AUSTIN, Texas – The Austin Gamblers are riding high after going a perfect 3-0 last weekend in Nashville, and now the reigning 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series champions are set to defend their home dirt. Stop No. 5 of the 12-event regular season takes place at Moody Center in Austin, where the hometown team faces three pivotal matchups.

Friday night lights: Gamblers vs. Freedom

Friday night on FOX Nation, the Gamblers (8-3) open Gambler Days against the Florida Freedom, looking to run their current winning streak to seven games. Florida (7-4) comes in led by head coach Paulo Crimber, while Austin counters with its own Hall of Fame leader, 1997 PBR world champion Michael Gaffney.

For new fans, each team usually brings seven or eight riders each weekend; five make up the lineup in any given game. That makes the matchups a chess match, with coaches pairing riders' styles to best match each of the five bulls they’re assigned.

Florida has been consistent, usually putting two to three rides on the board. The team will lean on closer John Crimber, along with Thiago Salgado — who at one point led the 2025 MVP race — plus Joao Lucas Campos. Despite an uneven outing in Nashville, the Freedom remain dangerous.

Austin, meanwhile, is loaded with depth. Three-time world champion José Vitor Leme is week-to-week with an injury, and his status will be closely watched. If he returns, it could be a difference-maker in front of the home crowd. Even without him, or former world champion Kaique Pacheco, who is also sidelined, the Gamblers have a powerhouse lineup that includes seven-time PRCA world champion Sage Steele Kimzey and “Mr. 90 Points” Dalton Kasel. That depth has vaulted Austin into the No. 2 spot in the standings, and they’ll look to keep momentum rolling.

Saturday showdown: Texas Cup clash

Saturday brings the Land.com Texas Cup Showdown — an in-state rivalry of champions as the 2023 title-holding Texas Rattlers (7-4) square off against the 2024 champion Gamblers. Both are Texas teams and neighbors in the standings, with Austin ranked No. 2 and Texas at No. 3.

Texas rode a wave of momentum on Friday in Nashville, going a perfect 5-for-5, only to falter the rest of the weekend. Whether it was pen matchups or simply an off stretch, the team will be eager to rebound. (They were close to a win against Kansas City but were downed by a walk-off ride.) Austin, on the other hand, has been consistent all year.

This matchup may come down to razor-thin margins. Brady Fielder has been red hot for Texas, riding seven of his last eight bulls, while Daniel Keeping continues to be one of their most reliable scorers. If Austin has Leme back in the lineup, that swings the advantage to the home team — but either way, this is a true coin toss.

Championship Sunday: Gamblers vs. Cowboys

Sunday, the Gamblers close out their homestand against the Carolina Cowboys. On paper, the Cowboys should be a powerhouse, but they stumbled badly in Nashville, going 0-3. (Of note for sports fans, Carolina GM Austin Dillon dominated to win the NASCAR Cup race in Richmond.)

Former world champions Cooper Davis (2016) and Daylon Swearingen (2022) anchor the roster, with Davis typically one of the most consistent leadoff men in the league.

Last weekend, however, Davis went 0-for-3 — a rare skid he’ll look to quickly erase. Carolina also boasts MVP leader Clay Guiton, who continues to prove himself as one of the league’s breakout stars. If Swearingen, Davis and Guiton all connect, Carolina is capable of beating anyone.

But Austin has momentum, depth and home dirt on its side. With Carolina struggling, the Gamblers have an opportunity to cap a perfect weekend.

Can’t get a ticket to Gambler Days or unable to make it to Austin this weekend? Don’t worry. You can still catch every second of the action on FOX Nation, The CW Network and CBS. As the battles heat up, the MVP race tightens and the leaders in the PBR Camping World Team Series standings continue to jockey for position, you won’t want to miss a ride.

Click HERE to check the full broadcast schedule and find out when and where to watch all the excitement unfold. 

Beyond the dirt

The Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation is carrying forward the same spirit of resilience seen in bull riding — but in a way that changes lives off the dirt. The foundation provides access to the Action Trackchair, a groundbreaking all-terrain wheelchair designed to give people with mobility challenges the freedom to experience the outdoors with very few limits.

But here’s the harsh truth: no insurance will cover these life-changing pieces of equipment, and their hefty $25,000 price tag puts them out of reach for the very people who need them most. That is why the Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation exists — to bridge that gap and make the impossible possible. Because you can’t put a price on freedom, independence and living life to the fullest.

Whether it’s navigating rough pastures, rolling through wooded trails, or simply enjoying time with family in places a standard wheelchair can’t reach, the Action Trackchair opens doors to a level of independence many thought was lost. It’s not just equipment — it’s freedom, dignity and the chance to live fully.

Just as PBR athletes push themselves to conquer challenges eight seconds at a time, the Midwest Outdoors Adaptability Foundation helps others overcome obstacles of their own, ensuring no one is left behind when it comes to the Western lifestyle and the outdoors.

To learn more — and to be part of helping someone reclaim that freedom — visit www.moafoundation.org.

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media