By the Numbers: Last five World Finals berths claimed via 2025 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals
Marcus Mast, Afonso Quintino, Bob Mitchell, Michael Lane, Ashton Sahli round out qualifiers for Eliminations rounds inside Cowtown Coliseum May 8-11.
By James Youness
EDITOR'S NOTE: Jean Fernandes Pereira, who originally qualified as the top-performing rider not already in the fold during last weekend's Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, is now out of competition due to injury, thus paving the way for veteran Michael Lane to qualify for the season-ending showdown in Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend.
FORT WORTH, Texas – While the initial wave of 40 riders set to compete inside Cowtown Coliseum May 8-11 during the opening Eliminations stage of the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast has been decided since the tour concluded its regular season slate in Tacoma, Washington …
… the circuit watched on as last weekend’s Corpus Christi, Texas, based showcase welcomed the final five qualifiers to the quickly approaching endgame, courtesy of the 2025 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers.
Knowing spots were available for the Top-3 ranked riders in this year’s Velocity Global standings meant cowboys who were grinding it out all season were rightfully awarded.
We’re talking about guys like the eventual 2025 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Champion in Marcus Mast, plus season-long contenders in Afonso Quintino and Bob Mitchell.
Quintino may have been the man with the best odds of capturing the big jug of Pendleton Whisky at the end of the weekend. But a quiet weekend from Quintino paired with an insane, last-minute run from Mast reminded the veteran he’s still got what it takes to compete with the best in the business.
“It didn’t really go the way I wanted it to in the Championship Round. I got him rode but it wasn’t the greatest score of the night and we got the job done. Like they’ve been saying all year long, I’ve been beat up, bruising, but we’ve been powering through. It’s really amazing how God works,” a visibly emotional Mast shared with Kate Harrison via the PBR App stream.
“At the beginning of the season I was just kind of whatever and I didn’t really have any goals. Then my wife chewed my butt and asked me what my goals are for this year. I’d never won a Velocity, so I said I’d really like to win a Velocity and then go on and win the year-end. And believe it or not, that weekend, I won my first Velocity and now we’re standing here.”
With the event’s best-performing rider (who hasn’t already qualified for World Finals) receiving the fourth invite, Jean Fernandes Pereira parlayed his second-place, 3-for-3 showcase inside American Bank Center Arena into a spot competing in the Fort Worth Stockyards come Thursday night (as the showcase’s eventual winner No. 6 Paulo Eduardo Rossetto had already claimed his spot at the season-culminating showdown).
Which left Canadian standout Ashton Sahli to claim the fifth and final spot as the top-finishing international invite competing in south Texas Saturday evening.
Just like each of the awaiting 40 riders in Fort Worth, Texas, each of these men’s respective paths to a spot beneath the brightest lights in the business represent the grind required for riders looking to cement their place in PBR history.
Which is 100% up for grabs May 17-18 inside AT&T Stadium once the pack is trimmed down to a mere 25 contestants! So, if any of the five guys on the outside looking in hope to continue chasing down the prized gold buckle, they’ll need to put on one HELL of a show starting this weekend!
Back to wrap up the conclusion of the high-flying Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour campaign, By the Numbers returns to break down Marcus Mast’s come-from-behind victory, Jean Fernandes Pereira’s second-ever World Finals qualification and tons of other outlying numerals from last weekend’s showcase in Corpus Christi, Texas!
2025 Champ: For a man who hadn’t won a Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in his life prior to this season, it sure seemed like Marcus Mast has been here and done this before the way he slid into the expansion circuit and earned his first Championship honors. Drawing into 15 different events in 2025, his highest total within PWVT competition since 2019, it was pretty hard to notice the 30-year-old was recovering from nearly two years on the sidelines. As mentioned during his postgame speech, his first-ever win on the series came back in January, as the veteran exited the tour’s showdown in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a momentum-building victory. Doubling down two months later in Fresno, California, it was becoming clear he was grinding towards his ultimate goal. Ending his season with nine separate Top 10 finishes, including his 3-for-3, third-place showing in Corpus Christi, it’s been a year to remember for the Middlebury, Indiana, man.
Besting both Vigilante (86.25 points) and Shakira (80.5 points) during last weekend’s opening rounds inside American Bank Center Arena, Mast was feeling himself heading into the final short go of the season. And while his 8 seconds aboard Watch Out was rather imperfect, earning just a 64.75-point score, Mast declined the re-ride offer, knowing he had done enough to sneak past Afonso Quintino within the tour’s standings. Earning $95,942 for his season-long efforts, the veteran took home the second-highest cash total amongst the pack thanks to his 19-for-50 (38%) slate. Most importantly, Mast was able to parlay his favorable finish into a spot inside Cowtown Coliseum beginning Thursday night as the best bull riders in the world prepare to put on one HELL of a show!
