FORT WORTH, Texas – With the premier series’ shiny new, drama-filled postseason format attempting to draw out the industry’s talents who can prove they’re willing to put on a show come Saturday night inside AT&T Stadium …

… the tour may have struck gold in forcing riders to earn their way to the final endgame session.

And while the opening round of Ride For Redemption action produced several quality strikes, fans inside Cowtown Coliseum Thursday night witnessed a trio of 89-point scores in the flash of five minutes, as pack riders understood this was officially their final opportunity to secure a spot in Jerry World.

Pressure has led to a variety of scenarios throughout the first six rounds of Unleash The Beast madness. This time around, it may have forged diamonds, as (surprise, surprise) the next-level class of 2024 rookies showed up in a big way.

With two of the three Round 2-winning scores coming from first-year talents in Shane Scott and JaCauy Hale, the youthful cowboys were on display once more.

From making his overall PBR debut in April to clinching a spot to compete at AT&T stadium in May, Scott did exactly what the riveting new format encouraged.

Awarded the hottest riders in the world with a chance to continue on.

We’re talking fresh, fresh when it comes to the Molalla, Oregon, native, as the 18-year-old’s appearance at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Ride For Redemption represented just his fourth overall premier series event attended.

Even combining his heroic victory during not only his Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) debut, but his first overall PBR event, the midweek affair inside Cowtown Coliseum was just his fifth-ever event.

Speaking of, that standout performance is the very reason he’s even here this week.

And when you consider the idea he had to be talked into attending the Eugene-based event, it’s an opportunity to reflect on just how curiously specific destiny can be at times.

After entertaining a call from the expansion series crew, he figured he’d try it on for size.

“They didn’t have as many guys as they wanted to (in Eugene), so I decided to go to that instead of two different events in Arizona and it paid off pretty well,” Scott said with a grin.

“Honestly, even when I did win in Eugene, I didn’t know that qualified me to two tour spots on Unleash The Beast. That was news to me, but honestly I’ve been surprising myself.”

Earning a spot in Cowtown Coliseum via his Unleash The Beast World Championship ranking (as the tour was forced to pull a few riders from the standings as the Rodeo Corpus Christi winner and PRCA World Champion were unavailable to participate), he didn’t have to think twice about an invite to Ride For Redemption by any means.

“I got the call and punched my ticket for the plane as soon as I could because I wanted to get here and get used to it so I could try my best and it worked out pretty good,” he said on the dirt following his first official World Finals qualification.

“It’s a dream come true. I’ve watched bull riding since I was a little boy and I’ve always wanted to be there. It’s a dream and a reality, now, I guess.”

Having entered the historic venue with a mere 2-for-7 record, with both rides stemming from a 2-for-3, UTB-best fourth-place finish in Tacoma, Washington, last month, he didn’t have much experience to lean on.

But regular season accolades don’t matter at this point.

It’s all about who showed up and rode. Which five cowboys wanted it most.

And after attempting four combined bulls throughout the two-day showdown, forced to endure re-rides on both nights, it truly did seem closer to destiny than beginner’s luck, as his conversion ended up being worth the wait.

“I’ve been riding bulls since I was a little kid, so it’s just been something I’ve always wanted to do and be good at. I’m getting there, slowly,” he shared.

“In all honestly it's a blessing from the Lord Jesus Christ. A month ago, I wouldn’t have even remotely thought of making it to the World Finals. I’m just trying to ride all of my bulls and I just have to keep the drive going and the positive vibes going and finish strong. All gas, no breaks.”

Teaming up with Trump Train to lay down a new personal-best premier series score of 89 points, the youngster really had to fight for his spot, as the matchup also represented his fourth attempt of the two-round go due to some complications involving red flags.

While it would’ve been easy to give into the unnecessary extra drama, he remained locked in, ready to knock down whatever the judges lined up.

“Well it’s just something where you have to go bull to bull with whatever they give you and if you can’t get out on one, you just have to go at the next one as hard as you were on the first one. Just gotta go at every single bull like you would any other bull,” he said.

“Positive thoughts. Even when you’re not doing well, as long as you keep that positive thought going, you’re eventually going to do good. No matter what I drew, I was going to try my hardest and it paid off.”

The rest is history at this point. And while he can soak up the wonders of his come-out-of-nowhere run, he’s got an opportunity to lock in one final time starting Saturday.

But we have a feeling this won’t be the last time we’re seeing big things from Scott.

Eligible to be drafted at the end of the month when each of the 10 PBR Camping World Team Series squads assemble in Nashville, Tennessee, for the 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft, there’s no doubt his stock has only risen since emerging as one of the final five invites to this weekend’s Championship showdown.

Having talked to three or four teams already, he plans to stay around the Lone Star State following World Finals to attend a Teams combine at Texas Rattlers coach Cody Lambert’s ranch.

And while we can’t 1-for-1 credit the wisdom and knowledge he and his fellow bull riding legends turned coaches have passed down over the past two seasons have led to these productive youngsters, we can point out that 2024 has very much been the season of the rookie, with 2023 bringing plenty of talent to the forefront as well.

Coincidence?

Or destiny?

RELATED: Daniel Keeping wins Ride For Redemption to advance to the PBR World Finals – Championship on May 18-19 at AT&T Stadium

Scott, alongside JaCauy Hale, Daniel Keeping, Bob Mitchell and Mauricio Gulla Moreira, will now rest up for a good 24 hours before returning to action May 18-19 inside the home of the Dallas Cowboys as the premier series prepares to execute its biggest event of the season:

The 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media