Daysheet, News and Notes, Round 9
John Michael Whitby, a member of George Strait’s backup band Ace in the Hole Band, will sing the national anthem. RAM is the performance sponsor.
WRANGLER NFR LIVE ON TELEVISION, RADIO AND INTERNET
Tonight’s Wrangler NFR will be televised live on The Cowboy Channel (DISH Network channel 232 and DirecTV channel 603) and RFD-TV (Dish Network channel 231 and DirecTV channel 345) from 6:30-9:30 p.m. (CT). All 10 performances of the 2020 Wrangler NFR will be available via livestream subscription on Cowboy Channel Plus. Visit cowboychannelplus.com to sign up.
THREE BULL RIDERS OUT WITH INJURIES
Bull riders Parker McCown, Tyler Bingham and Trevor Kastner are all out with injuries. Bingham suffered a concussion, fractured sternum and multiple rib fractures after being bucked off Big Stone Rodeo’s Spotted Demon in Round 7.
McCown suffered a right (riding) shoulder separation and shoulder joint fracture during Round 4 but continued to compete until Round 7. He has been out since then.
Kastner suffered a right (riding) shoulder blade fracture during Round 4 but also continued to compete. He has been out since Round 6.
Going into Round 9, McCown was seventh in the average with 246 points on three head, Bingham was 10th with 161 points on two head and Kastner was 13th with 87 points on one head.
RYDER WRIGHT NOTCHES FOURTH GO-ROUND WIN
Ryder Wright won his fourth go-round win of the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with an 88-point ride on Andrews Rodeo’s American Hat’s Positive Times in Round 8 at Globe Life Field, Dec. 10. Wright also won Rounds 2, 4 and 6.
If he wins one more round, he will tie the PRCA record for most saddle bronc riding wins at the NFR that he already shares with Billy Etbauer (1992, 1999 and 2005) and Dan Mortensen (1998).
Wright won five rounds in 2016. He followed that 2016 performance by winning the world title in 2017.
With his latest $26,231 victory, Wright moved into the lead in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $249,528. Wyatt Casper is second in the standings with $240,176. Wright leads the average with 698.5 points on eight head. Casper is second in the average with 602.5 points on seven. The average winner receives $67,269. Ryder’s brother, Rusty, was second in Round 8 with an 85-point ride, and their younger brother Stetson split third with an 86-point trip.
BARREL RACER KINSEL MAKES HISTORY
Barrel racer Haley Kinsel has had a dominating performance at the 2020 Finals. The Cotulla, Texas, cowgirl upped that with a 16.56-second run Wednesday, a WPRA record on a standard pattern.
Kinsel broke her own WPRA standard-pattern record of 16.63 seconds that she set earlier this year in Dodge City, Kan. Kinsel leads the world standings with $234,845 and has earned $156,385 in Arlington, which has her leading the RAM Top Gun standings. The Top Gun Award goes to the contestant who wins the most money in any single event at the Wrangler NFR. Kinsel is first in the barrel racing NFR average with a 137.26-second time on eight runs.
NEWS & NOTES
Today, bareback rider Leighton Berry drew Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Pop A Top, the same bull that Tim O’Connell won Round 4 on with a 90.5-point ride. Pop A Top was named the bucking stock of the night in bareback riding for that round.
O’Connell leads the PRCA | RAM World Standings and will cross paths with Wayne Vold Rodeo’s Mucho Dinero in Round 9. The last time he rode this horse was at the 2019 Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up for 84.5 points.
Jess Pope leads the average and is set to ride Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Night Star, the same horse that Will Lowe won Round 3 of the RAM Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo on with an 88-point ride in January.
Saddle bronc rider Rusty Wright drew Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Wound Up, the Round 4 saddle bronc of the night. Wound Up was the PRCA saddle bronc of the year in 2017 and the top saddle bronc of the 2016 NFR. Wound Up is also the same bronc that Rusty’s dad, Cody, won Round 10 on during the 2016 NFR, posting a 90.5-point ride.
Jacobs Crawley is set to ride Vold Rodeo Co.’s Sun Glow, the same bronc that Zeke Thurston posted a 91-point ride on to win Round 9 of the 2019 NFR.
Chase Brooks has another impressive bronc, drawing The Cervi Rodeo’s 2 Cookies, a two-time go-round winner at the NFR – CoBurn Bradshaw with 85 points in Round 7 of the 2016 NFR and Ryder Wright with 89 points in Round 6 of the 2017 NFR.
Bull rider Colten Fritzlan will defend his position at the top of the average by riding Hurst & TNT Pro Rodeo’s Rip. Rip bucked off Dustin Boquet in Round 4. With six outs in 2020, the only cowboy to make the whistle aboard Rip was Jeff Askey at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo Xtreme Bulls, Feb. 22.
Going into Round 9, Ty Wallace leads the world standings and is set to ride Corey & Lange Rodeo’s Billy Hell. That’s the same bull that Fritzlan posted an 85.5-point ride on in Round 4. In August, Boudreaux Campbell won the Jerome (Idaho) County Fair and Rodeo with an 89-point ride on Billy Hell.
Record times and scores for the ninth round of the Wrangler NFR:
| Bareback Riding: | 90 points, Rowdy Buechner, 2005; Tim O’Connell, 2018 |
| Steer Wrestling: | 3.2 seconds, Derek Daye, 1993; Cash Myers, 2001, Luke Branquinho, 2007 |
| Team Roping: | 3.3 seconds, Chad Masters/Jade Corkill, 2009; Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 2017 |
| Saddle Bronc Riding: | 92 points, Dan Mortensen, 2002 |
| Tie-down Roping: | 6.6 seconds, Hunter Herrin, 2015 |
| Barrel Racing: | 13.40 seconds, Hailey Kinsel, 2018 |
| Bull Riding: | 95.5 points, Zack Brown, 2003 |
Below are links to the Round 9 Daysheet and the Round 9 News and Notes for the 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Round 9 Daysheet
Round 9 News and Notes
Courtesy of PRCA