12.5: After entering the final shootout of the 2025 campaign atop the pack, Afonso Quintino had been the circuit’s No. 1-ranked man for quite some time. Having brought a tour-best three event wins into Corpus Christi, he may not have been the favorite to outright WIN the Finals event, but he was likely one of the safer bets to knock down a bull or two. And despite 27 different riders managing at least one 8-second ride throughout the three-round, two day ordeal, Afonso somehow wasn’t one of them, instead forced into a pair of efforts aboard High Road and Cash On Black which each lasted two seconds or less, respectively, last weekend.
Ending his Velocity Tour campaign with a 19-for-59 (32.3%) slate, he tied Mast and veteran Alex Cerqueira with the second-most conversions overall when all was said and done. He understands he’ll be participating in his first-ever World Finals when Thursday rolls around as one of the last five men in. But that won’t take away the sting of knowing he nearly captured what would’ve been his first outright tour buckle, coming up just 12.5 Velocity Global points of Mast, who used his 3-for-3 performance to collect 138 Velocity Global points in sneaking past Quintino on the big board. Set to dance with The Intimidator during the opening night of the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations on Thursday, will the Brazilian be able to make some noise during just his fourth appearance on the premier series stage?
No. 3: One of three riders awarded for their season-long efforts, Bob Mitchell concluded the regular season slate with the tour’s best riding percentage (minimum 25 outs), going 23-for-35 (65.71%) overall while also recording the most qualified rides, four more than any other cowboy. Just 39.17 Velocity Global points behind No. 2 Quintino and 51.67 Velocity Global points behind the eventual tour-winner in Mast, he didn’t make it easy on his fellow riders in 2025. You could tell he was hungry to return to the UTB locker room.
After spending a majority of his past three seasons within premier series competition, it was only right he grinded his way back to the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast via his muddied path. But out of the 50-plus men who regularly gave their all this season, it’s hard to find someone who was as consistent as Mitchell. Turning in a Top 15 effort in seven of the eight events he participated in, the lanky cowboy understood where he wanted to be competing when May rolled around. Both at the Velocity Tour Finals and soon after, the biggest stage in the sport!
Second Trip 2 World Finals: Thankfully for Jean Fernandes Pereira, the only man to outperform him during the final three outs of the season last weekend was one Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, who had already locked up his spot at the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast. And with the tour welcoming the top-performing rider from the Velocity Tour Finals, Pereira is officially in the group of 45 men set to invade Cowtown Coliseum May 8-11 thanks to his fruitful and flawless finish. Turning in a 3-for-3, second-place effort, the Brazilian nearly forfeited his spot to 2024 PBR World Champion Cassio Dias, who went 2-for-3 during his third event since returning from an early-season injury. However, it was Pereira who exited American Bank Center Arena with a check inked for $18,250 and a chance to win a share of the prize pool available starting this weekend.
Earning his second-ever and second-straight World Finals qualification, he’s set to dance with Peanut during the second out of Thursday’s opening round. Managing rides atop Co-Witt (83 points), Kangaroo Jack (82 points) and Born To Raise Hell (80.25 points), he didn’t produce the type of electrically rank rides required to win a round. But there’s something to be said about the 29-year-old continuing to piece together quality rides and performances as a whole. Ending the season ranked No. 15 in the Velocity Global standings, he very much needed the strong showing in order to qualify, as he was just a mere 13-for-32 (40.63%) on the year.
Feels Like the 1st Time: Traditionally, the Velocity Tour Finals feature international invites from Canada, Mexico, Australia and Brazil, whenever possible. However, with international invites extended to riders from just Brazil (Anderson de Oliveira) and Canada (Ashton Sahli), the battle for the fifth and final spot was suddenly between two desperate riders.
Knowing Oliveira sat atop the 2025 PBR Rookie of the Year race via his established No. 16 Unleash The Beast rank, it became clear that this was Sahli’s spot to lose. And even though Oliveira outscored Sahli 79 to 0 on the big board, it was Sahli who officially punched his career-first berth to World Finals competition. Having participated in a handful of PWVT showdowns back in 2024, he knew what he was getting into when he accepted his international invite. And while he had only drawn into one PWVT showdown in 2025, he made sure to make it count, as he went on to claim a podium feat courtesy of his 2-for-3, third-place effort. With three PBR Canada events on his resume since the calendar year turned, he’s managed fifth, eighth and second-place honors, respectively. Meaning he’s been slowly turning things to 11 ahead of his first-ever appearance inside Cowtown Coliseum May 8-11.
