WHEELING, W.V. – The powerful bovine competitors held the upper hand for most of the evening during the opening round of the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s (PWVT) PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Wheeling, as only Daniel Burke (Taylorsville, North Carolina) made the 8 to win Round 1.

Burke roared out of the chutes atop Sober Up (K-C Bucking Bulls) for 70 points in the lone ride Friday evening.

The Tarheel cowboy’s ride netted him 20 Velocity Global points.

In the bull pen, Grayson (J Bar W), Old Testament (Jo-Z Bucking Bulls/K-C/Spark-lin Acres), Scars N Stripes (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls), and Clyde (K-C Bucking Bulls) were all marked a round-high 42.5 points.

Grayson bucked off Kyle Broadwater (Grantsville, Maryland) in 4.12 seconds in Round 1, while Old Testament bested Justin Van de Kemp (Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada) in 2.39 seconds.

Joao Paulo Fernandes (Hidrolina, Brazil) was unseated by Scars N Stripes in 2.09 seconds, and Clyde gained the upper hand on Eli Byler (Nashville, Ohio) in 2.35 seconds.

Velocity Global points contribute to the Velocity Global Standings and determine which new riders are added to the elite Unleash The Beast throughout the season. The Top 3 Velocity Global riders who have not already qualified are also invited to the PBR World Finals in May.

PBR Wheeling concludes with Round 2 and the championship round at WesBanco Arena tomorrow, Saturday, March 22, at 7 p.m. ET.

While the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour bucked in Wheeling, and Dayton, Ohio, the elite Unleash The Beast bucked in Palm Desert, California.

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour
PBR Wheeling
WesBanco Arena – Wheeling, West Virginia
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Daniel Burke  [1], 70-0-0-70.00-20 Points.
Ezekiel Mitchell  [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell  [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole  [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole  [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Trace Redd  [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Trace Redd  [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody McCandless, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Wimer, 0-0-0-0.00
João Paulo Fernandes  [1], 0-0-0-0.00
João Paulo Fernandes  [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Tanner Dale  [1], 0-0-0-0.00
Tanner Dale  [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Casey Roberts, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Byler, 0-0-0-0.00
Tristen Marshall, 0-0-0-0.00
Bret Timmermans, 0-0-0-0.00
Lance Lara, 0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Burke  [2], 0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Stutzman, 0-0-0-0.00
Gustavo Junio Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Rogerio Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Nick Garramone, 0-0-0-0.00
Justin Van de Kemp, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcos Santos de Miranda, 0-0-0-0.00
Wanderson Jackson, 0-0-0-0.00
Chris Villanueva, 0-0-0-0.00
Diego Henrique, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyle Broadwater, 0-0-0-0.00
Ryder Carpenetti, 0-0-0-0.00
Billy Barnhart, 0-0-0-0.00
Denis Leonel Garcia Vasquez, 0-0-0-0.00

Photo courtesy of James Reuff