NASHVILLE – Roller coasters go hand-in-hand with thrills.

And while the (5-4) Nashville Stampede are riding a high heading into the franchise’s third PBR Teams: Stampede Days showdown, it’s been an up-and-down ride for the 2022 PBR Teams Champions through the tour’s first four weeks of the 2024 campaign.

Thankfully for their odds of bringing some momentum into Music City, Head Coach Justin McBride’s unit just posted a perfect 2-0 record during last weekend’s showdown in Brooklyn, New York.

The Stampede’s Friday night 84.75-0 victory over the (4-4-1) Oklahoma Wildcatters wasn’t a pretty one, by any means. But if it counts in the win column, it counts in the locker room. And if it brings some joy to the locker room, it’s a win in McBride’s book.

“This league is so crazy at times. You can get one score and get a win but most of the time you get one score you’re going to lose the game. We got lucky to get a win, and you take them when you get them like that, but you try to improve,” McBride said.

“You definitely don’t want to be trying to win a lot of games with one ride. But if felt good.”

As the weekend continued, smiles were aplenty. All was good and fun as the team cruised to a fruitful 345.25-0 win over the defending Champion (2-7) Texas Rattlers. Going 4-for-5 en route to producing the squad’s highest score of the year, Nashville was firing on all cylinders and looking good doing it.

Entering the weekend ranked No. 4 in the PBR Camping World Team Series standings, the mark represents the squad’s highest regular season ranking four events into any PBR Teams season, as the team has generally gravitated toward the middle or bottom of the regular season standings during both of the league’s first two campaigns.

Having occupied several of the mid-pack spots in 2024, they’re officially 5-4 and tied with the (5-4) Kansas City Outlaws, who own the No. 3 spot courtesy of a slight 25.25-point lead in aggregate score.

Knowing the orange and black contingent rosters 2024 PBR World Champion Cassio Dias and several quality riders, with only the red-hot (7-0-1) Carolina Cowboys and ever-elite (5-3) Austin Gamblers ranked above the Outlaws, Nashville has to feel good about the company they’re amongst heading into Week 5.

However, the team understands it’s their long-term goals which mean the most. And while they’ll do all they can to put on a sincere show for the Stampede faithful, they’ve gotta stay cool, calm and collected in keeping their eyes on the true prize.

One they captured back in 2022 – And when you know the feeling of winning that buckle, all you want to do is win it again. And again.

“The message for us is always really simple. Just love to compete. That’s it. Everybody knows the end goal is to try to win a championship. Everybody knows that. There’s no sense in making up added pressure about that,” he added.

“We just try to compete hard every single time and have competitive outs. Even if we don’t make the whistle, as long as we’re competitive, we’ll figure out how to make the whistle. And that’s what we keep trying to build to. This is something we love to do, so let’s go give it everything we have.”

From one Broadway (New York City) to Tennessee’s honky-tonk central (Nashville’s ever-raging Broadway Street, set to welcome thousands of fans to the NashVegas Strip, Aug. 16-18), the Stampede hope to continue thriving in big city fashion.

But as one of the league’s most frequent visitors to the amusement park this season, they haven’t been as consistent as McBride knows they can be.

They showed up and showed out inside Barclays Center, going 5-for-10 and picking up a pair of wins. But the weekend prior in Sunrise, Florida, they dropped both of their contests, just 1-for-10 overall. The consistency struggles aren’t a takeaway from that mere two-week stretch, either.

Week 2’s action at PBR Teams: Duluth saw the Stampede post another flawless 2-0 effort while covering six of their 10 bulls on the weekend. The weekend prior? They assembled a 1-2 record, covering 5-of-15 bovine opponents. This is technically where the back-and-forth trend began, as they secured a night two win Saturday, sandwiched between a pair of losses on Friday and Sunday.

“The parity in this league is crazy. Carolina, give them their dues. They’ve been riding great and riding a lot of bulls. Winning a lot of games, obviously, and that’s great. But this is a tough league,” McBride said.

“The craziest part about how this league differs from any other sport is it’s not you and I. You know what I mean? If I get bigger, stronger, faster – I can find a way to dominate you and beat you every time. But we’re competing against the bulls. That’s always the equalizer, that bull. So, we can’t get too caught up about what the other teams are doing. We have to try to be better bull riders every single week.”

The sport of bull riding will always feature some good days and bad days. That’s just part of it.

