#InCaseYouMissedIt: Lawrence Wins First UTB Event Since 2017, Vieira Stays Red Hot and More
By: Darci Miller
The last time Stetson Lawrence had won a premier series event, two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme hadn’t even made his U.S. debut yet. But that all changed in Chicago. Plus, Joao Ricardo Vieira is still flawless in 2022, Cole Melancon continues to rebound from a dismal 2021, and more. Miss a moment of the action this weekend? Here’s what happened around the PBR.
On the Unleash The Beast…
Everyone’s favorite Firewalker Stetson Lawrence went 3-for-3 at the PBR Tractor Supply Co. Invitational in Chicago, earning his first premier series event win since September of 2017. Welcome back to the winner’s circle, Stets.
It was also a huge weekend for Joao Ricardo Vieira, who’s off to a 7-for-7 start to the season and is ranked No. 1 in the world.
Vieira said that he was riding this weekend in honor of 1999 PBR Ring of Honor inductee Jerome Robinson, who passed away on Jan. 9.
A memorial service for Robinson will be held in Oklahoma City on Feb. 10.
In 2021, Cole Melancon set a new record for the longest buckoff streak in premier series history at 35 – not the kind of history you want to make. But he finished third in Chicago and is 4-for-8 through three events.
Ezekiel Mitchell won Round 1 in Chicago and has already set his sights on winning the world title.
We have yet to see two-time reigning World Champion Jose Vitor Leme on the Unleash The Beast this season, but fear not: his return is coming.
Meanwhile, on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour…
Alex Cardozo tied for the Round 1 win in Cedar Park, Texas, with 2002 World Champion Ednei Caminhas…
…but it was Cladson Rodolfo Vieira that took his first-ever Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour win.
Across the country in Portland, Oregon, Brady Oleson went 2-for-2 for the event win.
Through the lens with BullStockMediav
Check out the best photos from night one and night two in Chicago.
Social spotlight
It’s the cowboy way.
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Good news from the champ!
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Love seeing Tanner Byrne back on U.S. soil.
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Looking ahead
The Unleash The Beast rolls into Duluth, Georgia, for the PBR Gwinnett Invitational on Jan. 22-23 (RidePass on Pluto TV on Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. ET; CBS Sports Network on Jan. 23 at 8 p.m. ET).
The Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour heads to Greenville, South Carolina, for the Greenville Invitational on Jan. 22, and to Spokane, Washington, for the Spokane Classic, also on Jan. 22 (RidePass on Pluto TV on Jan. 22 at 2 p.m. ET).
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