LAS VEGAS – By now, we’re starting to get into the swing of things here in Las Vegas.

As the tour approaches its second night of drama inside T-Mobile Arena, the PBR Camping World Team Series is preparing to put the finishing touches on what’s become one HELL of a third series of summer fun.

And while fans and folks continue getting familiarized with the fancy format and all the postseason drama they can handle, teams getting bounced from the season-culminating showdown can’t be getting used to the feeling of exiting early.

Especially when the 2022 PBR Teams Champion Nashville Stampede were one of the two squads, joining the expansion unit New York Mavericks in exiting stage left Friday night.

RELATED: No. 3 Florida Freedom, No. 4 Texas Rattlers and No. 6 Missouri Thunder win on opening night of 2024 PBR Camping World Teams Championship

Both teams enjoyed a breath of fresh air Thursday night as they parlayed their respective productive performances at the league’s first-ever Ride-In Round into last-minute berths to the postseason.

But it was only fitting that the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds were sent packing at the end of day one, leaving the circuit’s Top 6-ranked units to duke it out throughout Saturday and Sunday’s slates.

With the No. 1 Kansas City Outlaws and No. 2 Carolina Cowboys watching the opening night of games from the stands, the league’s top dogs will officially start their strides Saturday, while each of the No. 3 Florida Freedom, No. 4 Texas Rattlers, No. 5 Austin Gamblers and No. 6 Missouri Thunder resume their runs with a bit of momentum in their favor.

The Freedom and Rattlers will renew their rivalries during Saturday’s first game before the Cowboys open their postseason against the Austin Gamblers in Game 2. With the regular season Champs from Kansas City set to take on the Missouri Thunder in a playoff edition of the Show Me State Showdown, night two’s slate is set to be action-packed once again.

2024 PBR Teams Championship Seeding

1. Kansas City Outlaws
2. Carolina Cowboys
3. Florida Freedom
4. Texas Rattlers
5. Austin Gamblers
6. Missouri Thunder

Lineups and draw are in for the second evening of postseason action, so we’re taking a closer look at Saturday night’s matchups, rematches and beyond, with some additional game preview insights, latest team transactions and everything you need to know ahead of night two in Sin City!

With the 5-on-5 circuit set to invade Las Vegas, Nevada, Oct. 19-20, for the final two nights of 2024 PBR Teams Championship action, we’re breaking down starting lineups for Saturday night’s competition inside T-Mobile Arena (With coverage set to begin at 6 p.m. PDT via Merit Street).

2024 PBR TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP STARTING LINEUPS

*Denotes a rematch

No. 4 Texas Rattlers vs. No. 3 Florida Freedom

Brady Fielder vs. Mahan
Alex Cerqueira vs. Mama’s Boy
Daniel Keeping vs. Crazy Times
*Joao Lucas Campos vs. Lever Action
Claudio Montanha Jr. vs. Stone Cold Gangster
Yan Victor Cunha vs. American You
Marcelo Procopio Pereira vs. Horn Dog
Thiago Salgado vs. Grey Fox
Joao Ricardo Vieira vs. Umm
John Crimber vs. Mo Money

REMATCHES

Joao Lucas Campos vs. Lever Action (3.17 seconds in Springfield, Missouri)

Rattlers vs. Freedom Game Preview
The defending Champs against the youthful Freedom. A bit of old school Cody Lambert coaching one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the league vs. the new school Paulo Crimber, his PBR Teams MVP son John Crimber and a bunch of up-and-coming kids rocking red, white and blue. Storylines galore, yet only one team will avoid the final Last Chance Game of the year.

RELATED: Rattlers pay tribute to Oleson, advance to second round in title defense

Crimber, regularly featured in Shootout Round appearances for his team, may have ended the regular season with the most conversions. But when it comes to efficiency, it was the Rattlers’ Brady Fielder who earned the Great 8 Award, which was given to the cowboy with the highest riding percentage on the year (minimum 20 outs). In the postseason where teams are promised just five outs at a time, it sure seems to pay having Fielder around the chutes. The Australian stepped up once again on Friday, besting Magic Hunter for a third time, scored 88 points this time around. If he gets his team rolling early again on Saturday, look out for last year’s chart-toppers to stay hot in Las Vegas. Of course, Daniel Keeping hasn't been shy under the bright lights of Las Vegas, either!

Knowing how hot the Florida Freedom have been over the past month or so, recording at least three rides in 10 of their last 12 contests, means the Rattlers are likely going to need three rides in order to take down Crimber and company. In a season where the team has done a fine job rotating in and out of supporting roles to star’s Crimber cast, the squad saw Alex Cerqueira and Joao Henrique Lucas rise to the occasion in ensuring they survived to see Saturday. The question remains which guys will be able to step up and help their MVP attempt to knock off last year’s champions. The teams split their regular season meeting 2-2, so this one will truly be a coin toss.

