Road to Arlington and 2020 PBR World Finals Continues With Swearingen and Alves Competing at Casper Velocity Tour Event
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Time is certainly ticking for riders sitting outside of the 2020 World Finals picture, as well as beyond the Top 35 in the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour standings, if they hope to qualify for the two most important events on the PBR calendar.
There are only three Unleash The Beast events remaining – Tulsa, Oklahoma; Nampa, Idaho; and Pensacola, Florida – before the World Finals begins on Nov. 12 in Arlington, Texas, while the Velocity Tour is down to its final two regular-season events this coming weekend.
The two Casper Invitationals, driven by Wyoming Ford Dealers, on Friday and Saturday night are the last opportunities for riders to earn points toward the Velocity Tour standings and qualify for the 2020 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Nov. 6-7.
The two Velocity Tour events could end up carrying significant World Finals implications, considering that the top two riders in the Velocity Tour standings following the Velocity Tour Finals who have not qualified for the PBR World Finals earn automatic bids to the World Finals.
There will also be two more wild card World Finals bids available at the Velocity Tour Finals that will be awarded to the top two riders in the event average standings that have not yet qualified for the World Finals. In the event that all Top-5 finishers in the event average have already qualified for the World Finals, then the final two qualifiers will come from the Velocity Tour standings instead.
In short, there will be four riders outside of the Top 35 of the world standings leaving Sioux Falls on Nov. 7 with a guaranteed spot at the 2020 PBR World Finals.
It is just one more reason to keep an eye on the Velocity Tour events this weekend in Casper. Of course, injuries and turnouts may play a factor in riders outside of the Top 35 of the Velocity Tour standings qualifying for Sioux Falls as alternates, so every rider competing in Casper has a shot to make it to Sioux Falls.
There are another two elements to follow in Casper, especially on Friday night, as well.
There are nine riders slated to compete at the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Bass Pro Shops, Unleash The Beast event in Tulsa on Saturday and Sunday that will be in Casper first on Friday night:
No. 3 Daylon Swearingen
No. 26 Keyshawn Whitehorse
No. 28 Joao Henrique Lucas
No. 37 Marcus Mast
No. 39 Silvano Alves
No. 40 Junio Patrik Souza
No. 41 Paulo Lima
No. 42 Rafael Henrique dos Santos
No. 47 Wallace Oliveira
Swearingen looking to creep back into world title race
Daylon Swearingen’s second-place finish in Lincoln, which was highlighted by a wild 88-point ride on SweetPro’s Bruiser, has him up to No. 3 in the world title race. Swearingen is still 733.34 points behind world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, and he needs every point possible to try to get closer.
Therefore, Swearingen will head to Casper, Wyoming, on Friday night to ride at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event before heading south to Tulsa on Saturday.
Swearingen is 50th in the Velocity Tour standings. The 21-year-old has drawn Smoke Train (0-0) for Round 1.
All of the Velocity Tour action can be seen exclusively on RidePass beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET Friday.
Lucas can gain ground in Rookie of the Year Race
The 2020 Rookie of the Year race is still searching for its frontrunner with no one rookie consistently setting himself apart from the rest of the challengers so far this season.
Joao Henrique Lucas is the highest-ranked rookie competing in Casper, and he is only 150.59 points behind current Rookie of the Year leader Cole Melancon. Lucas could earn up to 44 points in Casper on Friday night with a clean sweep of the two rounds and event average.
Lucas has drawn Beetlejuice (1-2, all levels) for Round 1.
Alves trying to get back into Top 35 amidst jumbled bubble race
Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves has only earned 3.5 world points in the past four months. Therefore, it certainly makes sense for Alves to be starting his weekend in Casper as he tries to jump back into the Top 35 of the world standings before going to Tulsa.
Alves has only competed at one Velocity Tour event this season, going 0-for-1 in Denver on Jan. 14. However, Alves is 15-for-31 (48.38%) on the Velocity Tour in his career.
The 32-year-old is 7-for-37 (18.92%) at all levels of competition since June 1, and he will attempt to turn things around in Round 1 against Simple Man (16-6, all levels). Despite his recent struggles, Alves is still only 6.66 points outside of the Top 35, and a Top-4 finish in Casper could put back ahead of No. 35 Amadeu Campos.
In fact, only 12.66 points separates Campos from No. 42 Rafael Henrique dos Santos.
Oliveira and Mast could be Velocity Tour invites to World Finals
One big weekend in Casper can certainly alter one’s chances of qualifying for the PBR World Finals. Just look at Wallace de Oliveira.
Oliveira rocketed from No. 63 to No. 47 in the world standings with his first Velocity Tour event win since January 10, 2018, last weekend.
The 41-year-old could become the oldest rider ever to qualify for the World Finals in a variety of fashions.
Oliveira, who is also competing in Tulsa this weekend, only needs 28.5 points to get into the Top 35, but he also looks to be a leading contender to make the World Finals via the Velocity Tour standings.
Oliveira sitting second in the Velocity Tour standings, 7.84 points behind Velocity No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme, and is one of two riders currently competing in the Top 10 of the Velocity Tour standings that is not ranked inside the Top 35.
Top 10 Velocity Tour standings
1. Jose Vitor Leme
2. Wallace de Oliveira
3. Fabiano Vieira*
4. Cody Campbell*
5. Maurio Moreira
6. Tye Chandler*
7. Joao Henrique Lucas
8. Bruno Scaranello#
9. Marcus Mast
10. Dener Barbosa*
*Injured
#In Brazil
Oliveira takes on City Slicker (0-1, VT) on Friday night.
Marcus Mast is another rider that may be able to use the Velocity Tour standings if he does not crack the Top 35 as he is sitting ninth in the Velocity standings. Mast, though, is sitting No. 37 in the world standings and would qualify that way if the season ended today.
The Middlebury, Indiana, bull rider made some big moves last weekend in Casper even without winning either of the two events. Mast went 4-for-4 and earned 19 world points to get right back into the mix for a Top 35 world ranking.
Mast has drawn Squeeze Box (4-3, all levels) for Round 1 in Casper. Mast rode Squeeze Box for 85.5 points at the Velocity Tour event in Denver back in January.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Christopher Thompson/Bull Stock Media
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