Road to Arlington: Campbell Closing in on Qualifying for Both PBR World Finals and NFR
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Boudreaux Campbell is no stranger to riding inside AT&T Stadium after being a member of the victorious Team USA Eagles at the PBR Global Cup this past February as the Americans became the first Global Cup or World Cup team to win an international bull riding team challenge on its home soil.
Nine months later, and Campbell will likely be adding another historical achievement to his resume inside AT&T Stadium after his seventh-place finish at the PBR Cooper Tires Take The Money and Ride, presented by Union Home Mortgage.
Campbell earned 20 world points in Nampa, Idaho, by going 2-for-3 to move up two spots in the world standings to No. 32 overall ahead of the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals on Nov. 6-7 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
It is close to a lock that the No. 3-ranked bull rider in the PRCA is now set to become the first rider this season to qualify for both the PBR World Finals (Nov. 12-15 in Arlington, Texas) and the National Finals Rodeo. Daylon Swearingen was the last bull rider to pull off the monumental double feat last year.
Campbell began his weekend in Nampa with 87 points on Tractorland Arizona Dreamin before riding Whiskey Bent for 87.25 points in Round 2 on Saturday night.
“I just stayed square, rode him jump for jump, and I just did my job,” Campbell told CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison following his Round 2 ride. “I did what it took to make the whistle, and I’m glad I did.”
Harrison then asked Campbell if he believed the World Finals was becoming more of a reality.
“Yeah, it’s starting to sink in now,” Campbell responded. “But more than making the Finals, I want to win this event.”
The 22-year-old, though, was unable to get past Hostage in the championship round and earn his first career victory.
Campbell was one of a series of riders on the World Finals bubble to help their World Finals aspirations at the final Unleash The Beast event of the regular season.
The Velocity Tour Finals is the final event of 2020 before the world standings are final and the Top 35 qualifiers for the World Finals are solidified.
Campbell now leads No. 36 Ryan Dirteater, who is not qualified for the Velocity Tour Finals, by 20.66 points. He also is 37.66 points ahead of No. 40 Dakota Louis.
The World Finals cutoff looks to be No. 39 in the world standings with at least four riders inside the Top 35 unable to compete at the World Finals because of injury, eligibility or travel restrictions. That number may change between now and the end of the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals on Nov. 6-7 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as well. The safest place for a rider to be if they want to make sure they are at the World Finals is to be sitting inside the Top 35.
World Finals bubble race post Nampa
32. Boudreaux Campbell (140.66 world points/+2 spots)*
33. Taylor Toves (140 points/+3 spots)*
34. Dakota Buttar (134.50 points/-4 spots)#
35. Tye Chandler (123.33 points/-2 spots)*
36. Ryan Dirteater (120 points/-1 spot)
37. Rafael Henrique dos Santos (106 points/+5 spots)*
38. Amadeu Campos (104.66 points/-1 spot)*
39. Junior Patrik Souza (103.50 points/+1 spot)*
40. Dakota Louis (103 points/-2 spots)*
41. Marcus Mast (99.16 points/-2 spots)*
42. Paulo Lima (93 points/-1 spot)
43. Cody Casper (89 points/no change)*
44. Wallace Vieira de Oliveira (88.16 points/+3 spots)*
*Top 35 Velocity Tour Finals qualifier
#Buttar is ineligible for Top 35 World Finals qualification spot, but he could compete as PBR Canada invite at Velocity Tour Finals and earn a trip to Arlington that way.
According to Dr. Tandy Freeman, No. 38 Amadeu Campos remained hospitalized in Nampa Saturday after fracturing six ribs and partially collapsing his lung in Round 1 on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Tye Chandler has been out recovering from hip surgery, but he could be cleared to return to competition at the Velocity Tour Finals.
Dirteater is not qualified for the Velocity Tour Finals through the VT standings, but he could potentially earn a spot in Sioux Falls if enough riders ahead of him in the world standings turn down the opportunity to ride in South Dakota. Dirteater, though, is still very much in a position to qualify for the World Finals as he hopes to close out his career in Arlington next month.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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