PUEBLO, Colo. – Folks, we’ve got a race on our hands.

Not the race for the top of the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series standings, though that one’s been pretty exciting lately, too.

No, we’re talking about the regular-season MVP race, which is as hot as we’ve ever seen it.

In 2022, the inaugural PBR Teams season, two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme ran away with the MVP title, ultimately beating out 2022 World Champion Daylon Swearingen by 189 points (two rides). The third-place rider, Marcus Mast, was an additional 124.5 points behind Swearingen.

In 2023, things got significantly closer, as Leme edged out 2024 World Champion Cassio Dias by 87 points – a single ride. However, nobody else was within 380 points of those two riders – No. 3 Silvano Alves finished 467.75 points behind Leme.

2024 is a different picture entirely: there are a stunning 13 riders within 467.75 points of the leader.

In fact, three riders are separated by less than one ride score at the top of the standings.

MVP Standings 1. John Crimber, Florida Freedom (1,287 points) 2. Jose Vitor Leme, Austin Gamblers (-60 points) 3. Sandro Batista, Kansas City Outlaws (-71 points) 4. Cassio Dias, Kansas City Outlaws (-162 points)

Leme has held the top spot for most of the season thus far, but on a wild Saturday night at Outlaw Days in Kansas City this past weekend, the lead changed hands three times in just a few minutes.

First, Crimber rode Hoka Hey for 88.75 points in the Florida Freedom’s loss to the Texas Rattlers to usurp Leme for the No. 1 rank.

“You know this is what John Crimber’s been looking for since he turned 18 years old and bought his card, is to be No. 1,” analyst Cord McCoy said on Merit Street. “Well, now he is No. 1 in that MVP race, and he earned the spot right there.”

But it was short-lived as in the very next game – just two rides later – he was immediately passed when Batista rode Ugly This for 90.25 points for the Kansas City Outlaws.

“That was bobbing and weaving right there,” McCoy said, nearly yelling over the raucous cheering of the Kansas City crowd. “Ugly This got to making the rounds, and he was front, he was back, he was to the side. That was a battle, and a great ride, and a big move for Kansas City.”

Not to be outdone, Leme took the top spot back in the closer spot for the Austin Gamblers, riding Tijuana Two-Step for 88 points as Austin fell to Kansas City 264.5-88.

“I’m not saying that Jose is making it look too easy,” McCoy said, “but he sits so square and does Jose stuff, landing on his feet, and walked off right there.”

On Sunday, the Gamblers had a bye, so Leme wasn’t afforded the opportunity to keep pace in the race. While he was on the sidelines, Batista bucked off Rip, while Crimber rode Red River for 89.5 points to move back into the lead.

“It’s not a word that’s often used in this sport,” commentator Craig Hummer said, “but that was, if not a beautiful ride, a beautiful example of what a good bull rider can do.”

Crimber is now 15-for-24 (62%) on the season, while Leme and Batista are both 14-for-21 (66%).

Meanwhile, one bull behind is newly minted World Champion Dias at 13-for-24 (54%). He fell behind in the race after a nasty – and uncharacteristic – six-out buckoff streak in late July and early August. But since Aug. 16, Dias is 9-for-13 (69%) and right back in the chase.

Will Dias have enough time to catch and pass his teammate, his rival in the 2024 world title race, and his rival in the 2023 MVP race? Expecting any of these riders to buck off a few in a row is a risky proposition, so only time will tell.

The next chapter in the saga will be this weekend at PBR Teams: Anaheim in Anaheim, California, on Sept. 13-15. Catch all the action on Merit Street and CBS, and don’t blink – you might miss an MVP race lead change.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media