By the Numbers: No. 2 Dalton Kasel secures second title, eighth round win of 2025
Now the fourth rider with two wins to his name, “Mr. 90 Pointer” balled out in Little Rock, Arkansas.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – After seeing cowboys regularly rotate the event-topping honors for the past month or so, it was almost refreshing to see an established contender like Dalton Kasel pick up a second win on the year.
Stringing together some late-season momentum, he’s placed within the Top 15 in five of the tour’s last six showcases as he looks to chase down what would be a career-first gold buckle.
Just a mere 149 points behind No. 1 Brady Fielder, who continues to hold his own atop the pack, the Muleshoe, Texas, native didn’t just double down in the win column, pairing his victory inside Simmons Bank Arena with a win back in Wichita, Kansas …
… If anything, he ridded himself of some short round demons, securing his first championship round qualified ride of the season in stunning, title-clinching fashion.
Entering the exclusive slate with an existing 0-for-8 record as he’s struggled throughout his short round endeavors, he entered Round 3 atop the leaderboard for the fifth time this season.
Originally selecting a showdown with Yahoo courtesy of the draft’s inaugural selection, he found himself entertaining a re-ride with the very bull he bested for his Round 1-tying dance, Feeds Red River.
Talk about destiny, as the 26-year-old teamed up with the Blake Sharp/Huff Bulls-owned talent to seal the deal in dramatic fashion.
Having initially paired up with the athletic bovine for 87.75 points during the opening round, Kasel soared once more, scored a flashy 89 points as he put the finishing touches on his flawless weekend.
Championing Walk Hard for a rather solid 89.5 points during the second round certainly didn’t hurt his odds of earning the top pick, either.
Trailing Kaiden Loud by a mere .25 points in Round 2 for what would’ve been a second session tie on the weekend, Kasel still exited Little Rock, Arkansas, with his tour-leading eighth round win of the season courtesy of his Round 1 tie with Cort McFadden.
With Keyshawn Whitehorse up to six on the season, Kasel has a two-round lead on the Arizona Ridge Riders standout as the tour prepares to invade Louisville, Kentucky this weekend.
The victory, itself, serves as Kasel’s second win inside Simmons Bank Arena in a three-year stretch, initially claiming an event title inside the building back in 2023. With the sport’s eventual World Champion in Cassio Dias stepping up in 2024, Kasel was back in the winner’s circle when Sunday’s slate concluded.
And with just seven regular season showcases separating the premier series pack from the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations, he couldn’t have picked a better time to start ramping up some productivity.
Bringing home a sincere 138.5 UTB points and a check signed for $50,062, Kasel is officially 18-for-38 on the season as he continues to use round wins and event titles to fuel a likely journey back to his homeland, aka the Lone Star State, where the tour will compete in both Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, during the two-week finale.
Of the 15 events Kasel has participated in, he’s finished within the Top 15 in 11 of said instances. And when we consider five of those finishes also count as Top 5 efforts, it’s understandable why fans around the world are keeping an eye on the world title hopeful.
We’ve seen him drum up similar runways in the past, only to drop the ball as the season shifts into postseason mode.
After seeing a refocused, recharged and reinvigorated version of the “missing tooth” cowboy take the reins here lately, it suggests he won’t be sputtering out this time around.
Back to take a look at some of the rankest rides and biggest figures of the weekend, By the Numbers returns to break down Kasel’s short round success, Kaique Pacheco joining the 400 Ride Club and tons of other outlying numerals from last weekend’s showcase in Little Rock, Arkansas!
Round Win No. 6: Sitting atop the event leaderboard with an impressive 3-for-3 slate, Keyshawn Whitehorse watched on as Dalton Kasel recorded his first short round conversion of the season to steal the show inside Simmons Bank Arena. But that didn’t erase Whitehorse’s epic 91.5-point journey aboard Nobody during Sunday’s Championship round, by any means.
Marking the only elite score of the two-day showdown, Whitehorse outpaced the weekend’s No. 2-ranked score by a whopping 2.5 points (89-pointers provided by both Kasel and Fielder) as he reminded fans he’s got the star power and skillset to make a run in 2025. Eventually settling for a second-place finish, Whitehorse’s best result of the season, his runner-up effort in Little Rock serves as the Arizona Ridge Riders star’s ninth Top 12 finish of the season. The epic ride may be just his second 90 of the season, but it definitely counts as his highest score of the campaign. With a rather rank 93.75-pointer during the 2020 PBR World Finals, dancing with Chiseled to the buzzer, continuing to represent his highest score to date, Sunday’s conversion goes down as the McCracken Spring, Utah, native’s second-best trip all-time. Similar to Kasel, he seems to be finding another gear during a key time of the season.
Continuing to trail only Kasel in the tour’s round win count, Whitehorse has officially exited six different sessions as the top-marked man, now two behind Kasel, who tied Cort McFadden in Round 1 to advance his own count. Earning $25,562 and a welcome 99 UTB points, Whitehorse skyrocketed to No. 6 in the Unleash The Beast standings and doesn’t appear to be slowing down, now just 56.33 points away from a spot in the Top 5.
