82-0-82.00-17 Points. (tie). William Barrows, 82-0-0-82.00-18 Points. 11. Tyler Craig, 81-0-0-81.00-15 Points. 12. Brock Radford, 70-0-0-70.00-4 Points. Chanse Switzer, 0-0-0-0.00 Wyatt Gleeson, 0-0-0-0.00 Marshall Senger, 0-0-0-0.00 Fabian Dueck, 0-0-0-0.00 Garrett Green, 0-0-0-0.00 Chad Hartman, 0-0-0-0.00 Micheal Ostashek, 0-0-0-0.00 Eric O’Flynn, 0-0-0-0.00 Aaron Roy, 0-0-0-0.00 Stefan Tonita, 0-0-0-0.00 Keaton Martz, 0-0-0-0.00 Coy Robbins, 0-0-0-0.00 Cody Fraser, 0-0-0-0.00 Orrin Marshall, 0-0-0-0.00 Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00 Elijah Gordon, 0-0-0-0.00
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media