PUEBLO, Colo. – If the name Ederson Santos doesn’t ring a bell quite yet, you may not have been tuned in super deep to Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour and Touring Pro Division circuits this season.

Considering he’s spent a majority of his professional career competing in the PBR Brazil PBR circuit prior to making his stateside debut in December of 2023, there’s no doubt he’s been one of the many newcomers storming into the U.S. with next-level skills this season.

But in less than 48 hours, you may know him as the 2024 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) Champion if everything plays out in his favor.

Having made some flashes during his pair of Unleash The Beast appearances (4-for-8 overall) by notching a pair of Top 10 finishes, the 36-year-old turned in a ninth-place effort during his premier series debut Albuquerque, New Mexico, just a month and a half ago, by going 2-for-4.

Matching the mark the following weekend in Nampa, Idaho, he exited his second, and final, UTB event with an eighth-place finish. Riders earning a spot on the industry’s top tour via the Qualifier List get two events to show their stuff.

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However, due to Santos’ favorable placements, he would’ve qualified for additional UTB draws had he not banged up his knee pretty severely in Nampa. Forced to take a month off before giving it a go last weekend at the PBR Grand Forks (albeit failing to record a qualified ride), Santos would’ve likely found some more success had his spicy start to his UTB run kept going.

He also would’ve likely distanced himself from the pack a bit further if he had been able to compete in PWVT events over the past month as well.

Of course, officially deemed questionable heading into the contest with said lingering knee injury, his first win on the weekend would be actually walking onto the dirt during introductions. From there, he’ll need to ride two or three of the tour’s talented animal athletes if he hopes to exit the adventure on top.

Exactly where he sits heading into the season-culminating meet-up, albeit just 17.5 Velocity Global points ahead of No. 2 Grayson Cole. Knowing that No. 3 Dener Barbosa (-144 points) and No. 4 Jean Fernandes Pereira (-197.17 points) are the only other riders within 200 points, the first-year talent would love to close this thing out in epic fashion, as a 3-for-3 effort would easily solidify his honors.

And with a maximum of just 347 Velocity Global available to any one rider (which would include 90-point marks in all three rounds plus three round wins), there are currently only 13 riders within striking distance of Santos (a figure which will only shrink throughout the weekend if Santos finds the ride column Friday night). But if the talented cowboy either isn't able to compete or finds the dirt in his opening out, he'll be informally welcoming some late-season competition!

After seeing rookie Joao Lucas Campos secure the PWVT Finals event title in 2023 and first-year breakout Rafael Jose de Brito sweep the premier series’ podium of accolades during last year’s 2023 PBR World Finals (including the PBR Rookie of the Year honors and overall World Finals event title en route to being named the 2023 PBR World Champion) the names may be unfamiliar, but the idea of rookies coming in and stealing the show is NOT.

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Add in the idea that UTB frontrunner No. 1 Cassio Dias is bringing a substantial lead atop the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings into Fort Worth, Texas, next weekend and the fact that No. 2 John Crimber has put his name in the hat for this weekend’s PWVT Finals in looking to build some momentum ahead of his World Finals debut …

… We wouldn’t be surprised ONE BIT if first-years were heavily featured throughout this weekend’s leaderboard.

If not, atop it!

Not to mention fellow potent rookies in No. 12 Leonardo Castro (who’s already posted the highest-scored ride among Velocity Global eligible outs: a rank 90.5-point trip dancing with Oreo in Reno, Nevada) and No. 20 Kaiden Loud, who’s only expanded upon his breakout season with the Nashville Stampede of the PBR Camping World Team Series.

The tour was created, after all, to allow some of the industry’s up-and-coming riders to strut their stuff. Exactly what we’d expect from the pack of youngsters, starting Friday night!

