From the Vault: Re-living last fall’s epic 2023 PBR Teams Championship
The Texas Rattlers exited the second summer of 5-on-5 fun with the ultimate prize.
PUEBLO, Colo. – It wasn’t so long ago that each of the league’s eight PBR Camping World Team Series squads qualified for the PBR Teams Championship in sunny Las Vegas.
But with the 5-on-5 tour continuing to embrace new rules, riders and regulations as the circuit expanded to a 10-team league this summer, only eight squads will earn the right to compete within the 2024 edition of the playoff gauntlet.
Four of the six automatic bids have already been claimed by the Carolina Cowboys, Kansas City Outlaws, Florida Freedom and Texas Rattlers … leaving the final two spots up for grabs during this weekend’s regular season finale in Glendale, Arizona.
The Austin Gamblers are officially above the postseason cutline but we'll have to wait until this weekend's PBR Teams: Ridge Rider Days results to see whether they capture the No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
The four teams who don’t find themselves with automatic bids to compete inside T-Mobile Arena later this month?
They’ll be competing in the Ride In Round Oct. 17 inside South Point Hotel & Casino for a last chance “win or go home” showdown. Enter the drama, right?
Once upon a time, back in 2022 and 2023 (not that long ago, really), teams didn’t need to jump through as many hoops in order to ensure their place in the season-culminating showdown. But the times, well, they are a changing’.
In years past, we’ve seen the red-hot Nashville Stampede complete their Cinderella run in historic fashion. We’ve seen the Missouri Thunder come out of nowhere and give their all despite an unideal regular season finish. And while both of those teams will have a shot to stamp their postseason passport once more, it won’t be nearly as easy as it has been in years one and two.
RELATED: Week 12 PBR Camping World Team Series power rankings
While we’re dabbling down Memory Lane, we figured the PBR.com team would revisit last fall’s theatrics and all that took place during the 2023 PBR Teams Championship.
So, sit back and relax. Make sure you’ve got your tickets to THIS month’s playoff tournament and get ready to re-live all of last year’s postseason action!
Today, PBR.com’s From the Vault series looks back on the epic 2023 PBR Teams Championship!
LAS VEGAS – The opening night of competition for the 2023 PBR Camping World Teams Championship kept fans on the edge of their seats inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, as the No. 5 Arizona Ridge Riders and No. 4 Oklahoma Freedom rode to walk-off wins, advancing to the second round of the tournament outright alongside the No. 3 Texas Rattlers, while the No. 8 Missouri Thunder stunned in the first Last Chance Game to keep their title hopes alive.
The second iteration of the league’s progressive elimination tournament began with back-to-back games won in walk-off fashion.
With just a short window to reset, the Missouri Thunder quickly returned to the arena as they faced off against the No. 6 Carolina Cowboys and No. 7 Nashville Stampede in the tournament’s first Last Chance Game.
While the three-way showdown came down to the final outs, it was early scores from Missouri’s Felipe Furlan and Kade Madsen which proved enough to carry them to victory, ultimately upsetting both Carolina and Nashville by one ride score and eliminating them from the season-ending event.
Courtesy of the crucial win, the No. 8 Missouri Thunder kept their title hopes alive, next set to take on the No. 1 Austin Gamblers in a David vs. Goliath showdown.
Missouri Thunder piecing things together as No. 8 seed’s run continues Saturday
LAS VEGAS – Sure, Phill Collins was the original talent to feel it coming in the air that night, but that was 1981.
And it was a different feeling.
Here in 2023, PBR is doing things a bit differently when it comes to competitive bull riding, now embracing the thrills of the 5-on-5 format as year two of the PBR Camping World Team Series prepares to conclude its postseason inside T-Mobile Arena Oct. 21-22.
But if you ask Missouri Thunder Head Coach Ross Coleman if he could sense something brewing inside the No. 8 seed’s locker room during this weekend’s playoff action … well, he’s not going to hold it back.
Especially just moments after upsetting the No. 6 Carolina Cowboys and No. 7 Nashville Stampede during the tournament’s first Last Chance Game.
“Absolutely, we feel it. Felipe (Furlan) rode that first bull and that just lit a spark underneath everybody,” Coleman shared.
“Best part is that we were in that first game and we lost that game. We knew we were losing no matter what, so we subbed in Felipe for Briggs (Madsen), which was a great move by Luke (Snyder). When he did that, Felipe was fired up and happy about it. He ran in there and would’ve rode any bull. He had a damn good ride and I’m just proud of his spirit.”
