And with it come 44 ever-hungry bull riders who remain interested in claiming at least one of two big prizes up for grabs this weekend as the tour prepares to invade Corpus Christi’s American Bank Center Arena May 2-3.
The first of which includes a $50,000 check for being crowned the 2025 Velocity Tour Champion, which is set to be awarded to the man with the most Velocity Global points when the dust is settled come Saturday night.
Not to mention the $100,000 event purse available to the greater pack.
Enter current tour leader No. 1 Afonso Quintino, who brings an 81.17-point lead over No. 2 Bob Mitchell into the approaching showcase.
Chasing down what would be his first-ever World Finals qualification, the Brazilian has already captured a tour-best three wins (all of which came during an insane 23-day stretch which featured victories in Greenville, South Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee, and Worcester, Massachusetts) amongst his seven Top 10 finishes on the season.
The second of which involves earning one of the final five spots to compete within the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast, which will begin May 8-11 inside Cowtown Coliseum with 45 of the world’s spiciest cowboys vying for an opportunity to duke it out inside AT&T Stadium May 17-18, during the Championship postseason stage.
Enter literally any of the event’s 44 contestants, as the overall top-performing cowboy in the two-day, three-round event will automatically qualify for the big dance. Which leaves four spots.
One of which will be claimed by the highest-scoring rider who accepted an international invite ahead of this season’s finale. Knowing 2025 UTB Rookie of the Year frontrunner in Anderson de Oliveira has already secured his spot inside Cowtown Coliseum means Canadian standout Ashton Sahli simply needs to show up and stay healthy in order to punch his ticket.
Meaning we’re down to the final three spots, which will be awarded to the eventual tour’s champion and next two highest-ranked riders in the Velocity Global standings when the final shootout is officially in the books.
If the season concluded with the current rankings, those three spots would currently be allocated to Quintino, Mitchell and No. 3 Marcus Mast, who remain atop the points table as of Friday morning.
And while they’ll likely feel comfortable about both their odds of continuing their season alongside the idea of making a run in Corpus Christi, they’ll be forced to deal with several premier series regulars, which includes five different riders set to enter Cowtown Coliseum ranked within UTB’s Top 20.
We’re talking about guys like John Crimber, who looks to use the showcase to stay loose while continuing to work through an ailing upper-body injury.
Having won the showdown one year ago during his electric rookie campaign, the 19-year-old phenom has a chance to become the first man to win the event aggregate in consecutive seasons if he were to exit American Bank Center Arena with another victory Saturday night.
The only man to outperform Crimber during last year’s epic PBR World Finals in Cassio Dias is preparing to give Crimber and each of the 42 other riders present a run for their money, just the same.
Set to compete in just his second event since getting banged up during the Unleash The Beast season-opener in Tucson, Arizona, he looks to right the ship Friday night after being unable to survive the 8 aboard Noslaw Extrasauce during last week’s PBR Knockout in Kansas City, Missouri.
Can the 2024 World Champion make some noise this weekend en route to securing a last-minute invite to the end-all, be-all showcase invading Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, May 8-18?
Add in the likes of No. 6Paulo Eduardo Rossetto, No. 11Clay Guiton, No. 12Leonardo Castro and No. 16 Oliveira and it's easy to see why it's the town's hottest ticket!
Of course, we can’t forget to mention the circuit’s defending Champ in Grayson Cole, who’s got a chance to become both the first back-to-back Velocity Tour Champion and first cowboy to earn the honors twice in PWVT history.
With a maximum of 320 points available to any one rider who’s able to sweep competition while turning in above-average ride scores, Cole remains in contention for another title, currently 263.5 Velocity Global points behind No. 1 Quintino.
Cole was positioned No. 2 in the pack ahead of last year’s finale – So he understands what it takes to eliminate a deficit in thrilling fashion. Whether he can pull it off come Saturday remains to be seen!
Fans can tune in LIVE and FREE starting Friday night, as well as keep an eye on the event’s daysheet here.
Lineups and draw are in for the final PWVT showcase of the season, so we’re taking a closer look at Friday night’s matchups, rematches and everything you need to know ahead of the weekend’s opening slate!
With the circuit primed to invade Corpus Christi, Texas, May 2-3, we’re breaking down starting lineups for competition inside American Bank Center Arena (With coverage set to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT via the PBR App and RidePass).
VELOCITY TOUR FINALS STARTING LINEUPS Trace Redd vs. Frog Man Flavio Zivieri vs. Erner Permer Guthrie Long vs. F-Bomb Jeferson Silva vs. Red Wing Pokey Houghton vs. Sava Jean Carlos Teodoro vs. Ocho Cinko Eric Henrique Domingos vs. Red Head Anderson de Oliveira vs. Oreo Andy Guzman vs. Gorilla Pimp Michael Lane vs. Misery Company Aaron Williams vs. Step That Step Jean Fernandes Pereira vs. Co-Witt Joao Lucas Campos vs. Showbiz Eric Novoa vs. Bad Bob Conner Halverson vs. Damaged Goods Ashton Sahli vs. Savage mode Eli Vastbinder vs. Jackhammer Joe Wyatt Rogers vs. Cutting Edges Bandit Ethan Winckler vs. Cutter Paulo Eduardo Rossetto vs. Sizmagraf Bruno Carvalho vs. Plowboy Dalton Rudman vs. Gucci Time Manoelito de Souza Junior vs. Pearl Alex Cerqueira vs. Easter Egg Marcus Mast vs. Vigilante Leandro Zampollo vs. Phantom Leonardo Castro vs. Black Ice Junio Patrik Souza vs. Rank Frank Callum Miller vs. Riser Zane Cook vs. Dang, Dang Dawson Gleaves vs. Sizzled Bob Mitchell vs. Frank the Tank Lucas Martins Costa vs. Yukon Jack Jaxton Mortensen vs. L.A. Carlos Andre de Oliveira vs. Gaucho Lucas Fideles Souza vs. Aggie Pete Guilherme Valleiras vs. Cash On Black Ezekiel Mitchell vs. TBR’s Buffalo Joe Clay Guiton vs. Wagon Hound Grayson Cole vs. Double R Hat House Pepper Shaker Cassio Dias vs. Red Bull John Crimber vs. Clown Afonso Quintino vs. High Road
The action will conclude Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. CT during the final outs of the season as riders compete for the final five spots at the 2025 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
All of the action in Corpus Christi will be available LIVE and FREE via the PBR App and RidePass beginning Friday night at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more!
