Kasel Ties with Oliver for Third Consecutive 15/15 Bucking Battle Victory

By: Justin Felisko

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – 2019 Rookie of the Year Dalton Kasel used to groan when he would see a 15/15 Bucking Battle listed during a three-day event weekend.

Now Kasel is all smiles when he sees the bonus round of competition on the PBR schedule.

Kasel won a third consecutive 15/15 Bucking Battle on Saturday night when his 91.25-point ride on HomeBru tied him with Kyler Oliver (91.25 points on Chiseled) for the 15/15 win at the PBR First PREMIER Bank PREMIER Bankcard Invitational at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

“That bull was really cool,” Kasel said. “I’ve seen him a lot of times. He’s an older bull, 6 years old. I knew he was going to feel really good once he turned back, even though it’s hard to get out of the chutes clean on him. I just had to keep my focus and not let that bother me when he kind of threw his nose up in the air.”

The 22-year-old is the first rider in PBR history to win three consecutive 15/15 Bucking Battles.

“I can’t complain about these 15/15s anymore,” Kasel, who was 0-for-10 in 15/15 Bucking Battles until his three wins, said with a grin.

Kasel had to be assisted to the PBR Sports Medicine room, but he told PBR.com that he will be ready to roll for Championship Sunday, where he is currently tied for 10th place in the regular event standings.

“Oh yeah, I’ll be ready for tomorrow,” Kasel said. “I just landed like a sack of shit. It just kind of stunned me a little bit. Not my head. My ribs and hips – just kind of frogged it.”

Kasel and Oliver were the only two riders with qualified rides in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

Sunday could be a big move for Kasel in the world standings.

He is the only rider in the Top 10 with a qualified ride in Round 1, and the 54 points he earned for splitting the 15/15 win with Oliver helped him climb to within 331 points of world leader Joao Ricardo Vieira.

Following Sioux Falls, there are five regular-season events remaining until the 2022 PBR World Finals begins on May 13 in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Yeah, there’s plenty of time to be in the world title race and still have a chance to win the world,” Kasel said. “I’m trying to knock them down one at a time and not really think about it. I know it’s going my way right now, so I’m just going to keep trying to stay on.”

Meanwhile, Oliver – the No. 3-ranked rider in the world – is now within 178 points of Vieira, but he is listed as questionable for Sunday after sustaining a concussion during his ride on Chiseled when he landed on his head.

Saturday night was Oliver’s first career 15/15 Bucking Battle victory.

PBR FIRST PREMIER BANK PREMIER BANKCARD INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES 15/15 BUCKING BATTLE
Sioux Falls, SD, 2022 Event Leaders (Round 1-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Kyler Oliver, 91.25-91.25-54 Points.
(tie). Dalton Kasel, 91.25-91.25-54 Points.
João Ricardo Vieira, 0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0.00
Jose Vitor Leme, 0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0.00
Chase Dougherty, 0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0.00

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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