KENNEWICK, Wa. – For the fifth time in history, the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) will visit Kennewick, Washington, bucking back to the Toyota Center on Sept. 5-6 for the Challenger Series’ PBR Kennewick.
For two nights only, some of the best bull riders in the world will battle the sport’s rankest bovine athletes in the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast in a series showcasing one of the most exciting live sporting events to witness.
The PBR Challenger Series will hold more than 60 events from May-October, culminating with its Championship in late October in Las Vegas. The PBR Challenger Series provides additional competitive opportunities for bull riders who are both affiliated and unaffiliated with a PBR Teams league team.
PBR has held four prior events inside Toyota Center, bringing the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour to Kennewick in 2021, marking the organization’s first-ever event in the city, followed by a two-day Challenger series event in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
In 2021, home state hopeful Cody Casper (Newport, Washington) delivered a perfect 3-for-3 performance to win the inaugural PBR Tri-Cities Classic.
The subsequent season’s event in Kennewick was dominated by Bill Henry (Manila, Utah), going a perfect 2-for-2 to collect his first PBR event win.
In 2023, 18-year-old sensation John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) emerged victorious, earning his fourth career victory in less than a month competing with the organization. The win signaled the upcoming success for the generational talent as he went on to become a prime contender for the 2024 PBR World Championship.
When PBR last travelled to Kennewick in September 2024, William Wright (Wickenburg, Arizona) rode supreme, parlaying a 2-for-4 showing into an event win.
While Kennewick has only welcomed the PBR four times prior, Washington is no stranger to world-class Western sports.
Neighboring city Pasco welcomed the developmental Touring Pro Division in 2009 and 2010. After Chris Newsom (Hammon, Oklahoma) won the inaugural event in 2009, Chon Miranda (Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico) captured the title in PBR’s most recent trip to Pasco in 2010.
Yakima is also home to one of the fan favorite PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour events, having hosted the series from 2015-2017. Those Evergreen State event victors are: Bonner Bolton (2015 – Odessa, Texas); Cody Ford (2016 – Stanfield, Oregon) and Joao Ricardo Vieira (2017 – Itatinga, Brazil). Prior to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s debut in Yakima in 2015, the city welcomed the organization’s Touring Pro Division eight times from 2006-2014.
Adding to the region’s familiarity with world-class Western sports, the Tri-Cities has produced the likes of World Championship-contending bull rider Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington). Hailing from nearby Walla Walla, Kolbaba has qualified to the PBR World Finals nine times, finishing runner-up to the PBR World Championship in 2017.
The bull riding action for the 2025 Challenger Series’ PBR Kennewick, begins at 8:00 p.m. PT on Friday, September 5, and 7 p.m. PT on Saturday, September 6.
All 35 competing bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 on Friday evening and Round 2 on Saturday night. The riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 10 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.
Tickets for the two-day event go on sale Tuesday, May 13 at 10 a.m. PT, and start at $20, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Toyota Center Box Office or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
Beginning May 12, the ticket price will be reflective of the government mandated “All In Pricing,” inclusive of taxes and fees. For more on this change, click here.
For more information about the PBR and to see the full 2025 PBR Challenger Series schedule, visit PBR.com.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media
