The Nashville Stampede have already proven they can win when it matters most.
After finishing at the bottom of the standings during the inaugural PBR Team Series regular season in 2022, Nashville caught fire when the lights were brightest in Las Vegas, completing a Cinderella run to become the inaugural PBR Team Series Champions.
But regular-season success has been a different story.
In each of their first four seasons, the Stampede finished below .500:
2022: 8th — 7–20
2023: 7th — 11–17
2024: 7th — 12–16
2025: 6th — 15–20
Combined regular-season record, 2022–25: 45–73 (.381)
So what makes 2026 so different?
After three regular-season stops, Nashville sits No. 1 in the league at 7–1, riding a franchise-record seven-game winning streak and holding a two-game advantage in the PBR Team Series standings.
Their lone loss came during opening weekend in Fort Collins, Colorado, against the reigning and defending 2025 PBR Team Series Champion Carolina Cowboys.
And calling it close would be an understatement.
Carolina escaped with a 176.55–175.15 victory — a margin of just 1.40 points.
Since then, Nashville hasn’t lost.
The Stampede went undefeated for the second consecutive weekend at Freedom Days in Sunrise, Florida, finishing 3–0 while covering 10 of 15 bulls. Through eight games this season, Head Coach Justin McBride’s squad has covered 22 of 40 bulls for a 55% riding percentage.
So how has a franchise that went 45–73 over its first four regular seasons suddenly become the team everyone else is chasing?
The short answer is consistency.
For the longer answer, look no further than the 2026 Horse Soldier MVP race.
With nine regular-season events remaining, including Stampede Days, the overall standings aren’t the only standings Nashville is fighting to sit atop.
Through three stops, three Stampede riders are ranked inside the Top 8:
No. 2 — Rogério Venâncio: 531.25 points — 1.35 points behind
No. 6 — Riquelmi Silva: 442.25 points — 90.35 points behind
No. 8 — Daniel Feitosa: 436.50 points — 96.10 points behind
Venâncio sits just 1.35 points behind MVP leader and two-time Horse Soldier MVP Jose Vitor Leme, who won the award in 2022 and 2023.
That may be the clearest explanation for Nashville’s transformation.
The Stampede haven’t needed to lean on the same one or two riders every night and hope somebody makes the whistle. The lineup has carried its own weight. Feitosa has converted 5 of his 6 outs, Venâncio is 6-for-8, and Silva is 5-for-8.
Perhaps the most dangerous part of Nashville’s 7–1 start is that this may not even be the best version of the team yet.
The 2022 PBR World Champion Daylon Swearingen traded the Tar Heel blue he wore as a member of the 2025 PBR Team Series Champion Carolina Cowboys for a Nashville Stampede jersey ahead of this season. Swearingen currently remains on injured reserve.
Cody Jesus was also on injured reserve, giving McBride another proven weapon to add back into the lineup.
Then there is Ky Hamilton.
The 2023 PRCA World Champion is awaiting his opportunity to make his PBR Teams debut. With two World Champions waiting in the wings and three riders already inside the Top 8 of the MVP standings, Nashville may have more firepower still to come.
The franchise’s history in Las Vegas makes its current position even more significant.
Nashville went a perfect 4–0 at the 2022 PBR Teams Championship, completing an improbable run from the No. 8 seed to become the inaugural PBR Team Series Champions.
Their Las Vegas championship records since the league began:
2022: 4–0 — PBR Team Series Champions
2023: 0–2
2024: 1–2 — including the Ride-In Round
2025: 0–2
Combined Las Vegas Championship record, 2022–25: 5–6
Four of those five victories came during that unforgettable 2022 championship run. Since raising the trophy, Nashville is 1–6 in Las Vegas championship competition from 2023–25, including the 2024 Ride-In Round.
In previous seasons, Nashville has needed to find its best when everything was on the line in Las Vegas.
In 2026, they aren’t waiting until November.
Now the best start in franchise history is coming home.
Stampede Days, Aug. 14–16, 2026, at Bridgestone Arena marks Stop No. 4 of the 2026 PBR Team Series regular season and Nashville’s only home stand of the season.
And the road to a potential 10–1 record won’t be easy.
The Stampede begin their defense of home dirt against the No. 2 Arizona Ridge Riders, who arrive in Nashville at 5–3, just two games behind the league leaders.
With only two games separating the top two teams, Friday night gives Nashville an opportunity to create more distance — and Arizona a chance to close it.
Saturday brings the only team to beat Nashville this season.
The No. 4 Carolina Cowboys also enter Stampede Days at 5–3, two games behind the league leaders.
Carolina handed Nashville its lone loss, escaping Fort Collins with a 176.55–175.15 decision. Seven consecutive Stampede victories later, the two teams meet again — this time on Nashville’s home dirt.
Nashville closes its home stand against the No. 9 Oklahoma Wildcatters, who enter the weekend at 3–5.
On paper, 7–1 against 3–5 may appear to be Nashville’s most favorable matchup.
But anyone familiar with PBR Teams knows how quickly that paper can be torn up.
In a league this tight, the standings can change two or three different ways in a single night. Every win is crucial to Nashville’s pursuit of the regular-season championship and a first-round bye in Las Vegas — two things the franchise has yet to accomplish.
And now Nashville gets its sixth man.
One of the loudest crowds in the league will welcome home the No. 1 team as the Stampede try to turn three games inside Bridgestone Arena into three more victories and leave Stop No. 4 at 10–1.
For these reasons and so many more, if you’re anywhere near Bridgestone Arena — or looking for a reason to make the trip to Nashville — make your plans now to see the No. 1 team in the league defend its home dirt.
Get your tickets HERE.
Can’t make it to Bridgestone Arena but don’t want to miss a second of the heart-pounding action — or the chance to see who, if anyone, can put an end to Nashville’s seven-game winning streak?
Follow the official broadcast schedule for times and viewing options in your area HERE.
Whether you’re watching from home or following along inside Bridgestone Arena, the official results and day sheets can keep you up to date ride by ride — final scores, team results, rider scores, bull scores and everything you need to follow the battle between man versus beast and team versus team.
For official PBR results and day sheets click HERE.
For the first time, Nashville has its eyes set on more than simply getting back to Las Vegas.
The Stampede made their name by catching fire when everything was on the line there.
In 2026, they’re playing to a different beat — and this weekend, that beat comes home to Nashville.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media