TACOMA, Wash. – Inside the Tacoma Dome, the crowd was roaring, the Florida Freedom riders were whooping on the back of the chutes, and John Crimber was making a statement.

Don’t count him out of this thing just yet.

No. 1 Dalton Kasel and No. 2 Brady Fielder have been receiving all the attention in the world title race lately, but with a gritty performance in Round 1 at the PBR Tacoma, Crimber not-so-subtly reminded everyone who he is.

He’s the 19-year-old phenom. He’s the guy who earned eight PBR event wins before even making his Unleash The Beast debut. He’s the runner-up to the 2024 PBR World Championship. He’s the 2024 PBR Team Series regular-season and postseason MVP.

And he’s No. 3 in the 2025 world title race, and you’d damn well not forget it.

Crimber was the last man out on Saturday night in Tacoma, closing out the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, for the Florida Freedom as they took on the New York Mavericks.

The game had already been decided, with Florida up by one score and no riders remaining for the Mavericks. And Crimber was making his return to action after missing last weekend with a fractured collarbone.

But he rode Faded Dreams for 78.75 points, and when re-ride flags were thrown, there was no doubt in his mind.

“I knew immediately (I was going to take the re-ride),” Crimber said. “The one thing I want to do is get the most points as possible, and I knew my 78 on the first bull wasn’t going to cut it. And the bull was good. Any bull is good when you’re feeling healthy and confident. So I knew I could be more points on him.”

The re-ride bull was Peterbilt, and Crimber – remember, with a fractured collarbone – climbed into the chutes once more.

This time, his qualified ride was worth 88 points.

Statement: made.

“That was a big deal for me,” Crimber said. “I’m not feeling the best. The first one about got me down there a little bit, too – he stepped on me a little bit. That just kind of goes through your mental toughness, ‘how bad do you want it?’ sometimes, and I want it bad enough to go out there and go get another bull.

“I feel like a lot of people have been counting me out just a little bit, just thinking I’m far behind. But last year, I was way further behind Cassio (Dias), and it took the last day to show who was going to be the World Champion. So nothing’s over yet, and I’m just going to go out there and have fun and enjoy my job.”

Crimber has a point. Last season, Dias won seven events and entered the World Finals with a 560.5-point lead over Crimber, who was No. 2.

This season, Crimber is No. 3, but is just 483 points behind No. 1 Kasel and could make up more ground in Round 2 and the championship round in Tacoma (5 p.m. ET on RidePass, YouTube, the PBR App, X and Facebook). Crimber takes on Warpaint in Round 2.

The collarbone is, unfortunately, going to be a variable. The fracture is on Crimber’s free-arm side, so he says it hurts most of the time because of how much he uses that arm. While he pushed it a little bit in returning for Tacoma, his risk is a calculated one.

“Uh, I don’t feel the best right now,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s kind of a risky deal. The main thing was to try and avoid landing on it coming back this early, because really, I’m supposed to be coming back for the Finals. But the world title, it’s getting close, it’s getting hot, everybody’s riding good. So I felt good. I wasn’t going to come if I didn’t feel good. I got on some bulls on Thursday, landed on my feet, was fine. And then today, did not land on my feet at all. But I was just very thankful to get him rode and have everything feel… not the best right now, but it feels a lot better with the ride, for sure.”

It also feels better with a win. Crimber’s score contributed to the Freedom taking down the Mavericks 263-85.25, ultimately winning the three-game series 2-1 and keeping possession of the rivalry’s championship belt. The Freedom also received rides from Yan Victor Cunha (87 points on Puckered Up) and Thiago Salgado (88 points on Hoka Hey).

“It was probably the best thing that could happen because I was talking a little bit of ish,” Crimber joked. “They kind of scared me a little bit. They were riding good. My teammates, as they always do, they come out there and clutch everything up before I get on, and I love it. I love those moments, and it helps me ride better, for sure.”

He’ll need to keep the momentum up to finish the regular season out strong before the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast on May 8-18.

He may have more riders to jump in the standings and be in a more underdog role than he was last year, but the approach doesn’t change.

“It’s the same thing as last year: it’s not over ‘til it’s over, ‘til that last bull’s bucked at AT&T Stadium,” Crimber said. “Everybody comes with a different mentality. Mine is just to show up and do my job and let everything play out the way it’s supposed to. If I go out there and stay on and try to get on the best bulls and try to get the most points, it should work out.”

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media