With the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals preparing to conclude the 2024 campaign inside American Bank Center Arena during the 31st and final showdown of the PWVT season, let’s take a look at who’s drawing into the lineup during the 2024 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals:

ROUND 1 MATCHUPS Ezekiel Mitchell vs. Kephart’s Lego Armour Nick Tetz vs. Kephart’s Solomon Marco Eguchi vs. Undraftable Kyler Oliver vs. Plowboy Alvaro Ariel vs. Buffalo Heifer Leonardo Castro vs. Bullet Dalton Rudman vs. Pearl Snap Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Aggie Pete Michael Lane vs. Hit or Miss Alan de Souza vs. Jerry’s Special Daniel Keeping vs. Grey Goose Dustin Herman vs. Chuck Joao Henrique Lucas vs. Walking Tall Kaiden Loud vs. High Ball Claudio Montanha Jr. vs. Thunder Leandro Zampollo vs. Monstrosity Lucas Martins Costa vs. Hard Shot Jake Morinec vs. Redline Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Step That Step Eric Henrique Domingos vs. Red Bull Elizmar Souza Jeremias vs. Neon Street Marcelo Procopio Pereira vs. Howdy Qynn Andersen vs. Lever Action Bill Henry vs. Caesar Andrew Alvidrez vs. Bad Religion Cody Jesus vs. Thin Blue Line Brady Fielder vs. It’s Cherry Hunter Ball vs. Vigilante Andy Bohl vs. Riser Callum Miller vs. Flashbang Joao Paulo Fernandes vs. B Squared Lucas Divino vs. Let Him Fly John Crimber vs. Spotted Demon Alex Cerqueira vs. Dang, Dang Ednei Caminhas vs. Almost Sober Keyshawn Whitehorse vs. Rank Frank Tyler Manor vs. Malaki Thiago Salgado vs. El Cid Ramon de Lima vs. Buttercup Dawson Branton vs. Sweet John Jean Fernandes Pereira vs. God Bless America Dener Barbosa vs. Big Tasty Grayson Cole vs. Midnight Mover Ederson Santos vs. Prince Charming QUESTIONABLE EDERSON SANTOS BRINGS KNEE INJURY, MERE 17.5-POINT LEAD INTO PWVT FINALS Dealing with quite the knee concerns not only ahead of his scheduled appearance at this weekend’s Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, but just one week before the 36-year-old makes his PBR World Finals debut in Fort Worth, Texas, Ederson Santos hopes to stay in the spotlight. And that begins with finishing business this weekend, as the current leader in the Velocity Global standings is set to bring a 17.5-point lead over No. 2 Grayson Cole into American Bank Center Arena May 3-4.

While Cole, who just finished both first and third (thanks to a successful, strategic double-entry) in Grand Forks, North Dakota, may be one of the hottest riders on tour, he’ll need to outride the cowboy who’s excelled in four of his eight UTB matchups this season, thus proving he’s unafraid of a top-tier matchup.

Cole, however, is just 0-for-2 this season during his lone premier series appearance back in December. That said, at 18-for-59 throughout his Velocity Global-eligible outs, he’s made the 8 in these ranks plenty of times. And when you consider he’s found the buzzer in four of his last six attempts, he’s going to be red-hot coming into this thing.

RELATED: Riders vying for final World Finals berths during Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals

Santos, however, prepares to compete in the contest’s very last out of the evening (with Cole riding shotgun, set to perform one spot ahead of Santos) thanks to his 23-for-41 record as the tour’s top-ranked rider with one last event remaining. Having made the 8 in just one of his last five outs as his knee continues to play a role in his late-season ramp-up, will the skilled Brazilian have enough left in the tank to finish things out in the win column?

With his spot at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations already secure, his biggest goal outside of collecting the big check and being crowned the tour’s champion would be staying healthy and remaining available for next weekend’s gold buckle-granting showdown!

Santos will dance with Prince Charming Friday night in Corpus Christi, while Cole is primed to enter a head-to-head showdown with Midnight Mover in Round 1.

FOLLOW ALONG Representing the final stop of the 2024 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, the season-ending showcase in Corpus Christi, Texas, will feature a two-day, three-round format. The action inside American Bank Center Arena will begin on Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. CDT, with Round 1 coverage airing live via Ride Pass on Pluto TV starting at 7:15 p.m. CDT.

RELATED: Where to Watch: Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals

Round 2’s action will begin Saturday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. CDT, followed by the short go, with all of Championship Saturday’s coverage streamed live via RidePass on Pluto TV Saturday starting at 7:15 p.m. CDT.

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels throughout the weekend for the latest scores, wrecks, injury updates and beyond as the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals invade American Bank Center Arena May 3-4!

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media