Stetson Wright Sweeps Titles at Pendleton Whisky Xtreme Bulls Finale
By: Tanner Barth, PRCA Media Coordinator
PENDLETON, Ore – You’d be hard pressed to find a cowboy that is having as dominant of a season as Stetson Wright is having right now in ProRodeo.
Wright is stacking up wins and breaking records it seems like nearly every week and a two-day stop at the Pendleton Whisky Xtreme Bulls Finale in Oregon proved to be no different.
The five-time PRCA World Champion showed off his pedigree by winning not only the Finale, but also the year-end PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour title as well. He finished the four rounds of competition with 257 points on three head, making him the only cowboy to ride three bulls at the event.
“I feel like a lot of guys have had success at these events and even won it a few times in some cases,” said Wright, 23. “I’ve always just seemed to come in second or just couldn’t quite get it done. Finally, this year I got it done and I think it’s because I set myself up in a better spot to do it coming in. I crossed off two in one night, so I’m pretty happy.”
The Milford, Utah cowboy, earned an event best $20,648 for his performance. That number proved to be enough to move him into the top spot in the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour Standings at the conclusion of the event, edging out fellow NFR qualifier Josh Frost by $10,636. He secured the title in the third round with an 86-point ride on Muddy Creek Pro Rodeo’s Spyglass.
“I don’t know how to explain it other than the fact that I just wasn’t worried about winning it. I came in No. 3 in the Xtreme Bulls (Standings), and I had no pressure on myself really,” he said. “I just got to come out here and have fun.
“I feel like I’m a roll right now. Everything is going good and I’m healthy. But like everybody always says you’re only as good as your last ride and right now that’s not good enough for me. I want to be better. We are far from a gold buckle right now, but I’ve set myself up to just keep doing my job.”
The accomplishments don’t stop there for Wright. His payday at the Pendleton Whisky Xtreme Bulls Finale bumped his 2022 season total up to $308,192, which is a new regular season bull riding earnings record before the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The previous record was $297,026 set by Sage Kimzey in 2018.
“That was a big goal that I wanted to accomplish,” Wright said. “I’ve won more money this year than I did my first year winning the world (in bull riding in 2020). I just try to win everywhere that I go, and I’ve been pretty lucky this year.”
As of Sept. 14, he sits first in the PRCA | RAM World Standings in bull riding and second in saddle bronc riding. Around Stetson Wright no record seems to be off limits, including the ones he already owns.
“I’ll try to re-break them if I can. It would mean more to me to break my own record.”
Courtesy of PRCA