Martinez Wins Round 1 of Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals
By: Justin Felisko
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Only seven weeks ago, Dustin Martinez was one of 50 bull riders looking to make a good impression on a variety of coaches, scouts and general managers from the eight PBR Team Series teams who descended upon Pueblo, Colorado, for the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft Combine.
Martinez was one of a handful of riders who caught the eyes of various coaching staffs during a practice pen session that left some circling his name as a rider to keep an eye on during the rest of the season.
While none of the coaches viewed Martinez as a top-tier draft pick, there was a belief that the 25-year-old had some potential.
Now, Martinez is hoping to prove this week at the 2022 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, presented by Coastal Bend Chevy Dealers, that he is more than a project rider and could be a true contender for a roster spot come the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, on May 23 at Texas Live!
“It’s huge,” Martinez said. “Beyond just that, being more than just a practice squad guy, you just want to come and win and compete and to be 90 every time. The buckier the bull, the better. And that should be the attitude every time you get on something – always try hard – but this teams draft has a little bit of added pressure, I feel like, whether guys want to admit it or not.”
Martinez got off to a hell of a start inside American Bank Center with a 90-point ride aboard True Religion to win Round 1 of the Velocity Tour Finals on Friday night. This puts him into contention for a PBR World Finals wild card berth, let alone any PBR Team Series draft chatter.
Five riders will qualify for the World Finals as wild card invites based on the Velocity Tour standings and the Velocity Tour Finals event standings.
• The top-finishing international invite. The three international invites this year are Alex Cardozo (Brazil), Griffin Smeltzer (Canada) and Francisco Morales (Mexico). These riders were selected via world ranking as of May 1. All three riders bucked off in Round 1 on Friday night. If the group fails to record a ride Saturday, then Cardozo would receive the wild card berth based on world ranking.
• The top two riders in the Velocity Tour standings who are not qualified for the World Finals via the world standings.
• The top two finishers in the Velocity Tour Finals event average. If every rider in the Top 5 has already qualified for the World Finals, the wild card berths will go to the next eligible riders in the Velocity Tour Standings.
Martinez could punch his ticket to Fort Worth, Texas, and Dickies Arena for the 2022 PBR World Finals (May 13-22) through either the VT standings or his event finish. Then he would be able to truly show his talents on the PBR’s largest stage.
The round win on Friday night pushed Martinez up to No. 12 in the Velocity Tour standings. He trails VT leader Brandon Davis, who finished second in Round 1 with 89.5 points on Quick Trigger, by only 26 points heading into Round 2 on Saturday night (6:30 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV).
Rounding out the Top 5 in Round 1 was Cody Jesus (87 points on Blue on Black), Josh Frost (85.5 points on Out of the Blue) and 2002 World Champion Ednei Caminhas (85.5 points on Old School Cool).
Martinez’s ride on True Religion also ended a streak of four consecutive buckoffs since he rode Crossover for 90 points at the Velocity Tour event on April 9 in College Station, Texas.
“I asked before I went out what that True Religion bull was, and they said he was going to have a lot of kick, blow out of there and be around to the right,” Martinez said. “They said, ‘As long as you gather him up, you’ll love him.’ And heck, I loved him.”
Martinez, the No. 69-ranked bull rider in the world, is amidst his first season in the PBR after previously competing in only five events in the last six years.
The Canjilon, New Mexico, native grew up splitting time between his parents’ homes in New Mexico and Oklahoma. He quickly fell in love with the sport of rodeo thanks to his father Oney Martinez, who used to ride bulls in the PRCA.
“I’ve just been around rodeo my whole life,” Dustin said. “I watched my dad do it a little bit until he retired and decided to get on sheep, calves, steers, all of that. I started getting on big bulls at 16. My parents held me off my first year and a half of high school. I was a little bitty guy; they wanted me to grow a little bit, mature. And second semester of my sophomore year of high school, I started getting on big bulls at open rodeos.”
Martinez was a runner-up for a New Mexico state title before eventually hitting the college rodeo trail with Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
“I got my PBR stuff and my PRCA stuff when I turned 18, but I focused on college rodeoing and just got my feet wet going to some PBRs, some pro rodeos, and graduated college three years ago,” he said. “Now I’m just living the dream.”
Martinez is 5-for-23 (21.74%) in 14 PBR events at all levels of competition in 2022.
After not dipping his feet into the professional ranks full-time until this year, Martinez now can take the ultimate step forward if he can knock down two more qualified rides in Corpus Christi and qualify for his first PBR World Finals.
Martinez has drawn Sky Walker for Round 2 on Saturday night.
“Nothing else matters but when you sit down and nod your face,” Martinez said. “You can’t let any other distractions, little things, try to creep its way into your mind, which is super easy for a bull rider like this.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media
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