By the Numbers: No. 7 Austin Richardson outpaces pack, claims win No. 1 in Jacksonville
Now the eleventh different rider to win big in 2025, the Nashville Stampede standout is heating up.
By James Youness
FORT WORTH, Texas – With Unleash The Beast producing 11 different riders throughout the circuit’s first 14 events, it’s becoming quite clear that the quest to claim the 2025 PBR World Championship is wide open.
And with just nine regular season showcases separating the pack from two weeks of mayhem in both Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, guys like a Dallas native in Austin Richardson are doing all they can to ensure their spot in the epic shootout.
Which was rather evident last weekend in Jacksonville, Florida, when the cowboy exited the Michelob ULTRA PBR Jacksonville with his first win of the 2025 campaign.
“Just knowing I can still do it. I bucked off last week and that gets you down pretty good but it can turn around at any second like it did this weekend. I just went bull-for-bull and finished on top," Richardson told Kate Harrison via the RidePass on Pluto TV stream.
“It means everything – Y’all getting into our bull rides – especially after we make 90-point bull rides. Seeing the crowd go wild man … We couldn’t do this without y’all and I appreciate it.”
Also representing his first premier series victory in more than a year, with his last win claimed in New York City just 13 months ago, the YEET-forward talent skyrocketed from the No. 16 rank all the way up to the No. 7 spot in the world as he officially cracked the Top 10.
Beginning his weekend with a pair of encouraging marks, albeit not scoreboard-shattering efforts, Richardson collected 86.25 points aboard Dangerous Medicine and an 87.5-point mark after dancing with Hunting Trip.
But let’s be honest – it was his epic 91.5-pointer in the short round atop Eyes On Me which ultimately sealed the deal on a weekend which saw eye-popping conversions left and right.
Serving as the third-highest conversion in Richardson’s career, the rank out also represents just his seventh qualified ride to meet the elite mark overall and now his first 90 since 2023, when he recorded a 90.75-pointer during the 2023 Iron Cowboy down in Brazil.
His last stateside 90-point performance came in April of 2022, nearly three years ago. So, to say the swaggy talent was due would be quite an understatement.
Eventually winning the dramatic short round which saw nearly as many lead changes as successful 8-second dances, Richardson collected his second round win of the year as well as his first Championship Round victory of 2025.
“The plan is going how it should be and I’m just thankful for the Lord who’s blessed me with this life,” he said on PBR’s YouTube stream.
“Last year I was running for a world title and got hurt and now I’m back here this year doing it again. I hope to stay healthy and finish on top.”
Riding a bit of a hot stretch lately, the 25-year-old secured his second podium effort in the tour’s past four events, combining his BIG win inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville with a third-place effort back in Sacramento, California.
When you add in a fourth-place result in Wichita, Kansas, and a sixth-place go in Albany, New York, he’s up to four Top 6 finishes on the season, now 16-for-34 in 2025 after completing his first 3-for-3 weekend of the year.
Collecting a warranted 132 UTB points for his victory alongside a fat check for $45,616, will he continue to make some noise this weekend when the tour invades Fiserv Forum March 1-2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin?
Somehow we’re already within the single-digit countdown when it comes to remaining regular season showcases, as a mere nine meet-ups separate the world’s most talented bull riders from two weeks in the heart of Cowboy Country during the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
And with another Tuesday comes another edition of By the Numbers as we take a closer look at Austin Richardson’s YEET-friendly antics, the spiciest short round of the season and tons of other outlying numerals from last weekend’s showcase in Jacksonville, Florida!
90s Galore: Seeing four different scores surpass the 90-point mark means fans in Jacksonville were enjoying themselves, to say the least, with each of Elizmar Jeremias (90.25), Kaique Pacheco (90.5 – won Round 1), Sage Steele Kimzey (91 points) and of course the event’s victor – Austin Richardson recording rank rides.
