It’s not every week you get a day named after you. It’s not every week you post the highest score of the year, either.

But Dalton Kasel isn’t your average cowboy.

Just four days after the City of Dublin, Texas, officially proclaimed Jan. 13 as Dalton Kasel Day, honoring local resident Dalton Kasel for his faith, grit and impact both in and out of the arena, Kasel delivered a ride worthy of celebration on the sport’s biggest stage.

Inside Fiserv Forum, beneath the bright lights of the Busch Light PBR Milwaukee presented by Cooper Tires, Kasel capped a perfect 3-for-3 weekend with a thunderous 92.55-point ride on Lights Out in the championship round — the highest-marked ride of the 2026 Unleash The Beast season to date — earning his 13th career premier series win and his second UTB victory in the season’s first five stops.

And if you ask him about it?

He’ll probably just crack a smile and shrug.

From Dublin to Destiny

For a town known for green bottles and Texas hospitality, Dublin, Texas, rolled out a new kind of red carpet last week — honoring one of their own with an official proclamation that declared Jan. 13 as Dalton Kasel Day.

From City Hall to the dirt-covered arenas he’s made famous, the gesture acknowledged more than just wins, gold buckles or a long line of 90-point rides.

It honored heart.

The Dublin Texas Chamber of Commerce recognized Kasel not only for his achievements as a professional bull rider, but for the way he’s carried himself throughout a journey that began well before the bright lights of the premier series. 

And when he’s healthy? He’s lethal.

The proclamation celebrated that resilience — his humility, his dedication to family and his belief in the purpose behind his platform. Kasel has become more than just a Monster Energy rider. He’s a symbol of what’s possible when heart outpaces hardship.

For Kasel, the moment was a humbling full-circle reminder. He’s often spoken about his early days — riding the back of his dad in the living room, pretending he was already at the World Finals. To now have his name printed on a city document, permanently etched into the calendar of the town that raised him?

That’s the stuff words can’t even explain.

Four days later, in true Kasel fashion, he let his riding do the talking.

Lights Out in Milwaukee

Round 1 on Friday night saw Kasel match up with Tijuana Two Step — a matchup he handled with veteran poise, marking 86.90 points to stay within striking distance.

In Round 2, he squared off with Shy Town, delivering 85.30 points to move into second place heading into the championship round — trailing only Koltin Hevalow by a slim three-tenths of a point.

Then came the pick. Hevalow selected UTZ BesTex Smokestack — the same bull Kasel had ridden to win the season opener in Manchester. With his first choice off the table, Kasel went for the next best thing: Lights Out, a bull that had already led two riders to victory this season, including Sage Kimzey just one week prior at Madison Square Garden. It was a bold — and soon to be brilliant — decision.

Lights Out turned in another electric trip, and Kasel matched him jump for jump, earning 92.55 points and bringing the Wisconsin crowd to its feet as he locked in his second event win of the 2026 season.

Building Momentum From Manchester

The win in Milwaukee follows Kasel’s victory at the season opener in Manchester, where he also went 3-for-3, setting the tone for the year with trademark tenacity and flair.

Now, just five events into the season, Kasel finds himself within two points of current world leader Julio Cesar Marques, firmly entrenched in the race for his first PBR World Championship.

And if the early-season trend holds, the crown could be coming home to Dublin.

Through five events, Kasel is 6-for-9 (66.6%) on the Unleash The Beast and boasts not only the year’s highest score, but also two of the tour’s most complete performances. He’s ridden with confidence, aggression and calm — a rare trio that only elite riders manage to carry at the same time.

Gamblers Grit

While he’s blazing a trail through the 2026 UTB season, Dalton Kasel is also a cornerstone of the Austin Gamblers during the PBR Teams campaign — the very team he helped guide to the 2024 PBR Teams Championship.

Nicknamed “Mr. 90 Points” for a reason, in 2024 Kasel went 3-for-3 on Championship Sunday in Las Vegas, including a 90.25-point ride on Baldy in the semifinals and a massive 92-pointer on Always Been Crazy in the title game. Those back-to-back 90s helped seal Austin’s first-ever team title — and cemented Kasel’s legacy as one of the best postseason performers in PBR Teams history.

Whether it’s individual glory on the Unleash The Beast or team pressure under the Gamblers’ banner, Kasel has shown time and again that he thrives when the lights are brightest.

Cowboy, Father, Fighter

Kasel’s résumé speaks for itself — 13 UTB wins, Rookie of the Year honors, Team USA Global Cup Champion, fourth-highest ride in PBR history (96.75 on Woopaa), and a growing list of 90-point rides that’s almost too long to count.

But if you ask him what matters most, it won’t be the trophies or the titles.

It’ll be his faith, his wife and daughters, and the cattle he raises back home in Texas. He’s a cowboy in every sense of the word — hardworking and charismatic.

In a sport where seconds matter and pain is constant, Dalton Kasel continues to rise above — with grace, with grit and with a slightly gapped smile that says he’d do it all over again.

Jan. 13 was officially Dalton Kasel Day in Dublin, Texas.

Jan. 17? That was Dalton Kasel Day in Milwaukee, too.

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media