No. 5 Austin Gamblers vs. No. 2 Carolina Cowboys

Kaique Pacheco vs. Eyes On Me
Cooper Davis vs. Hunting Trip
Ramon de Lima vs. Soul Train
Derek Kolbaba vs. Red Reckoning
*Lucas Divino vs. Rockville
Andrei Scoparo vs. Magic Fire
Dalton Kasel vs. Snuggles
*Daylon Swearingen vs. Barbarosa
*Jose Vitor Leme vs. Wooderson
*Sage Steele Kimzey vs. Preachers Kid

REMATCHES

Daylon Swearingen vs. Barbarosa (84.25 points in Austin, Texas)
Jose Vitor Leme vs. Wooderson (4.23 seconds in Fort Worth, Texas)
Lucas Divino vs. Rockville (2.33 seconds in Austin, Texas)
Sage Steele Kimzey vs. Preachers Kid (91 points in Arlington, Texas)

TRANSACTIONS
The Carolina Cowboys removed Derek Kolbaba from Injured Reserve and placed him on the Protected Roster.

Gamblers vs. Cowboys Game Preview
The Carolina Cowboys are set to awaken from their night one slumber after being allotted the opportunity to rest up via their Friday bye game. Which means they’ll begin their postseason run against the two-time regular season Champs from Austin. The racing stripe-influenced unit recorded a 2-1 record during the regular season series, which is a good sign for the group, but it doesn’t mean anything once the action resumes inside T-Mobile Arena.

What will matter is the amount of star power featured in this one. We’re talking about the 2021 Champ in Jose Vitor Leme squaring off against the 2022 title-earner in Daylon Swearingen. Guys like 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis facing off against 2018 frontrunner, Kaique Pacheco. Seven-time PRCA buckle-holder Sage Steele Kimzey set to go head-to-head against a pair of established veterans like Ramon de Lima and Lucas Divino. Literally, stars everywhere we look – exactly what a postseason showdown should look and feel like, especially when both teams entered the season as likely juggernauts to run the table.

The slate will feature a pair of rematches per side. However Carolina’s riders are a perfect 2-for-2 against their pair of familiar faces while Austin’s two riders are 0-2. We’ve seen these teams featured in the limelight over the course of the first three seasons, yet neither of the units have earned the true hardware they’re seeking once again this weekend. The craziest part of this matchup? The losing squad will likely be considered favorites in the final Last Chance Game of the weekend Saturday night.

No. 6 Missouri Thunder vs. No. 1 Kansas City Outlaws

*Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Fierce’s Dirtnap
Koltin Hevalow vs. Smoke Down
*Boudreaux Campbell vs. Nefarious
Maikon Calixton Rocha vs. Shot in the Dark
*Casey Roberts vs. Wild Card
Julio Cesar Marques vs. Casper
*Dawson Gleaves vs. July
*Sandro Batista vs. DirtyBru
*Andrew Alvidrez vs. Exodus
*Cassio Dias vs. Do Dat Eddie

REMATCHES

Andrew Alvidrez vs. Exodus (89 points in Fort Worth, Texas)
Boudreaux Campbell vs. Nefarious (2.78 seconds in Sacramento, California)
Casey Roberts vs. Wild Card (7.74 seconds in Springfield, Missouri)
Cassio Dias vs. Do Dat Eddie (77 points in Austin, Texas; 88.75 points in Louisville, Kentucky; 89 points in Chicago, Illinois)
Dawson Gleaves vs. July (89 points in Anaheim, California)
Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Fierce’s Dirtnap (2.89 seconds in Kansas City, Missouri)
Sandro Batista vs. DirtyBru (75.5 points in Las Vegas, Nevada; 88.5 points in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Thunder vs. Outlaws Game Preview
The Carolina Cowboys aren’t going to be the only team breaking out of their sleepy start to the weekend as the No. 1-ranked Kansas City Outlaws are preparing to make their debut after claiming the regular season honors. Bringing a 2-1 record against the Missouri Thunder from said regular season slate, the pair of Show Me State contingents will renew their rivalry once more during the final head-to-head showdown of the night.

RELATED: Missouri Thunder expand postseason resume with big win over Austin Gamblers

Seeing the No. 6 Missouri Thunder knock off the No. 5 Austin Gamblers last night means they’ve picked right back up on their reputation of truly embracing Sin City. Andrew Alvidrez, Boudreaux Campbell and Paulo Eduardo Rossetto combined for their team’s 3-for-5 effort Friday night, which is very much a good sign for the team’s odds of keeping some momentum rolling on night two. Knowing seven of the game’s 10 attempts will be rematch efforts could mean a lot of things, especially after seeing Campbell and Rossetto exit their night one rematch pairings in successful fashion.

They remain one of the hardest working groups on tour and those extra reps are showing.

However, with the 2024 World Champion in Cassio Dias looming across the chutes, stakes will be a bit higher, as will the competition. Dias is preparing to dance with Do Dat Eddie for the fourth time, previously besting the bovine athlete with flying colors during each of their initial three sessions. His teammate and the squad’s eventual qualified ride leader in Sandro Batista has opted into a third go aboard DirtyBru Saturday night as well, which means Head Coach J.W. Hart has to feel good about his odds of moving forward.

FOLLOW ALONGThis weekend’s 2024 PBR Teams Championship showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada, is set to invade T-Mobile Arena Saturday, Oct. 19 as the state-of-the-art arena prepares to host the second of three weekend showcases.

RELATED: Where to Watch: PBR Camping World Team Series Championship

With festivities set to begin at 5:45 p.m. PDT, supporters interested in watching the league’s third postseason tournament can tune into Merit Street and the Merit+ app beginning at 6 p.m. PDT on Saturday, Oct. 19.

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 and sign up for PBR+ to watch all of this weekend’s exclusive action!

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media