Nance Hopes to Return From Dislocated Hip in Time for Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Cody Nance is not giving up on his goal of qualifying for a 12th PBR World Finals this coming November in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena.
Nance announced on social media Tuesday he will be out nine weeks after dislocating his hip this past weekend at the PBR Ariat Music City Knockout, presented by Cooper Tires, when Safe Cracker bucked him off in 1.88 seconds in Nashville.
The 33-year-old hopes to return in time for the 2021 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas on Oct. 30-31.
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The good news for Nance is that he did not tear any ligaments or break his hip. He did need to undergo surgery Sunday afternoon in Nashville to get his hip placed back into socket, but he was released later that evening.
Nance is no stranger to a dislocated hip as he had a similar injury in 2019, which also kept him out for nine weeks.
Nance is currently ranked 29th in the PBR world standings and is 62.16 points ahead of No. 36 Caic Cassio Carvalho for the final World Finals qualification spot.
Even if Nance drops out of the Top 35, he is well suited to qualify for the Velocity Tour Finals as he is ranked No. 14 in the PWVT standings. He could earn crucial world points at the Velocity Tour Finals or earn an automatic bid at the Finals with a victory.
Nance missed out on the World Finals last year for the first time in his career because of nerve damage in his right shoulder and chronic hip dysplasia.
The Paris, Tennessee, native is five qualified rides away from becoming the 20th rider in PBR history to record 300 rides on the premier series.
“It seems like it is taking forever, but the last couple of years have been different getting hurt,” Nance said. “Leading up to it, it was going good. 2019 was a rocky year. I fractured my collarbone and dislocated my hip and shoulder. Then last year, I had to sit out my first Finals. So far, I am just thankful I have had a great career. You always wish you could do better, but I still feel pretty decent outside of a couple of factors, like my age.
“You always have to keep working to get better, and that’s what I am going to continue to do.”
VELOCITY TOUR HEADED WEST
The next Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event is the Fresno Invitational on Saturday and Sunday at the Save Mart Center.
Fans can watch the event exclusively on Pluto TV at 10 p.m. ET Saturday and 5 p.m. ET Sunday.
Michael Lane leads the field in Fresno, and the No. 1 ranked rider on the Velocity Tour holds a 22-point lead on Conner Halverson. Lane, the No. 38-ranked bull rider in the world, has turned down an alternate spot to compete on the Unleash The Beast for a second consecutive week as he attempts to win the Velocity Tour championship and its $50,000 bonus for the first time in his career.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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