PUEBLO, Colo. – Before the championship round at the PBR Nampa, presented by Cooper Tires, in Nampa, Idaho, 18-year-old rookie and world No. 2 John Crimber was doing an interview with CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison on the dirt.

As he spoke, he was hit in the face with a clump of used tape.

The camera panned to the chutes to catch the culprit – world No. 3 Dalton Kasel.

“Dalton Kasel. He’s a – quit it!” Crimber barked, barely concealing a laugh as he got hit with more tape. “He’s a bad guy.”

While their rivalry off the dirt is anything but heated, once they strap in on the backs of bulls, they’re locked in a fierce world title race ahead of the 2024 PBR World Finals, set to begin on May 9 in Fort Worth, Texas.

No. 1 Cassio Dias is currently leading the pack by a considerable margin, a cool 415.5 points ahead of Crimber. But Crimber leads Kasel by just 8.83 points.

They spent the weekend in Nampa trading blows.

First, Kasel tied for the Round 1 win with an 88-point ride on Bo Man, while Crimber kept pace with 87.75 points on Wishful Thinking.

The round win was enough for Kasel to take over the No. 2 spot in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings, bumping Crimber down to No. 3.

In Round 2, Kasel rode Fierce’s Dirtnap for 88.75 points.

“Look, I know Cassio has had just a phenomenal season so far. He’s leading the charge,” two-time World Champion Justin McBride said on CBS Sports Network. “You’ve got a hotshot rookie like John Crimber in there that is being lights-out. But don’t sleep on Dalton Kasel, because this guy is legit.”

Rides like those, Kasel told Harrison afterward, can win him a gold buckle.

“Right now, I’m riding so high,” Kasel said. “I’m trying to keep it level, though.

“And I’m a little out of breath,” he added with a laugh. “Guess I need to go home and work out and try to get a little better.”

Then came Crimber, who won the round with 89 points on Cookies & Cream – tying Kasel atop the event leaderboard and retaking the world No. 2 ranking, moving Kasel back down to No. 3.

“I really don’t look at (the standings),” Crimber said. “Guys like him fire me up. I love it when guys like him go out there and ride, go 88.75. I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ve got to go 89 now.’ So it’s kind of a good deal. It fires guys up, and I’m ready to ride bulls.”

Crimber and Kasel both bucked off in Round 3 and the championship round in Nampa, ultimately tying for fifth place.

The similarities between Crimber and Kasel’s seasons are remarkable. Crimber is 21-for-44, while Kasel is 22-for-46 for an identical 47% riding percentage. They each have seven Top-5 finishes on the UTB this season, and they each have one event win.

Crimber’s edge is in round wins – he has eight to Kasel’s four – plus four 90-point rides to Kasel’s three.

With just five regular-season events remaining and Dias being shut out in Nampa, there’s still some time left for Crimber and Kasel to make up ground and push for the gold buckle.

The next step on the road to Fort Worth is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this weekend at the First Premier Bank PBR Sioux Falls, presented by Cooper Tires. In Round 1, which begins Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV, Kasel will take on Hunter (11-0, UTB) while Crimber faces off against Bruised Ego (3-0, UTB).

If these two keep riding the way they are, we could be in for a very, very interesting end to the season.

“It’s very fun,” Crimber said. “It makes everyone ride better. Cassio and Dalton, they make me want to ride better and perform better, because they’re just going out there and letting it all hang out, so it makes me want to do the same thing. So I’m just excited and ready to keep it going.”

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media