However, the first game of the weekend really seems to set the tone for this group. When they produce a quality effort, they’ve been able to stay on the tracks. But when the opening drop brings out a fear of heights, things can go downhill quickly.

“I think having all of our guys (healthy) at the same time is going to be a big help. Kaiden Loud … did you see it when we had him? Things go pretty well. Kaiden’s a great kid but he’s been a little beat up and we’re just trying to get him healthy,” McBride said.

“We got a guy coming from Brazil who hasn’t been able to get here yet, but he should be here in a week or two. And I think that will really stabilize our lineup.”

With reinforcements on the way, they should very much be considered a contender this season. Especially if they can take advantage of the home dirt advantage this weekend.

Officially 3-3 inside Bridgestone Arena as hometown favorites (with the 2022 iteration playing out with a loss-win-loss cadence and the 2023 version consisting of a win-loss-win result), anything is possible for the Stampede as they return to the home of the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

The one thing that’s certain this weekend in Smashville is that the vibes will be at an all-time high.

As they always are on Broadway.

This isn’t just the home of one of the rowdiest crowds within the 5-on-5 summer circuit. The Nashville market and area’s passionate fans bring the energy, easily ranking as one of the top stops on PBR’s 12-month calendar.

And with attendance figures tracking through the roof as the weekend approaches, this could go down as one of, if not the, most-attended homestand events in PBR Teams history.

RELATED: Genre-bending YEEDM pioneers VAVO to headline Stampede Days at Bridgestone Arena Aug. 17

“Absolutely (it’s one of the best events of the year). And honestly, hats off to Brooklyn, it was a killer first event they had. The crowd was into it and that was awesome. But yeah, I’m pretty biased. Nashville is the best regular season event there is and it’s going to be outstanding this year. Our staff is working with PBR to do a great job of blowing that thing up and I think it’ll be one hell of a weekend again,” McBride concluded.

“Fans can expect a great show – PBR has been going there for 30 years and the shows always deliver. But I think from the boys, they can expect some great competition. The boys are going to be ready to ride. Some of the guys, like Silvano (Alves), have felt that energy before. To go in and win a game – It’s a cool feeling. So the boys will be fired up and they’re going to want to compete hard.”

The Stampede are set to host the league-leading Carolina Cowboys Friday night before drawing matchups against the (4-5) Arizona Ridge Riders and (4-5) New York Mavericks as the weekend slate continues.

With the New York Mavericks and Texas Rattlers getting the opening night off via bye games, the Stampede will join the Carolina Cowboys, (4-5) Florida Freedom, Austin Gamblers, (3-6) Missouri Thunder, Arizona Ridge Riders, Kansas City Outlaws and Oklahoma Wildcatters in opening the weekend's showcase with a BANG as PBR Teams: Stampede Days invades Nashville!

Fans can stay tuned to PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, league updates and beyond. And be sure to catch all of this weekend’s action on Merit Street, the Merit+ App and CBS Television Network as the PBR Camping World Team Series rages on!

UNDEFEATED COWBOYS, HOMETOWN STAMPEDE SET TO SQUARE OFF IN DRAMATIC FINALE We’ll save the specifics for the official starting lineups and draw piece but we can’t finish a “What to Watch For” without mentioning what could be one of the most explosive matchups so far this season. Featuring two of the league’s Top-ranked teams in the hometown Nashville Stampede and the surging Carolina Cowboys, fans inside Bridgestone Arena may need to wait until Friday night’s Game 4 finale to see the dramatic showdown play out. But we have a feeling it will be worth it!

With Cooper Davis set to lead his undefeated squad into the team’s first outs of the weekend, the PBR Teams MVP contender is off to a blazing hot 7-for-8 start as he continues to get his squad in the ride column via his elite lead-off performances. But the 2016 World Champion has had plenty of help so far, with Daylon Swearingen and Sage Steele Kimzey regularly knocking them down and both Adriano Salgado and Derek Kolbaba stepping up when needed. We just saw rookie Ethan Winckler ride his way to both his first PBR Teams conversion and a huge Shootout Round win for Carolina just six nights back. And with plenty of guys like Tate Pollmeier watching from the wings and soaking in the good vibes, the Cowboys have plenty of riders to tap should Salgado not be able to give it a go after getting roughed up a bit in Brooklyn. Thankfully it’s been Swearingen, Kimzey and Davis who have provided the biggest bangs so far, likely the case once more Friday as they look to keep the hot streak alive.

