PBR Teams: Anaheim had more rides than any other Teams event in history
With 62 rides total and averaging almost four rides per game, the PBR Teams action in Anaheim was hotter than we've ever seen it.
By Darci Miller
PUEBLO, Colo. – If you watched PBR Teams: Anaheim this past weekend and thought there were a ton of qualified rides, you would be correct.
In Anaheim, there were more qualified rides than any other PBR Camping World Team Series event in league history – 62 out of 132 attempts for a riding percentage of 46.96%.
With 15 games across three days of competition, and removing the six rides that occurred in the shootout rounds, that averages out to almost four rides per game.
While there were no perfect games, teams went 4-for-5 four times – theTexas Rattlers and Oklahoma Wildcatters on Friday, and the Kansas City Outlaws on Saturday and Sunday. And, while there were several 1-for-5 performances, there was only a single shutout all weekend – ironically, also the Texas Rattlers.
Most Rides in a Weekend In PBR Teams History 1. Anaheim, 2024 – 62 T2. Rattler Days, 2022 – 53 T2. Ridge Rider Days, 2022 – 53 T2. Freedom Days, 2024 – 53 T2. Outlaw Days, 2024 – 53 T6. Wildcatters Days, 2024 – 50 T6. Thunder Days, 2024 – 50 T6. Gambler Days, 2022 – 50
Looking back at the eight PBR Teams events that saw at least 50 qualified rides, five have occurred in 2024, meaning the PBR Camping World Team Series is seeing hotter action than ever before.
In fact, only one event this season featured fewer than 40 qualified rides—Maverick Days in Brooklyn, New York, the only two-day event on the schedule, had 28. In 2023, meanwhile, six of the 10 regular-season events had fewer than 40 qualified rides.
What’s going on here?
Well, there could be a few culprits. 2024 is the first season with an expanded field of 10 teams as opposed to the original eight, which means teams have the occasional bye, which means riders are getting more in-season rest than they ever have. Fresher riders = more rides.
There’s also the added wrinkle of the new 2024 PBR Camping World Teams Championship format. Like in past years, the top two teams at the end of the regular season receive byes through the first day of competition. But new this year is the Ride-In Round. On Oct. 17, the day before the Teams Championship begins at T-Mobile Arena, the bottom four teams in the regular-season standings will compete to determine which two teams will advance to the Championship. The top two teams will advance, while the two losing teams end their season without even setting foot in T-Mobile Arena.
The stakes this season are so much higher, and there’s a fierce battle to climb out of the bottom four of the standings. Right now, the teams ranked No. 4-10 are separated by just 2.5 games, and there’s been a flurry of roster moves and trades before the Sept. 25 trade deadline as teams frantically try to find their strongest pieces.
More rest and higher stakes seem to be the winning recipe for Teams action like you’ve never seen it before.
There are only three events left before the 2024 PBR Camping World Teams Championship. In the past two seasons, the number of qualified rides has trended upward as the season draws to a close. What can the best bull riders in the world do this weekend at Cowboy Days in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Sept. 20-22?
TOP RIDES IN ANAHEIM
There were 62 qualified rides this past weekend in Anaheim, California. Here are the Top 7.
Brady Fielder, Texas Rattlers – 90.5 points on Firewater
Brady Fielder is currently ranked No. 4 in the MVP race and has been the true linchpin of the Texas Rattlers as they chase their second consecutive Teams Championship. Fielder notched the highest score of the weekend aboard Firewater in the shootout round on Friday night, cementing the day’s win for the Rattlers.
2. John Crimber, Florida Freedom – 90.25 points on Sober Train
19-year-old phenom John Crimber may have missed out on the 2024 World Championship, but he’s using that to fuel his MVP chase – he now sits at No. 2. He made a big statement for the Florida Freedom as they took on the Missouri Thunder on Saturday, riding Sober Train for 90.25 points.
3. Leandro Machado, New York Mavericks – 90 points on Ricky Vaughn
The New York Mavericks aren’t often lighting up the stat sheets, but Leandro Machado turned it on for the concrete cowboys in Anaheim. Despite losing to the Carolina Cowboys, Machado went 90 on Ricky Vaughn to remind everyone that the Mavericks are here to play.
T4. Jose Vitor Leme, Austin Gamblers – 89.5 points on Geronimo
What’s a highest-scoring ride list without Jose Vitor Leme? The two-time World Champion and two-time reigning PBR Teams MVP is No. 3 in this year’s race as the Gamblers are in the middle of the pack, but if we’ve learned one thing since his debut in 2017, it’s to never count Leme out. His 89.5-point ride on Geronimo helped the Gamblers down the Arizona Ridge Riders.
T4. Sandro Batista, Kansas City Outlaws – 89.5 points on Flapjack
Sandro Batista was on nobody’s bingo card as the rider who’d be leading the Kansas City Outlaws this year, but he’s outshined his teammate, 2024 World Champion Cassio Dias, and leads the MVP race. His 89.5-point ride on Flapjack was the only ride in Saturday night’s shootout round, earning the Outlaws the day’s win.
T4. Joao Ricardo Vieira, Texas Rattlers – 89.5 points on Shot in the Dark
At 40 years old, JRV is still showing the kids how it’s done. He covered Shot in the Dark for 89.5 points as the Rattlers took down the Mavericks on Friday night with a 4-for-5 performance – their third such showing in a row.
T4. Casey Roberts, Missouri Thunder – 89.5 points on Vindicated
Casey Roberts may only have seven outs and one qualified ride for the Missouri Thunder this season, but he made it count. He rode Vindicated for 89.5 points as the Thunder took on the Gamblers, helping his squad to a huge upset win.