The Upset! Felipe Furlan and Kade Madsen Lead Missouri Thunder with 90-Point Rides
Felipe Furlan rides Flapjack for 90 & Kade Madsen rides No Cigar for also 90 points on Day 2 of the 2023 PBR Team Series Championship in Las Vegas, NV
LAS VEGAS – The Missouri Thunder’s shocking run in the 2023 PBR Camping World Teams Championship continued inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Saturday night, as the league’s No. 8-ranked team again stunned in the Last Chance Game to keep their title hopes alive courtesy of a pair of mammoth 90-point rides, while the No. 1 Austin Gamblers rode to a walk-off win, advancing to the Semifinals of the tournament outright alongside the No. 3 Texas Rattlers and No. 5 Arizona Ridge Riders.
Arguably the most exciting two-team game of the night was the David vs. Goliath showdown between the Thunder, who advanced via the Last Chance Game on Friday night in upset form, eliminating the No. 6 Carolina Cowboys and No. 7 Nashville Stampede. With the game coming down to the final out, the Gamblers earned the team’s first postseason win in walk-off form courtesy of a fifth-frame score from closer Jose Vitor Leme.
While Missouri began the game hot, riding two of their first three bulls, including Captain Andrew Alvidrez covering Dana White’s Twisted Steel, the prized animal athlete of UFC President Dana White, it was not enough to clinch the game win early. As a result, it opened the door for closer Leme to walk off the win for the Gamblers.
Eli Vastbinder adds to Las Vegas resume, helps Texas Rattlers advance to Championship Sunday
LAS VEGAS – There’s something to be said about taking care of business the first time around.
No discredit to the No. 8 Missouri Thunder, who have managed to punch their ticket to Championship Sunday after winning both of this weekend’s Last Chance Games (thus eliminating the Carolina Cowboys, Oklahoma Freedom, Nashville Stampede and No. 2 Kansas City Outlaws, who had Friday night off, courtesy of their first-round bye).
In a league full of organizations that can literally win on any given night, the Last Chance Game isn’t typically a scenario that teams seek out, but rather something they can be prepared for.
“We had the Last Chance Game bulls figured out and ready to go if we needed. Those pens were loaded with great bulls,” Head Coach Cody Lambert said.
“I told Trace (Redd) and Cody (Jesus) if something weird happens and we don’t win, we’re going to need you to be ready. Then 18-year-old Trace Redd said, ‘We’re not even going have to worry about it,’ because he has that kind of confidence in the rest of the team too.”
Competing alongside a long list of talented riders as part of one of the deepest team rosters in the league, the Texas Rattlers’ rookie knows how talented his teammates are.
Texas Rattlers crowned 2023 PBR Teams Champions
LAS VEGAS – The Texas Rattlers etched their names in the sports history books, upsetting the Austin Gamblers in the Championship Game of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Camping World Teams Championship at T-Mobile Arena to be crowned the 2023 PBR Teams Champions.
After concluding the regular season No. 3 in the league, the Rattlers, despite narrowly missing out on a first-round bye in the progressive elimination tournament, were one of the hottest teams, winning three consecutive games before travelling to Las Vegas. They went 4-for-5 in the final playoff game that counted most on Sunday afternoon to beat the Austin Gamblers 355.25–265.25 and win the 2023 Teams title.
“This is so exciting,” said Rattlers Head Coach Cody Lambert. “I got the right group of guys – humble men who ride for the love of the game, and they’ll be paid well. These guys love to ride, and they got it done. We used all eight of these guys we brought to Las Vegas.”
Texas Rattlers: A Team United, 2023 PBR Teams Champions
The Texas Rattlers worked together as a team to claim the 2023 PBR Teams Championship Title on Day 3 of the 2023 PBR Team Series Championship in Las Vegas, NV
Texas Rattlers’ Daniel Keeping concludes Championship gauntlet with determination, family
LAS VEGAS – Millions of sports fans around the world have been following along as the battle for Texas wages on within the world of baseball, as the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers continue to duke it out for the rights to represent Major League Baseball’s (MLB) American League in this year’s World Series.
Daniel Keeping hasn’t been one of them, though.
The Montague, Texas, resident has been busy recording clutch rides a few states west, hitting home runs of his own.
With the Texas Rattlers capturing the 2023 Camping World Teams Championship Sunday afternoon inside T-Mobile Arena, the state could be home to a pair of champions by month’s end.
Technically, Championship Sunday would’ve produced a winner from the Lone Star state either way (as the Rattlers defeated their instate rival, the Austin Gamblers), which makes it even better for Keeping and his Fort Worth-based squad.
“It’s a big blessing,” Keeping shared.
“To see all of our hard work and efforts and determination finally all pay off. We just have to thank God, it’s all him really. We’re just living in the moment he gave us.”
Fans should be sure to stay tuned to PBR.com and @PBR social media channels as the 2024 PBR Teams Championship is right around the corner!
Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media