Just the fourth time all season we’ve seen four 90s in the same contest (with Wichita, Kansas, continuing to lead the way with five rank marks, while the pack produced four in both Ontario, California, and Houston, Texas) suggests the boys were feeling themselves. Knowing St. Louis, Missouri, was the only other meeting which featured two different 91-pointers confirms that exact sentiment.
Watching on as Kimzey conquered the ever-difficult and rather-rank Red Demon despite having the twelfth and final selection of the bull draft, the crowd was left in awe. Which means he didn’t actually select a date with said bovine, but sure knocked their time together out of the park! The epic dance shows just how experienced the veteran is. And how badly he wants the gold buckle this May.
25: 90s alone can dictate the results of any given event. But they don’t always tell the whole story, which was also the case this past weekend in Jacksonville. Sure, Kimzey, Richardson and company did the heaviest lifting. But when the Round 1 slate came to a close, with Pacheco atop the leaderboard, the pack had combined for a whopping 25 rides – now the most rides in a round since 2009 when the premier series tour invaded Tallahassee, Florida. So, whether something is in the water down there or the riders simply enjoy escaping the cold, the Sunshine State has left riders wanting to return to the southern peninsula.
Winning his second round of the season courtesy of his 90.5-pointer aboard Mike’s Motive, the 2018 World Champion secured the opening round’s honors as one of two men to go north of 90. Yan Victor Cunha served as the Round 1 caboose at 75.75 points, a score he had an opportunity to improve on via re-ride, but eventually declined the option as his Florida Freedom Head Coach Paulo Crimber wanted a strategic advantage during his team’s eventual record-breaking win over the New York Mavericks in Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, action.
8: Representing the most short round conversions on the season, eight different men lasted the requisite 8 during Championship Sunday’s exclusive competition. Which also qualifies as the third-straight week the tour has turned in an even amount of rides after posting an identical four conversions in both Salt Lake City, Utah, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The previous record for the 2025 campaign was five, with the pack reaching said mark four separate times this season. But with each of Austin Richardson, Kaique Pacheco, Brady Fielder, Thiago Salgado, John Crimber, Sage Steele Kimzey, Anderson de Oliveira and Sandro Batista showing up and showing out on Sunday!
Eight different riders also recorded 3-for-3 slates throughout – now the most of the season. A 256.75-point aggregate score is typically enough to win an event outright, or at the very least enough to qualify a rider for a podium finish. However in Week 14, Sandro Batista was forced to settle for an eighth-place result as one of eight different riders to produce flawless records inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
424: After seeing both the Arizona Ridge Riders and Missouri Thunder storm into their respective Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, series and establish dominating 2-0 advantages, the Florida Freedom forced an ever-important Game 3 against their rival New York Mavericks after defeating the expansion unit on home dirt Saturday night.
Becoming the first team in the 6 vs. 6 universe to go 5-for-6 as a squad, the Freedom posted a record-breaking 424-point aggregate as they logged a 424-169.75 final over their fellow East Coast foes. Naturally, any time John Crimber makes the 8, we’re going to make a big deal of it, as he remains one of the most talented and flashy riders on tour. But this one was a bit more special, as the 19-year-old finally recorded a qualified ride after returning from injury via an 0-for-4 slate.
Scored a quality 88 points for his Round 1 dance with Feeds Red River, the 2024 PBR Teams MVP looked healthy and hungry as he teamed up with Elizmar Jeremias, Yan Victor Cunha, Thiago Salgado and Alex Cerqueira for the big win. Knowing the Mavericks captured the series-opener on home dirt back in New York City meant the red, white and blue unit needed to defend their own home turf and did such in thrilling fashion to close out Saturday’s slate.
Set to close out the best-of-three series during the final outright session of METC action April 26 in Tacoma, Washington, we already know a “winner takes all” scenario has been established. All we have to do now is hope everyone stays healthy and grab tickets to the regular season finale!