Nine Times No. 1: Brady Fielder has been leading the race for the 2025 PBR World Championship for seven-consecutive weeks now, dominating the field while guys like Dalton Kasel, John Crimber, Sage Steele Kimzey and friends continue to jockey for the No. 2 spot. And while Kasel is less than 150 points away, the Australian isn’t worried about anybody’s performance but his own. Now successful in each of his past nine outs, he’s turned in three-consecutive flawless events in 3-for-3 fashion. Despite the pack doing all they can to dethrone the lanky talent, Fielder keeps lining them up and knocking them down.
Selecting a date with Eyes On Me, the very bull which has been linked to the tour’s past two event champions, he became the first man to stay perfect through each of his three challenges. Scored 89 points, he was in the lead for a short stint before seeing both Whitehorse and Kasel eventually send him down the podium. Combining an 83.75-pointer aboard Bittersweet in Round 1 with an electric 88.5-point go aboard Dark Thoughts, it was 100% another high-quality performance from the man every other cowboy is hoping to chase down.
Taking home a nice 69 UTB points for his third-straight Top 4 finish, the Texas Rattlers ace holds a tour-high 28 conversions via his 28-for-40 (70%) slate. No. 5 Luciano De Castro, who’s up to a 25-for-41 record, is the only other rider close to Fielder right now in the qualified ride race, with Sage Steele Kimzey’s 22-for-37 the next closest.
Attempting to mirror his Great 8 Award-earning conversion rate from the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series, he seems somewhat unstoppable right now. Sure, Crimber and Kasel may be better equipped for the INSANE 95-pointers and such we’ve seen in the past. But those single rides won’t matter as long as Fielder keeps punching the clock at an above-average rate. With Brazilian talents claiming the past two championships, is the “Down Under” man preparing to switch up the flags inside AT&T Stadium?
No. 12 & Climbing: As mentioned, we’ve seen Fielder enjoy a dominant summer series with the Rattlers, so his bar of expectation doesn’t exactly surprise us. And while a veteran like Claudio Montanha Jr. enjoyed quite the spicy PBR Teams campaign himself, there weren’t many folks who believed he’d be making a title push of his own when the UTB season ensued. That’s exactly the reality, though, as the 35-year-old continues to heat up down the home stretch. Tying Fielder for third-place honors with matching 261.25-point aggregate scores, Montanha netted a much-needed 69 UTB points as he earned a spot within the tour’s Top 12 rankings.
Sure, at the No. 12 rank, he’s just inside said grouping. But we know a good 30-plus cowboys would love to have either the success or standing of the veteran about this time of the season. His smile has been contagious – celebrations: ever-entertaining. But the idea he’s one of the older guys on tour seems to be energizing fans around the world, reminding us that you’re never too old to chase your dreams. That’s the only way you’ll figure out if they're attainable, after all! Paired with the Brazilian’s seventh-place effort the weekend prior in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he’s got consecutive Top 7 efforts to his name alongside now six different Top 10 finishes on the season. Having competed in all 16 of the circuit’s events so far, he’s managed at least one conversion in 14 of them (10 of which represent Top 15 efforts). Up to a 21-for-42 slate, he’s officially knocking down every other bull. If the veteran can continue securing qualified rides every other attempt, he’ll very likely have a spot with his name on it inside Cowtown Coliseum May 8-11.
400 Big Ones: There aren’t many cowboys in PBR history with 400 qualified rides on their resume. But said grouping welcomed an additional member to the history books Saturday night as Kaique Pacheco secured his 400th premier series conversion aboard Flash Gordon. Just the 10th rider all-time to meet said bar, the 2018 World Champion continued to solidify his legacy in real time.
Joining the likes of Guilherme Marchi (635), J.B. Mauney (538), Silvano Alves (527), Mike Lee (525), Joao Ricardo Vieira (454), Valdiron de Oliveira (430), Eduardo Aparecido (424), Chris Shivers (412) and Ross Coleman (402), Pacheco wouldn’t settle for the even 400-mark, as he added his 401st qualified ride less than 24 hours when Championship Sunday dawned.
Accepting a 73.5-pointer as he wanted to ensure a spot in the short go, Pacheco is officially one conversion short of tying Ross Coleman for the ninth-most qualified rides in PBR history. Settling for a tenth-place finish, Pacheco now has three-straight Top 10 results to his name, combining a runner-up effort in Jacksonville, Florida, with a sixth-place effort back in Milwaukee. Lurking in the No. 9 spot, can the “Ice Man” stay chill throughout the final seven regular season showdowns?
84.75-81.25: Following a weekend sans 6 vs. 6 competition to close out the opening round, the Missouri Thunder completed a 3-0 sweep over the Kansas City Outlaws Saturday night. Becoming the first of 10 squads to produce a perfect slate within Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World (METC), action, the Thunder relied on Boudreaux Campbell to lead the squad to victory, outpacing Koltin Healow’s 81.25-pointer aboard The Player courtesy of an 84.75-point dance with Cutter.
Technically the lowest-scoring METC score in the series’ brief history, the two-ride session didn’t lack drama by any means, as it was clear that any one cowboy could’ve made a huge difference in the most recent iteration of the Show Me State Showdown. And it has to be damn sweet for Head Coach Ross Coleman and friends, who dropped three of four decisions to the Outlaws during the 2024 regular season. Of course, with the TKO Takeover set to invade Kansas City, Missouri, next month, the Thunder shot-caller is preparing to link forces with Outlaws’ Head Coach J.W. Hart and company as they prepare host the Missouri vs. The World showcase April 24 inside T-Mobile Center!
