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CBS Sports Network is Airing a PBR Marathon on July 4. Here’s What’s in Store

By: Darci Miller

PUEBLO, Colo. – On the Fourth of July, CBS Sports Network is airing a marathon of PBR events from the 2022 Unleash The Beast season, starting at 6 a.m. and running through the rest of the day. Even more programming will air on July 6, 7 and 8.

Click here for the full CBS Sports Network schedule.

Those four days of programming will feature action from four events: the Express Ranches Classic, presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Tulsa, Oklahoma; the Nampa Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Nampa, Idaho; the PBR Cooper Tires Invitational, presented by Ariat, in Billings, Montana; and the 2022 PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas.

Need a refresher on what to expect when you tune in? Read on for some highlights.

Express Ranches Classic, presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Tulsa, Oklahoma

 
In April, the premier series headed back to Tulsa, and with about one month left before the World Finals, the action was intense. Two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme took home the event win, his second of the season, with a 3-for-3 performance. In the championship round, Leme rode I’m Legit Too for 94 points, his second-highest-scoring ride of the season. The win propelled Leme to the world No. 4 rank, though following an injury at the World Finals, he would ultimately finish the season ranked No. 5.

However, Leme’s monster ride wasn’t even the best of the weekend. Austin Richardson faced off against 2021 YETI World Champion Bull Woopaa, and the two combined for 94.5 points, the highest score of Richardson’s career.

Speaking of Woopaa, the bovine was locked in a fierce World Champion Bull race with Ridin Solo. Woopaa’s 46.25-point bull score with Richardson put him back into the lead with just two events remaining before the World Finals.

Nampa Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires – Nampa, Idaho

 
The regular season continued to wind down as the premier series returned to Nampa, and it was Ramon de Lima’s big weekend. With a 3-for-3 performance, Lima won his first event in more than two years and improved to No. 18 in the world standings.

Also of note, Colten Fritzlan finished second overall. It was Fritzlan’s best showing of the season after missing the first three months of the season recovering from left shoulder surgery he underwent last September. His return to PBR action in 2022 was rough (0-for-6), but he finally broke out in Nampa. He went 3-for-3 at a premier series event for the first time since winning his debut in January 2021.

Fritzlan missed qualifying for the World Finals, but he was picked at No. 5 overall by the Missouri Thunder in the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft.

Cooper Tires Invitational, presented by Ariat – Billings, Montana

 
The regular-season finale is always a big deal, but it was a particularly emotional affair for Dakota Louis. The Browning, Montana, native went 3-for-3 – including a 91-point ride on Drago, the highest score of his career – to win his first-ever Unleash The Beast event in front of a home crowd with plenty of friends and family in attendance.

“This is an event I came to as a little kid up there watching, and it has been my motivation to make myself better and be at this level,” Louis said following his win. “To get a win here definitely marks off one of the goals. To have my dad here is so special. He has taught me everything I know. When he is here, there is no messing around. He won the INFR twice. I got to ride against him for four years. He beat my ass a lot. I still remember the first time I beat him. I was 17 at a little INFR rodeo. He was 82 (points). I was 83.”

Meanwhile, Daylon Swearingen went 2-for-3, tying Louis with 91 points on Charmer in the championship round, for a third-place finish overall. While he remained in the No. 2 world rank, his efforts helped him gain ground on No. 1 Joao Ricardo Vieira. And, well…

PBR World Finals – Fort Worth, Texas

 
What is there to say about Swearingen’s performance at the World Finals that hasn’t already been said? Amidst a ferocious world title race with a razor-thin margin for error, he went a commanding 6-for-8 to win the PBR World Championship and World Finals event title right along with it. Swearingen’s performance included three 90-point rides and one round win.

Also showing up and showing out was Cody Jesus, who very nearly stole the World Finals event title right out from under Swearingen’s nose. Fresh off the heels of winning the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, Jesus rode for 90 points twice in Fort Worth and finished the year ranked No. 7 despite competing in only nine regular-season premier series events.

However, the biggest single ride of the event came from Mauricio Moreira. In Round 2, he rode WSM’s Jive Turkey for a whopping 94.25 points, earning him the Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award.

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