2022 Wrangler NFR Round 5 News & Notes
Round 5 – Dec. 5, 2022 Round 5 Daysheet
Country music artist and former rodeo competitor Chancey Williams is the opening act, and the national anthem will be performed by country music singer Will Jones. Montana Silversmiths is the performance sponsor. It is also Tough Enough To Wear Pink Night.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION AND INTERNET
The 2022 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo® presented by Teton Ridge airs nightly from Dec. 1-10 at 5:45 p.m. PST/8:45 p.m. (EST). The Cowboy Channel is the official network partner of PRORODEO® and the exclusive broadcast and streaming partner of the NFR. Live coverage of the NFR can be found on The Cowboy Channel and RFD-TV through its cable and satellite partners, and online at cowboychannelplus.com.
MARTY YATES SWINGS HIS WAY TO WRANGLER NFR ROUND 4 VICTORY
Marty Yates had a rough start to the 2022 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge, failing to place in the first three rounds. He made up for those lost opportunities in Round 4 on Sunday night. The Stephenville, Texas, cowboy made a slick 7.4-second run to take the Round 4 victory before 17,112 spectators at the Thomas & Mack Center. “Oh, it’s nice to finally get the monkey off my back,” Yates said. “I didn’t have much luck in the first few nights, but made a good run tonight, I drew a good calf, I went out there and did my job and it worked.” Yates has a simple plan for the remainder of the NFR. “One swing, one wrap and a victory lap, every night that’s what we’re after,” he said.
BULL RIDER JR STRATFORD OUT OF ROUNDS 5 AND 6 WITH ANKLE INJURY
Bull rider JR Stratford, who is making his NFR debut, suffered a left ankle injury during Round 4 when he failed to make the whistle aboard Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Con Air. According to Dr. Tandy Freeman, the co-medical director and orthopedic surgeon for Justin Sportsmedicine, Stratford, 20, doctored released out of Round 5 and as such will also have to miss Round 6. He’s eligible to return for Round 7 of the Wrangler NFR. Stratford is ninth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $142,943. He has earned $35,882 at the NFR, highlighted by him splitting the Round 3 win with a 90-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Curly Bill.
NEWS & NOTES
In bareback riding, Cole Franks will look to build off his second-place finish in Round 4 by drawing the Pendleton Whisky Let ‘er Buck Bareback Horse of the Year in Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire. Franks owns the Dodge City (Kan.) Roundup record with a 93-point ride on Gun Fire. Tilden Hooper will go head-to-head with decorated C5 Rodeo’s Virgil. On June 5, Rocker Steiner set the PRCA World Record on Virgil with a 95-point ride at the Riggin Rally Xtreme Broncs in Darby, Mont…Saddle bronc rider Layton Green will look to reach the pay window for the first time at this year’s NFR, when he matches up with Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ The Black Tie, the 2022 Pendleton Whisky Let ‘er Buck Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year. In six outs this season the average score on the horse was 89 points, with NFR saddle bronc rider Tanner Butner putting up a 92.5-point ride on The Black Tie at the Sheridan WYO Rodeo, July 16. Kolby Wanchuk looks to continue his stellar start, aiming to reach the pay window for the fifth time in five nights. Wanchuk will face off with a familiar foe, drawing Macza Pro Rodeo’s OLS Tubs Get Smart. The Canada native rode the 2021 Pendleton Whisky’s Let ‘er Buck Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year to an 87.5-point ride at the Mandan (Idaho) Rodeo Days in early July…In bull riding, six-time NFR qualifier Trevor Kastner has his sights set on making the eight-second whistle for the third-consecutive night. He matches up with the 2022 Pendleton Whisky’s Let ‘er Buck Bull of the Year, Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Masterhand Milling Smoke Stack. The award-winning bull has yet to allow a qualified ride in nine attempts this season, boasting an average stock score of 46.56. The Missouri native Creek Young hopes to turn the tide on his NFR showing, drawing Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Resistol’s High Rise. It won’t be easy as his tandem partner has only one qualified ride on him in 26 attempts dating back to 2021.
Record times and scores for Round 5 of the Wrangler NFR:
Bareback riding: *93 points, Clayton Biglow, 2018
Steer wrestling: *3.0 seconds, Steve Duhon, 1986
Team roping: 3.6 seconds, Garrett Tonozzi/Kinney Harrell, 2006
JoJo LeMond/Cory Petska, 2010
Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 2020
Saddle bronc riding: *93 points, Billy Etbauer, 2003
Tie-down roping: 6.7 seconds, Caleb Smidt, 2009
Barrel racing: 13.43 seconds, Emily Beisel, 2021
Bull riding: 94.5 points, Stetson Wright, 2021
*Denotes Arena record
Courtesy of PRCA