CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Ahead of the WCRA’s (World Champions Rodeo Alliance) Rodeo Corpus Christi hosted on the bayfronts of Corpus Christi, Texas, May 7-11, the organization today announced the 189 athletes who will compete at the final Triple Crown of Rodeo (TCR) event. Barrel Racer Stephanie Fryar (Waco, Texas) approaches the event as the final competitor eligible to win the $1 million WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo bonus, poised to become the first female in rodeo history to become an overnight millionaire.
The Triple Crown of Rodeo is an annual bonus that pays $1 million to any one athlete or collection of athletes who win any three consecutive WCRA Major rodeos. Fryar is the final contender for the Triple Crown of Rodeo program. Fryar won consecutive WCRA Majors in October 2023 in Mill Springs, North Carolina, and in January 2024 in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
“An athlete earning $1 million or more in a single night is a rare occurrence in the sport of rodeo, and this is only the second time in the sport a woman has been in sole contention for such a cash bonus,” said WCRA President Bobby Mote. “The $1 million check she could earn on May 11 will equal her 20+ year career earnings combined.”
If Fryar wins Rodeo Corpus Christi, she would be crowned the second and final champion of the coveted WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo, presented by Lazy E Ranch and Arena. In December 2022, bareback rider RC Landingham (Hat Creek, California) become the first, and to date only, winner of the Triple Crown of Rodeo Bonus, That $1 million check equaled his 14-year career earnings combined.
Fryar is also just the second woman to reach this stage in the bonus progression. In May 2022, breakaway roper Tacy Kay Webb (Midway, Texas) advanced to Rodeo Corpus Christi in contention for the $1 million but was unable to clinch the win in the Lone Star State.
Fryar is the fifth athlete, joining Landingham, Webb, tie-down roper Riley Webb (Decatur, Texas), and saddle bronc rider Isaac Diaz (Desdemona, Texas), to be in contention for the Triple Crown of Rodeo.
Alongside the $1 million WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo Bonus contender Fryar, the field of more than 200 accomplished Western sports athletes will feature the return of Landingham, who has not ridden in the WCRA since his landmark victory due to injury.
In 2022, when Landingham won the Triple Crown of Rodeo Bonus, it marked just the fourth time in rodeo history an athlete became an overnight millionaire.
The remaining roster includes 132 timed event athletes and 57 roughstock athletes who qualified by nominating their efforts on the WCRA VRQ leaderboard.
To view the complete roster, please click HERE.
The first and second-place athletes from Rodeo Corpus Christi will qualify for the WCRA’s Free Riders. This sixth team will compete at the inaugural Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo on May 17 in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium.
The team will be comprised of two athletes per discipline and will compete head-to-head in barrel racing, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, and breakaway roping in a team format. The competition will be a bracket-style, featuring Kid Rock LIVE in concert. Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo will lead into the PBR World Finals—Championship, also at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, on May 18-19.
Fans can watch Rodeo Corpus Christi on RidePass on Pluto TV, Cowboy Channel, and the Cowboy Channel+ App nightly on May 7-11 at 7 p.m. CDT. Fans can tune into the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round of Rodeo Corpus Christi on a CBS Sports Network broadcast on June 2 at 11:30 CDT.
Since launching in May 2018, the WCRA and its partners have awarded more than $17.6 Million in new money to rodeo athletes. All rodeo athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA or the VRQ should be directed to wcrarodeo.com.
