FORT WORTH, Texas – Koltin Hevalow’s third all-time dance with Baldy was one of nearly two dozen rematch efforts to grace Friday night’s second round. 

But when the buzzer sounded following his successful 8-second out atop said bovine, the only numbers that mattered were 87 and 100%, as the Kansas City Outlaws professional improved to 2-for-2 within eliminations competition via the flashy go. 

Whipping his helmet across the dirt before leaning forward into his patented celebration, all was good for a man who captured one of four round wins during the 2024 iteration of Eliminations action.

“Koltin’s one of those kids where as soon he first came around, you could see the talent there,” 2016 World Champion turned TV analyst Cooper Davis said seconds before the ride.

“But now he’s really putting that talent and confidence together.”

Overtaking two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme for the session lead at the time, he became just the second rider to stay perfect inside Cowtown Coliseum while building a fierce wave of momentum. 

And while he ended up settling for a sixth place finish in the round overall, he’s going to be bringing some sincere swagger into Saturday’s looming slate. 

Earning 32 UTB points for his second-straight Top 6 placement, he stayed pat at the No. 21 spot in the standings ahead of the third round. 

Having entered the season-ending showcase ranked No. 24 overall on night one, he’s already jumped three spots in two nights thanks to his strong start at Eliminations and would’ve been up to No. 20 had Hudson Bolton not improved to 2-for-2 himself.

Which is important for a pair of kids looking to secure one of the initial 20 spots inside AT&T Stadium for next weekend’s Championship finale. 

Given the Top 15-ranked riders will get an automatic invite, Hevalow currently needs just 25.6 more UTB points to surpass No. 15 Kaiden Loud in order to qualify via that avenue. 

If that path doesn’t work, he’ll have a chance to earn one of the last five spots stemming from Eliminations by finishing Top 5 in the event aggregate come the conclusion of Sunday’s fourth round. 

Given he’s occupying the No. 4 spot on the event leaderboard following Round 2, he’s keeping his options open while positioning himself for a run as the weekend continues. 

All while keeping up with youngsters in John Crimber, Clay Guiton and Bolton, who are each 19 years of age to the now seasoned stud in 22-year-old Hevalow and the only three men with higher aggregate scores as of Friday evening. 

Which shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise after seeing the McAlester, Oklahoma, resident turn in a No. 10 finish during last year’s premier series campaign. 

But Hevalow had been pretty quiet throughout the back stretch of the regular season, with an eighth-place finish in early March his most recent Top 10 effort. 

Hell, we’d have to go all the way back to early February to see his last five-digit paycheck-earning effort, earned during a season-best, runner-up effort in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

“I’ve had a rough season here toward the end. Last time I was in this place, I won the round and I kind of had a statement to make tonight,” he shared Friday night with Kate Harrison via The Cowboy Channel broadcast after getting his showcase off to a productive start aboard What’s Poppin.

“I let myself down and I’ve been working hard. Brennon Eldred got me right Monday and I came in here with the right mindset.” 

Already with $13,000 to his name in prize earnings courtesy of his fourth and sixth-place results, he’s got a chance to keep his name in the running to take home the $150,000 bonus awarded to the eventual Eliminations event-winner. 

One of just four men with triple-digit scores ahead of the approaching third perf, he’s in control of his own destiny when the party resumes Saturday, May 10 at 7:45 p.m. CT. 

It wasn’t so long ago that he was one of the “young guns” threatening to make some waves early on his professional career. Now he’s quite literally got three up-and-coming stars to keep up with should he want to avoid next week’s Ride For Redemption stage.

Quite literally half of a UTB points (.5) behind Bolton in the standings and just 2.25 points back of the New York Mavericks rookie in the aggregate, he’ll have his sights zeroed in as he readies for his matchup with Tulsa Time. 

Queue the lights, camera and action – Because we know he’ll be ready to take a bow!

Fans can catch all of the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast action steaming LIVE and FREE on the PBR App, YouTube, RidePass and X. 

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media