PUEBLO, Colo. – Adriano Salgado has been red-hot for the Carolina Cowboys so far this season.

Continuing to own the tour’s highest-marked ride, an epic 93-pointer he produced during the team’s Week 1 showdown against the Florida Freedom, we’ve seen the Brazilian talent inject some fire into the heart of Carolina’s lineup.

“Adriano Salgado has been right in the middle of this lineup since day one of the season,” Kate Harrison said on the Merit Street broadcast.

“I was talking to his coach about having him as a permanent fixture on this squad and of course his big ride he had for 93 points aboard Flyin Wired back in Oklahoma City is a big reason why he’s a staple in the starting lineup.”

Teaming up with Cooper Davis, Daylon Swearingen, Derek Kolbaba and Sage Steele Kimzey (alongside a competitive 4-for-5 Freedom effort), he’s already in the history books twice this season, both for his part in the historic perfect game turned highest-scored contest and his out aboard Flyin Wired, which continues to rank as the fourth-best mark in PBR Teams history.

While we’ve seen the talent flash in the past, it’s hard to imagine just how instrumental Jerome Davis thought he would be when General Manager Austin Dillon and company signed Salgado as a free agent back on June 1.

We expected to see the likes of Cassio Dias, John Crimber and folks leading the way atop the PBR Teams MVP race around this time of the year. Which, they are.

But with Salgado sitting at the No. 10 spot ahead of Saturday morning’s slate inside Amerant Bank Arena, the checkered flag squad has to be happy with landing one of the biggest offseason additions yet!

Even cooler for the blue and white unit? Salgado is the third of three riders currently in the Top 10, with 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis officially pacing the pack via his spicy 5-for-6 start and veteran Sage Steele Kimzey sitting No. 7 at 4-for-6.

Seeing the Missouri Thunder put up a quality effort during Friday night’s opener in Sunrise, Florida, Carolina knew they’d have to ride a few as the game went on.

Thankfully for the Richard Childress-owned group, that’s what they planned on from the moment they landed down south.

Now 3-for-6 on the season after besting Smooth Criminal for 86.75 points Friday, Salgado eventually teamed up with Davis and 2022 World Champion Daylon Swearingen in advancing the team to a perfect 6-0 start.

Having suffered a disqualification (via an expiring chute clock) matched against the same bovine athlete last weekend in Duluth, Georgia, he knew his team already had the lead.

But this one was personal.

It wasn’t a game-changer like his 93-pointer, but seeing Salgado find some rhythm in the middle of the lineup was, and will be, crucial for Carolina as the campaign continues.

So often we hear Cord McCoy, Kate Harrison and company on the Merit Street broadcasts discuss how difficult it is to find quality riders who can consistently deliver in the two, three or four spots.

Swearingen and a recovering Derek Kolbaba have helped shore up the mid-lineup woes of the past, no doubt. But it still says something about Salgado’s compete level to see him get matched with some rank bulls and survive the 8.

Teams around the league would love to have a smaller-framed, equally electric rider like him smack-dab in the middle of their go. And while his brother, Thiago Salgado, rides for the Florida Freedom, there’s only one Adriano!

Hell, after seeing Thiago make a late storm into the Unleash The Beast season with some vengeance, eventually turning in a career-best No. 11 finish despite only competing in 16 events, most figured it would be Thiago who would pop off in the summer series.

Especially when you consider Adriano had only participated in six stateside PBR events since concluding his second season of Teams action with the Austin Gamblers last fall in Las Vegas.

As we’ve learned with teammate Cooper Davis (who sat out the 2024 premier series campaign in resting up for year three of 5-on-5 action)…

…It’s not what you do with your individual season. It’s how you return from it!

Quickly separating themselves from the other nine PBR Camping World Team Series squads, the Cowboys remain atop the league standings at 6-0, thus two games ahead of the No. 2 Oklahoma Wildcatters.

Preparing to soak in a bye game Saturday night as they rest up and look to close out what would be a third flawless weekend during a head-to-head matchup against said Wildcatters Sunday afternoon, they very well may need Salgado to rise to the occasion once again as they duke it out with the expansion contingent.

Averaging 247.33 points per-contest, the Cowboys are roughly averaging three qualified rides per game, and thus will be favored in most games until their shiny stretch starts to fade.

Oklahoma, bringing the tour’s second-highest average game score at 195.8, will need guys like Clay Guiton, Cort McFadden and company to throw down some rank conversions should they want to keep pace with the league-leaders.

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest PBR Camping World Team Series coverage!

Photo courtesy of Leo Loera/Bull Stock Media