2019 Season Rewind: Top 5 Rides of Kasel’s Rookie of the Year Campaign
By: Darci Miller
PUEBLO, Colo. – In 2019, Dalton Kasel made his Unleash The Beast debut in August in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as an invite of the PBR’s competition committee.
Three months later, he stood atop the Can Am cage at the PBR World Finals as the 2019 Rookie of the Year.
In just nine regular-season events, Kasel had three Top-3 finishes and one event win, and he finished the season ranked No. 8 in the world standings.
On May 5, Kasel will join two-time and reigning PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood and 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis for the Virtual Coors Banquet Happy Hour at 8:30 p.m. ET. Hosted on WebEx and moderated by Matt West, the event will be a half-hour conversation with the bull riders and can accommodate the first 3,000 fans. To join, visit this link and use the password “coorsbanquet.”
In 2020, Kasel has yet to regain his Rookie of the Year form. Following the 2019 World Finals in November, he underwent surgery to repair two torn groins, and reaggravated the injury upon his return to action in February. Kasel returned again at the Las Vegas Invitational in April, where he went 0-for-2, but says he’s finally back to feeling healthy.
Read on to relive the Top 5 rides of Kasel’s incredible rookie season.
T1. 92 points on Fearless – Jack Daniels Music City Knockout, Round 2
In just the third premier series event of his career, Kasel showed up in a big way at the Jack Daniels Music City Knockout in Nashville. He won two rounds, including Round 2 with a career-high 92 points aboard Fearless, and advanced all the way to Round 5 for a second-place overall finish.
T1. 92 points on Fearless – Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride, Round 3
Despite having made his UTB debut just over two months prior, Kasel had been consistently knocking on the door of his first event win. So when it finally happened at the Cooper Tires Take the Money and Ride in Nampa, Idaho, nobody was too surprised. In the final regular-season event of 2019, Kasel went a perfect 3-for-3, edging out then-world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme by several points and capping his win with a 92-point ride on Fearless – again.
3. 89.25 points on Kamabugu – Jack Daniels Music City Knockout, Round 1
Kasel’s other round win in Nashville came in Round 1, when he rode Kamabugu for 89.25 points. It was already the second round win of his career, and allowed him to crack the Top 35 for the first time, rising from No. 37 to No. 33.
T5. 88.75 points on Constant Sorrow – Fairfax Invitational, Round 2
Kasel would match his second-place finish in Nashville the following month at the Fairfax Invitational in Fairfax, Virginia. He went 2-for-3, including an 88.75-point ride on Constant Sorrow to win Round 2.
T5. 88.75 points on Sun Country – Express Ranches Classic, Round 1
Kasel made his premier series debut at the Express Ranches Classic, and wasted no time adjusting to the spotlight. His 88.75-point ride on Sun Country was enough to win Round 1, making him just the fourth rookie in the last 10 years to win his first round ever on the premier series. Kasel would go on to finish the event seventh overall.
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