After converting in five of last weekend’s 10 attempts, the Stampede have plenty of momentum to build on themselves, especially when you consider their 4-for-5 effort against the Rattlers last Saturday represents their best effort of the season. Unfortunately for the newly-acquired Cody Jesus, the rider missed his second opportunity of the 2024 campaign to contribute to what would've been a perfect game (with the Rattlers going 4-for-5 earlier this season while seeing Jesus unsuccessful in his attempt). But Justin McBride and company will settle for the 80% mark and fifth win of the season leading into their homestand event. This will be the game of the night, so make sure you’re tuned in or back from an in-arena snack run!

TWO-TIME MVP JOSE VITOR LEME MAKING A RUN AT JOHN CRIMBER’S LEAD IN 2024 RACE Forced to fend off 2023 breakout star in Cassio Dias last summer, eventually edging out his fellow Brazilian by just one ride score, Jose Vitor Leme of the Austin Gamblers isn’t used to playing catch-up when it comes to PBR Teams MVP races. Or many races, really. But after seeing the Florida Freedom’s John Crimber begin his rookie 5-on-5 season in stunning fashion, Leme understands he's not the young buck on tour anymore. But he’s damn sure still amongst the most revered around. And as he sits No. 2 in the MVP standings ahead of this weekend’s PBR Teams: Stampede Days, trailing Crimber by one ride score (currently 91.25 points), he knows exactly what it feels like to be riding shotgun here in year three. However, after seeing “Champ” throw down another game-clinching ride before recording one of the flashiest scores of the season, it’s Crimber who needs to be keeping an eye in the rearview.

Now 8-for-9 (88.9%) on the season after winning the final Shootout Round of the weekend inside Barclays Center, he’s technically got a better ride percentage than Crimber (81.8%), although Crimber has stepped to the plate two more times, now 9-for-11 on the year. There’s still plenty of time for Dias, currently 4-for-11 and ranked No. 11 in the individual aggregate score competition, to bounce back and rip off a nasty streak of conversions. We aren’t ruling out either Cooper Davis (7-for-8) or Sage Steele Kimzey (6-for-8), either, though, as the only other riders to log at least six conversions so far. Whoever wins the honors will deserve them, as this year’s pack is arguably already off to one of the hotter starts in the league’s history.

2024 PBR TEAMS: STAMPEDE DAYS MATCHUPS Friday, August 16: Florida Freedom vs. Austin Gamblers Missouri Thunder vs. Arizona Ridge Riders Kansas City Outlaws vs. Oklahoma Wildcatters Carolina Cowboys vs. Nashville Stampede

Saturday, August 17: Austin Gamblers vs. Carolina Cowboys New York Mavericks vs. Texas Rattlers Missouri Thunder vs. Oklahoma Wildcatters Arizona Ridge Riders vs. Nashville Stampede

Sunday, August 18: Missouri Thunder vs. Texas Rattlers Florida Freedom vs. Carolina Cowboys Kansas City Outlaws vs. Austin Gamblers New York Mavericks vs. Nashville Stampede

FOLLOW ALONG This weekend’s PBR Teams: Stampede Days showcase in Nashville, Stampede is set to begin Friday, Aug. 16 at 7:45 p.m. CST as the Florida Freedom and Austin Gamblers get the three-day showcase started inside Bridgestone Arena.

With competition set to continue Saturday, Aug. 17 at 7:45 p.m. CST and conclude Sunday, Aug. 18 at 1:45 p.m. CT, the fourth of ten homestand events will pit the world’s best riders against each other as we inch closer to the 2024 PBR Teams Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 18-20!

Fans can tune into Merit Street and the Merit+ App on Friday, Aug. 16 beginning at 8 p.m. CT to take in the four opening night games. The first two games of night two’s slate, airing on Saturday, Aug. 17, will also air on Merit Street and the Merit+ App starting at 8 p.m. CT, with PBR Now! pre-game and post-game programming surrounding the weekend’s coverage.

RELATED: Where to Watch: Stampede Days

The Week 5 “Game of the Week,” featuring the Arizona Ridge Riders and Nashville Stampede, is set to air on CBS Television Network on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 11 a.m. CT.

Spanish broadcasts of all three days of action will also air on TUDN, with night one’s action airing on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 2 p.m. CT, Saturday’s slate airing on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 2 p.m. CST and Sunday’s showdowns airing on Monday, Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. CT.

Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more! And be sure to download the Merit+ App to watch all of this season’s exclusive action!

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media